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.

2:00pm EDT

Capturing Learner's Attention and Imaginations in the Jewish Classroom

Monday June 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT

Van Meter Hall: VM - G11

Struggling with distracted students who can't focus? Discover practical strategies to engage learners by making content relevant and interactive. Explore transformative approaches like Choose Your Own Adventure, Project-Based Learning, and customized electives that spark student enthusiasm. Walk away with ready-to-use methods to dramatically improve classroom participation.

Speakers

Ronni Ticker

Classroom Teacher - Elementary, Classrooom Teacher - Middle School, Consultant, Self Employed

Ronni Ticker, Founder & Chief Imagination Officer of Jewish Learning Central, is a creative strategic thinker consulting with synagogues and non-profits to reimagine learning and engagement. Ronni is also the Director of Family Engagement for the Federation of Palm Beach County. She... Read More →

Monday June 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - G11

Pedagogy

8:30am EDT

Israel Education: Crisis Management or Foundational and Grounding Adaptability

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

Julia Rogers: JR - 121

Curriculum must be regularly reviewed to ensure relevance, include updated pedagogy, and embrace evolving diversity in your Jewish community. Sometimes these changes are gradual, but sometimes our instincts as Jewish educators pull us toward more drastic actions. Narratives change, resources improve, world events impact understanding.

Speakers

Rabbi Michal Morris Kamil

Rabbi, Congregation Beth El-Ner Tamid, Broomall, PA

Rabbi Michal has led Beth El-Ner Tamid in Broomall, PA since September. With experience for over three decades in both formal informal Jewish education in Israel, New Zealand, England, and the USA, she was ordained as Rabbi in 2022 in AJRCA. A Sabra, who has worked in building bridges... Read More →

Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - 121

Israel/Zionism Pedagogy

8:30am EDT

Skills Share: Tools for Student Self-Assessment and Self-Directed Learning

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

Julia Rogers: JR - 278

Learn how to harness the power of self-assessment and self-directed learning to increase student engagement and success, from writing group songs to learning prayers to being loud and slow when reading from the bimah. You will come away with specific tools that can be adapted to learners of all ages.

Speakers

Rory Michelle Sullivan

Artist-in-Residence

Rory Michelle Sullivan’s work as singer/songwriter, songleader, musician, composer, educator, curriculum writer, and consultant with a range of Jewish communities and ages inspires spiritual connection, growth, and joy through healthy, authentic, creative, and constructive relationships... Read More →

Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - 278

Pedagogy

4:15pm EDT

Conquering the Challenge of Hebrew Decoding

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

Van Meter Hall: VM - G07

Are your Hebrew students struggling? Doing things like forgetting Hebrew letters and vowels, mixing up look-alike letters, decoding Hebrew prayers slooooowly and laboriously and/or making errors that seem impossible to eliminate? Join us to learn a wide variety of easy-to-implement research-based strategies for conquering these challenges.

Speakers

Linda Duke

Teacher, Congregation B'nai Shalom

Linda Duke is a Hebrew Through Movement (HTM) Master Teacher and co-facilitator of the national HTM Community of Practice. Linda’s experiences teaching Hebrew in three synagogue Hebrew programs contribute to #OnwardHebrew’s research on Hebrew decoding. Linda was honored with a... Read More →

Nachama Moskowitz

Director, #OnwardHebrew

Nachama Skolnik Moskowitz is the director of #OnwardHebrew, a national Hebrew learning initiative that is building student competence, confidence, and excitement in synagogue/part-time settings. Previously, she served as Director of Curriculum Resources for the Jewish Education Center... Read More →

Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:15pm - 5:45pm EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - G07

Hebrew/Yiddish Pedagogy

4:15pm EDT

The Art of Amazement

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

Julia Rogers: JR - G50

This session will teach you how to "reverse engineer" Jewish liturgy, so that instead of learning deductively, students will learn it inductively - that is, experientially. You will learn how to make tefilah of any sort electrifying for your students!

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 →

Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:15pm - 5:45pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Pedagogy Spirituality

8:30am EDT

Dinosaurs and Other Derailments

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

Julia Rogers: JR - G27

Great educators meet their students wherever they’re at. If your students are into baseball and you can connect that to Judaism, you’ve hit a home run. Come to this session with wild topics your students might be interested in, and I’ll show you how to make that work with your curriculum.

Speakers

David Schwartz

Education Director, Temple Har Zion

David Schwartz is the Education Director at Temple Har Zion in Chicago. When he is not doing that he is a B’nai Mitzvah tutor and a Jewish storyteller. David is also on the Executive Board of the Jewish Educators Assembly and an MTEI graduate. However, his most important role is... Read More →

Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G27

Pedagogy

10:30am EDT

Davenning and Trope – What do you need to Learn?

