NewCAJE17: 50th Anniversary: Full Schedule

2:00pm EDT

Building Bridges: Creating Empathy Across Cultures Through Jewish Food

Sunday July 26, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT

This workshop will be a look at how an introduction to how Jewish foods can be used to teach teens and adults about Jewish culture, it's similarities to other cultures around the world, and how that culture was impacted by 20th century Jewish history. The goal of this workshop is to build empathy, fight anti-semitism, and encourage people of all cultures to look for the similarities and the good in others.

Speakers

Cathy Polakoff

Storytelling Director, Teach the Shoah

Cathy Polakoff is a Storytelling Director at Teach the Shoah. She has held a variety of roles in education since earning her M.Ed in 2014. She now focuses on guiding people in telling factual stories to educate others about the Holocaust. Cathy frequently volunteers at her synagogue... Read More →

Sunday July 26, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
College Hall Rm 323

History, Storytelling

Audience Middle School, High School, Adult Students, Teachers, Principals
Track Holocaust
Type Main

4:45pm EDT

Telling Their Story

Sunday July 26, 2026 4:45pm - 6:15pm EDT

College Hall Rm 236

I will share strategies learning at the 2022 Yad Vashem Supplemental School Seminar to support educators in developing educationally and emotionally accessible lessons to elementary and middle school students. Learn methods to create content for Holocaust education which can be used in a variety of settings. We are obliged to tell stories of survivors and victims factually, using first person narrative when possible. Four different family Holocaust stories will be shared using a variety of methods, including artifacts and testimony.

Speakers

Ramona Brand

Director of Youth Learning, Temple Beth El

Ramona Brand M.Ed, is the Director of Youth Learning at Temple Beth-El in Richmond, Virginia. She has been a director of Congregational Supplemental schools for twenty-five years and is excited to be able to share her passion for Jewish education with other educators. She will be... Read More →

Sunday July 26, 2026 4:45pm - 6:15pm EDT
College Hall Rm 236

History, Storytelling

Company Spirituality/Tefilah, Storytelling
Audience Lower Elementary School, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School
Track Holocaust
Type Main

9:00am EDT

Teach the Shoah: Giving Voice to Their Stories

Monday July 27, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

College Hall Rm 347

Participants will use Holocaust testimony as well as images of an artifact to create a brief story as a tool for teaching the Holocaust. We will follow the approach of Teach the Shoah, first listening to a story and unpacking the process behind it, and then trying it ourselves.

Speakers

Tanya Wisoker

Adult Educator, Storyteller

Tanya Wisoker is a Jewish educator, playwright, and storyteller.
Tanya is a Board Member, Instructor, and Facilitator for Teach the Shoah, bringing the testimonies of those who experienced the Holocaust, their descendants, and anyone committed to the task of bearing witness to li... Read More →

Tanya Wisoker Giving Voice to Their Stories NewCAJE2026 pdf

Being Aware of Your Audience Teach the Shoah pdf

Monday July 27, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
College Hall Rm 347

History, Storytelling

Company History, Storytelling
Audience Middle School, High School, Adult Students, Teachers
Track Holocaust
Type Main

11:00am EDT

Holocaust Discussion Hands-on Tools

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

College Hall Rm 319

This interactive session equips educators with practical, ready-to-use tools for engaging students in meaningful Holocaust education. Through art, poetry, storytelling, and guided discussion strategies, participants will learn how to foster empathy, critical thinking, resilience, and historical understanding in age-appropriate ways. Educators will leave with hands-on activities and resources designed to help students connect Holocaust lessons to contemporary issues of identity, courage, kindness, and human responsibility.

Speakers

Jennifer Alembik

Cheryl is an educator and advocate for Holocaust remembrance and youth empowerment. She is the Founder and President of the Holocaust Youth Survivors Legacy Foundation, Inc., where she creates arts- and poetry-based programs that bring survivor voices to students. Her work is dedicated... Read More →

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
College Hall Rm 319

History, Big Picture of Jewish Education

Company History, Big Picture of Jewish Education
Audience Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, Adult Students, Teachers, Principals
Track Holocaust
Type Main

11:00am EDT

To Be A Free People - Telling Our Story Through Israel's Declaration of Independence

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

College Hall Rm 347

Struggling to pack in a lot of Jewish history in already limited time?
What better way than through the medium of Israel's Declaration of Independence? The first 10 statements or mini paragraphs are about us as a People - our History, Culture, great teachers and Rabbis, and so much more.This project-based program helps middle school students research and create mini posters while learning about the extraordinary history of our People.

