NewCAJE16: Full Schedule

The NewCAJE conference is a vibrant gathering that unites Jewish educators and professionals to strengthen the Jewish community through education. Rooted in the legacy of CAJE, NewCAJE fosters innovation, collaboration, and inspiration. The conference offers space for sharing best practices, exploring new ideas, and deepening Jewish and educational learning. Committed to inclusivity and pluralism, it welcomes educators from all backgrounds, creating a supportive network that empowers them to make a lasting impact.

8:30am EDT

Louder! Louder! Give Voice to Our Stories Using Drama in the Classroom

Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Lift stories off the page and onto the stage! We will explore how to write simple scripts for the classroom. Use drama to lead your students in making connections with Torah characters, content, and each other! Take away tips for writing and using your own short skits for classroom use.

Speakers

Tanya Wisoker

Adult Educator, Storyteller

Tanya has been telling stories her whole life, starting with reading to her little sister. She worked with preschoolers, as a museum interpreter, and as a Religious School principal. Tanya was a Day School science teacher and drama coach for 11 years before retiring to pursue... Read More →

Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Storytelling Bible/Text

10:30am EDT

Ezekiel Comes Out of the Vision: A Prophet’s First Message

Tuesday June 24, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Ezekiel opens with a bizarre, stunning vision of the divine which the prophet experiences in Babylonia: supernatural beings, a fiery hovering vehicle, and the “radiance” of God. How does he process it, and what follows? What does this have to do with his calling as a prophet? We’ll take a close look at how the book proceeds.

Speakers

Everett Fox

Tuesday June 24, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Bible/Text Torah L'shma

4:15pm EDT

Torah in Our Lives, Our Lives in Torah

Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:15pm - 5:45pm EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - 121

This session will introduce Rabbi Leila Gal Berner's Kriat ha-Kodesh, "Reading the Holy," method of Torah study, a reflective approach that builds connections between the Torah and individuals' experiences and values. It will include a model study unit on one parashah, discussion of the experience, and exploration of the methodology.

Speakers

Paul Solyn

Adult Educator

Paul Solyn is an adult educator in Elmira, New York. He received an M.J.Ed. degree and family-educator certificate from Hebrew College and is an ordained maggid-educator. In May he received a graduate certificate in eco-spirituality at Hartford International University.

Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:15pm - 5:45pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - 121

Adult Education Spirituality Bible/Text

4:15pm EDT

Crafting the Mishkan: Reimagining Terumah and Vayakhel

Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:15pm - 5:45pm EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - G27

Many people think these two parshiyot are boring list of supplies. Our modern world has distanced us from the skills and techniques used in the creation of the Mishkan. Through a discussion of ancient techniques and modern related crafts, people will find stronger links to our ancestors and the work they did to create Adonai's earthly home. Participants will be able to bring this into their classrooms and make these parshiyot real and relatable to people of all ages.

Speakers

Emily Howard Meyer

Composer

Rabbi Emily Howard Meyer is a recent ordinee from the Academy of Jewish Religion. An accomplished composer and musician, Emily's compositions are performed by orchestras and in synagogues throughout the US. Emily loves to work with her hands and is a prolific weaver, spinner... Read More →

Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:15pm - 5:45pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G27

Bible/Text Visual Arts

4:15pm EDT

Draw your own Torah with Parsha Posters

Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:15pm - 5:45pm EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - 278

How can we make Biblical stories relevant today? How can we use art to explore themes and characters in the Torah? Hillel created Parsha Posters--a series of graphic illustrations for each Torah portion--to find meaning in the Biblical text, and believes in visual art as a powerful way to share personal midrash. He leads this workshop with groups of all ages to provide the tools for greater understanding through artistic expression. We will begin with a brief talk about the fundamentals of minimalist design and about his inspiration for the project. Small groups will then read and discuss assigned Biblical texts. Finally, everyone will design and present their own posters as a way of reflecting visually on the Torah they just learned.