Wednesday June 25, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - 121

For teachers of students from Adults to Pre-Teens: if you teach "synagogue skills" – Liturgy, Nusach chants, and/or Trope – what do you want and need to learn from a new textbook and videos on these subjects? What would best meet your teaching needs?

Participants will be introduced to new teaching resources that are "in-progress", and in turn, participants are invited to express the topics, concepts, and specific skills that they need from these new materials, which are in the "preliminary stages" of preparation.

Speakers

David Schwartz

Education Director, Temple Har Zion

Cantor Neil Schwartz

Director of Education, Temple Har Zion; River Forest, IL

Neil Schwartz graduated JTS in 1980; he has a Master of Arts in Religion and Culture, and 5 Units of Chaplaincy Training. Cantor Neil retired after 42 years in 7 synagogues (3 as "Kol Bo"); he taught the IMUN Lay Leader program, and Trope and Nusach online for Hebrew College. He... Read More →

Wednesday June 25, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - 121

Bar/Bat Mitzvah Pedagogy

10:30am EDT

Hebrew Through Movement - Insights from a Master Teacher

Wednesday June 25, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Van Meter Hall: VM - G01

Take Hebrew Through Movement (HTM) teaching up a notch, whether as an HTM teacher, education director, or just a curious colleague. Linda will share her expertise as an HTM Master Teacher and Nachama will place HTM within the bigger picture of Hebrew learning. Bring your curiosity and your questions!

Speakers

Linda Duke

Teacher, Congregation B'nai Shalom

Nachama Moskowitz

Director, #OnwardHebrew

Wednesday June 25, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - G01

Hebrew/Yiddish Pedagogy

2:00pm EDT

Echoes & Reflections: Foundations of Holocaust Education

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

Van Meter Hall: VM - G01

This program is designed to enhance teachers’ knowledge and capacity to teach about the Holocaust. Educators will have the chance to explore classroom lessons, visual history testimonies and other resources that examine aspects of the history and its continued relevance today. Resources will be highlighted that will expand upon your existing classroom approaches, in addition to providing foundational resources for new educators.

Speakers

Randi Boyette

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - G01

History/Holocaust Pedagogy

Subject Holocaust/Antisemitism Certificate

4:00pm EDT

Echoes & Reflections: Foundations of Holocaust Education (2nd occurance)

Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT

Van Meter Hall: VM - G01

Speakers

Randi Boyette

Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - G01

History/Holocaust Pedagogy

Subject Holocaust/Antisemitism Certificate

4:00pm EDT

Art for Non-Artists

Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - 130

Does creativity make you queasy? Does “art” send shivers up your spine? You’ve come to the right place! In this workshop, we'll explore practical, easy-to-implement techniques to make your lessons come alive through visual arts, dance, poetry, and other creative projects. No artistic skills required—just a willingness to explore!

Speakers

Emily Meyer

Rabbi Emily Meyer believes that creativity fosters a meaningful and enduring sense of belonging. She is the creator of Doodly Jew, a project designed to spark creativity in Hebrew learning and calls Temple Emanuel of the South Hills in Pittsburgh, PA home.

Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - 130

Pedagogy

4:00pm EDT

Engaging Meaningful Play in Religious School

Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - 277

How can teachers find a balance between creating a joyful classroom environment and covering meaningful Jewish curriculum? In this session, participants will explore the WHY of playful learning for grades K through 8, as well as actually creating many activities that can be utilized right away in classes.

Speakers

Meredith Silverman

Assistant Director of Education, Temple De Hirsch Sinai

Meredith is the Assistant Director of Education at Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle, Washington. She has her Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and enjoys developing teachers in their careers. Meredith is also a Second Year participant in the LEEP program.

Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - 277

Pedagogy

4:00pm EDT

Playing with words: Jewish Ekphrasis

Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT

Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Ekphrastic poetry, derived from the Greek word for "description," uses words to interpret a work of art. ‘Ekphrasis’ will be demonstrated through the instructors new book, Vessels of Light, a conversation between a poet and photographer, written in this style. In this class, we will play with words, drawing vocabulary from Jewish prayer, Israel and the Holiday cycle to create small poems.

Speakers

Karen Webber

Adult Educator, Artist, Cantor, Clergy Educator, Entertainer, Musician, Online Tutor (Hebrew or Judaica), Spiritual Leader, Specialist, Storyteller

Karen Webber is a liturgical, teaching and performing artist who builds theatre/music pieces for elder care facilities, mental health centers, public parks and the bimah. An ordained cantor since 1990 (HUC-JIR), Karen is also an accredited teaching artist and a certified Peer Support... Read More →

Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Pedagogy Spirituality