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.

12:30pm EDT

New Attendee Orientation #1

Monday June 23, 2025 12:30pm - 1:00pm EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Come and bring your program books! We will help you figure out how to get the most out of the conference, how to read the program book, how to meet people, and answer whatever questions you might have. Learn from NewCAJE veterans, and connect with other first-timers!

Speakers

Cherie Koller-Fox

Cathy Kaplan

Monday June 23, 2025 12:30pm - 1:00pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G50

1:00pm EDT

New Attendee Orientation #2

Monday June 23, 2025 1:00pm - 1:30pm EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Speakers

Cherie Koller-Fox

Cathy Kaplan

Monday June 23, 2025 1:00pm - 1:30pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G50

2:00pm EDT

Classroom Strategies to Develop Perspective Taking

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

Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Our Sages teach that there are “70 Faces of the Torah,” meaning that there are many levels of meaning in our Jewish texts. One of the most important life skills we can instill in our children is the ability to see other people’s perspectives. This workshop will explore 10 fun classroom techniques teachers can use to help their students learn.

Speakers

Aaron Levitt

Executive Director, Jewish Educational Services, The Associated - Jewish Federation of Baltimore

Rabbi Aaron Levitt has served as a Jewish educator for over 25 years, teaching in Day Schools, Congregational Schools, Camps, Synagogues, and other settings. This experience includes serving as Judaic Studies Principal at Robert M. Beren Academy in Houston, Assistant Rabbi at Boca... Read More →

Monday June 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Teaching Tools & Techniques

3:45pm EDT

#OnwardHebrew: For the curious or not (yet) convinced

Monday June 23, 2025 3:45pm - 5:15pm EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - G50

#OnwardHebrew has been transforming Hebrew education for students in part-time/synagogue programs across North America. This workshop will explain and explore sound-to-print Hebrew learning, share success stories and cautionary tales, present research, and offer steps to help your educational program explore #OnwardHebrew’s power for your learners.

Speakers

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 →

Monday June 23, 2025 3:45pm - 5:15pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Alternative Models of Jewish Education Hebrew/Yiddish

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

NewCAJE Chorale #1

Tuesday June 24, 2025 10:30am - 1:00pm EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Come be a part of the NewCAJE chorale and practice for a grand performance at evening programs on Wednesday night! All are welcome, musicians and non-musicians alike. Please plan to attend both sessions and a short rehearsal before Wednesday's evening program. Note that this workshop will run until 1:00 p.m. THis is the first of two session. The second one is on Wednesday, 1:00 - 1:50 p.m.

Speakers

Michelle Cohn Levy

Tuesday June 24, 2025 10:30am - 1:00pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Creating Community Torah L'shma

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

T’fillah as TORAH: Tools Of Resilience And Hope

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

Julia Rogers: JR - G50

The science is clear: A strong spiritual core is key to resilience in our fractured world. T’fillah in form and content is a powerful pathway for exactly this, but only if we teach it and lead it that way. Together, we’ll dive into the science, experience simple practices that make a big impact, and explore what this means for our students, our families, ourselves, and our world.

Speakers

Eliana Light

Songleader, Consultant, Musisian, Day School/Yeshiva, Synagogue Sunday or Afternoon School/Program, Early Childhood Center, Camp, Adult Education, Self Employed

Eliana is working towards a world of One-ness, guided and inspired by Jewish heritage. She is the founder and head T’fillahsopher at the Light Lab and the co-host of the Light Lab podcast. She is also a sought-after songwriter and performer of catchy, content-rich tunes for all... Read More →

Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G50

God Spirituality

Subject God/Spirituality Certificate

10:30am EDT

Songs to the Tune of…

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

Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Are you a preschool teacher who feels daunted by the idea of singing with your students? Are you searching for easy-to-remember repertoire to sing in your classroom? Come learn adaptations to classic songs with early childhood music specialist, Lisa Baydush, who will share simple but engaging songs that will delight your students! Bring your inner child and be prepared to have fun! (This workshop is not intended for music educators, though they are most welcome.)

Speakers

Lisa Baydush

Early Childhood Music Specialist, Temple Beth Ami (Rockville, MD), Congregation B'nai Tzedek (Potomac, MD)

Lisa Baydush is an engaging early childhood music specialist who delights in transmitting the values, stories and traditions of Judaism through the medium of Jewish music. A dynamic teacher and Tot Shabbat service leader at two congregations in Maryland, Lisa is also a prolific... Read More →

Wednesday June 25, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Early Childhood Education Music

Subject Early Childhood Education Certificate

1:00pm EDT

NewCAJE Chorale #2

Wednesday June 25, 2025 1:00pm - 1:45pm EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Come be a part of the NewCAJE chorale and practice for a grand performance at evening programs on Wednesday night! All are welcome, musicians and non-musicians alike. Please plan to attend both sessions and a short rehearsal before Wednesday's evening program. This is the second of two sessions, the previous one being on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Speakers

Michelle Cohn Levy

Wednesday June 25, 2025 1:00pm - 1:45pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Creating Community Torah L'shma

2:00pm EDT

Full Circle Storytelling: Bringing Your Stories to Life and the World (Zoom session)

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

Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Discover how to turn meaningful family histories, powerful historical events, and important stories into published books that inspire the next generation. As students write to be read by others they enter a virtuous cycle of learning, self-expression, and cultural preservation. Whether you're capturing memories from a grandparent or reimagining pivotal moment is history, etc... this session will show how this kind of storytelling can enhance learning in your classroom.

Speakers

John Yen

John Yen is the CEO and Co-Founder of StoryJumper, a full circle educational technology platform that empowers students and adults to become published authors and share their books with the world. With a passion for making learning joyful and meaningful, John has helped millions of... Read More →

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Creating Community Storytelling

4:00pm EDT

Let's Plan a Family Ed Program from Soup to Nuts or from Study to Production

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

Julia Rogers: JR - G50

In this session, we will plan a family event or two together and how to build on family education from year to year. We will share ideas for appropriate crafts, cooking, music, field trips and adult education and give you the tools to be able to plan the next steps for your community. You will be able to join a monthly support group that will help you through the first year of implementing the ideas, inspired by these sessions and tailored for your own community. You can attend this session if you have been to the first one or taken a class from me previously on family ed. We won't be able to go into depth on the material of the first session if you only attend this one.

Speakers

Cherie Koller-Fox

Wednesday June 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G50

Family Education

8:30am EDT

That’s Amazing! T’fillah with Kids & Families

Thursday June 26, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT

Julia Rogers: JR - G50

How can we make t’fillah an exercise in spiritual core building? Together we’ll experience and discuss a frame for the morning service that aims to do exactly that. Great for K-5 but adaptable for older and younger kids and families, and works with whatever melodies you might do (we'll learn a few new ones too!) Let’s laugh, sing, and wonder, together!

Speakers

Eliana Light

Songleader, Consultant, Musisian, Day School/Yeshiva, Synagogue Sunday or Afternoon School/Program, Early Childhood Center, Camp, Adult Education, Self Employed

Thursday June 26, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Julia Rogers: JR - G50

God Spirituality

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