Speakers

Hillel Smith

Artist

Hillel Smith is an illustrator and designer who expands the boundaries of Jewish art through contemporary media. He paints Jewish murals around the world and founded the Jewish Street Art Festival. He has created art for PJ Library, BBYO, and HIAS. He leads art workshops and teaches... Read More →

Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:15pm - 5:45pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - 278

Bible/Text Visual Arts

8:30am EDT

Building Skills for Empathy in Jewish Tradition

Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT

Van Meter Hall: VM - G02

How we can use Jewish text and tradition to foster and reinforce social, emotional, and spiritual learning? By exploring the six stages of questions used at Makom Community, you will bring home tools that help support your educators to embrace deep and thoughtful questioning among their learners. The result will be learners seeing studying Jewish text not as something from the past, but a living relationship that evolves with them as they experience their homes, school, and larger communities.

Speakers

Terri Soifer

Terri Soifer is a strategic relationship builder who works at the intersection of Jewish education and fundraising. She spent her career strengthening Jewish community in Philadelphia. She completed her Master’s in Jewish Education from the Davidson School of Jewish Education at... Read More →

Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - G02

Big Picture of Jewish Education Bible/Text

8:30am EDT

#10XSTRONGER: A 10-Day Challenge Like No Other! Strengthening Jewish Peoplehood, Identity, and Purpose

Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - 246

Begin to build your students’ Jewish pride in as little as 10 minutes each day. The #10XSTRONGER 10-Day Challenge was developed as a successful response to the immediate and pressing issues of the war in Israel and rising antisemitism worldwide. Instead of retreating in fear or anger, we choose to stand up, strengthening our identity and purpose! Find out more and come away with the #10XSTRONGER digital booklet and teacher’s guide packed with engaging inspirations and challenges for learners of all ages.

Speakers

Nina Woldin

Adult Educator, Artist, Consultant, Exhibitor, Non-Profit Staff/CEO, curriculum writer, Chai Mitzvah

Nina Fondiller Woldin has worked in Jewish education for decades, creating student materials and programs for pre-K – adult. Her work has been published by Behrman House, Ktav, Kar Ben Publishing, Addison Wesley and Grolier. Back in the late 90s, she created one of the first online... Read More →

Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - 246

Creating Community Bible/Text

Subject Holocaust/Antisemitism Certificate

2:00pm EDT

What Does a Haftarah Text Have to Say to a Thirteen-Year-Old?

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - 121

Using Haftarat Va-yeshev (from the book of Amos) as an example, we will study the background of the haftarah and its connection to the Torah portion. After unpacking the poetry of the text, we will discuss how we would teach this Haftara, focusing on what will speak to a thirteen-year-old. Applicable to any haftarah; the session is not restricted to B-Mitzvah teachers.

Speakers

Everett Fox

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - 121

Bible/Text Bar/Bat Mitzvah

10:30am EDT

Body & Soul

Thursday June 26, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - 251

Everyone knows that it’s common sense to be healthy. But what does the Torah say about it? To what extent is it a mitzvah to eat healthy, exercise and everything else we should be doing?

Speakers

Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld

Adult Jewish educator, Jewish Teachers Institute

Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld, PhD started teaching right out of college in rural Mississippi. With over 10 years of classroom experience and 20 years as an adult Jewish educator, he founded the Jewish Teachers Institute in 2016 which trains and mentors day school teachers, creates curricula... Read More →

Thursday June 26, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - 251

Bible/Text Torah L'shma

10:30am EDT

You Have the Skills to Read, Understand, and Teach the Words of Torah as Written in Translation, and So Do 4th Graders

Thursday June 26, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - G50

You read the Bible like you read Shakespeare or a book of poetry. In this session, we will take a text from the Torah, read it, read it again with comments and commentary, and figure out how to figure out what it means to you. We will then talk about teaching it to kids and adults, but that's the easy part!

Speakers

Cherie Koller-Fox

Thursday June 26, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Bible/Text Teaching Tools & Techniques