Speakers

Ilona Shechter

teacher, Cong. Sinai

Ilona Shechter is a semi-retired Jewish Studies and Hebrew teacher who has been in the classroom for over 40 years. She has taught everything from Kindergarten to Adult education but her true love is Middle School. Her passion is Holocaust education.

Monday July 27, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
College Hall Rm 347

History, Jewish Life & Identity

Company Jewish Life & Identity, History
Audience Middle School
Track Israel
Type Main

11:00am EDT

Resilience: Amazing Courageous Stories of Young Holocaust Survivors

Tuesday July 28, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT

College Hall Rm 319

Resilience is an educational program designed for educators to bring themes of strength, survival, and hope into the classroom through poetry, art, and testimony inspired by young Holocaust survivors. It provides age-appropriate materials, discussion guides, and reflective activities that help students connect history to empathy, resilience, and personal responsibility. Educators are empowered to facilitate meaningful conversations about the Holocaust while fostering critical thinking compassion and deeper understanding of human dignity and resilience in today’s world.

Speakers

Jennifer Alembik

Tuesday July 28, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
College Hall Rm 319

History, Storytelling

Company History, Storytelling
Audience Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, Adult Students, Teachers
Track Holocaust
Type Main

4:45pm EDT

Expanding Holocaust-Era Persecution: Jewish Experiences in the Middle East, North Africa, and Beyond

Tuesday July 28, 2026 4:45pm - 6:15pm EDT

College Hall Rm 319

This session expands Holocaust education by examining the impact of Nazi persecution beyond Central and Eastern Europe, focusing on Sephardi, Mizrahi, and Maghrebi communities. Participants will explore case studies from the Balkans, North Africa, and the Middle East, and engage with resources such as JIMENA’s Sephardi & Mizrahi Educational Toolkit. The session equips educators with historical knowledge and practical strategies to integrate these narratives into curricula and connect them to contemporary antisemitism.

Speakers

Ty Alhadeff

Director of Education, JIMENA

Ty Alhadeff is Director of Education at JIMENA, where he leads initiatives promoting Sephardi and Mizrahi history, including the Sephardic Leadership Institute and projects such as Distinctions: A Sephardi and Mizrahi Journal, the Sephardi & Mizrahi Education Toolkit, and AIMEE, a... Read More →

Tuesday July 28, 2026 4:45pm - 6:15pm EDT
College Hall Rm 319

History, Jewish Life & Identity

Audience Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, Adult Students, Teachers, Principals
Track Holocaust
Type Main

9:00am EDT

Cinema as a Teaching Tool in Holocaust Education

Wednesday July 29, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

College Hall Rm 319

Today there is a plethora of Holocaust themed films, many are Academy Award winners. Many also have been adapted from books.This session will look at how to incorporate the use of movie trailers to supplement curriculum on various themes- eg. Kindertransport, Righteous Among the Nations, Resistance, etc. A primary source for the session is Richard Brownstein's Holocaust Cinema Complete: A History and Analysis of 400 Films. Participants will leave the session with resources for their classroom.

Speakers

Marcia Wollner

regional director, March of. the Living, Western Region

Marcia Tatz Wollner is the Western Region Director of the March of the Living. Living in San Diego, she teaches Holocaust education in many congregational schools. She is the former school services director of the Agency for Jewish Education. She holds a masters in Jewish Studies... Read More →

NewCAJE Holocaust Cinema pdf

Wednesday July 29, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
College Hall Rm 319

History, Jewish Life & Identity

Company Jewish Life & Identity, History
Audience Middle School, High School
Track Holocaust
Type Main

2:00pm EDT

4:45pm EDT

9:00am EDT

11:00am EDT

11:00am EDT

11:00am EDT

4:45pm EDT

9:00am EDT

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