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

AI as Your Teaching Partner: Enhancing Jewish Education with Smart Tools

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

Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Discover AI's potential in Jewish education. ShalomLearning's session offers practical tools for lesson planning, content creation, and student engagement. Learn to leverage AI efficiently, addressing ethical concerns, and enriching classroom experiences.

Speakers

Shira Sender

Director/Head of School, Director of Client Care and Teacher Support

TBD

Monday June 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Technology

3:45pm EDT

Every Kippah has a Story

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

Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

For egalitarian synagogues where students may wear head coverings. An intergenerational workshop on the reasons for wearing kippot, meeting and decorating kippot from previous life-cycle events. Every kippah owner tells a story to the "child" who chooses his or her event kippah. All followed by a "blinging" session.

Speakers

Karen Sacks

Interim Religious School Director, Congregation Habonim

Karen Sacks is the interim Religious School director at Congregation Habonim in NYC. She has worked as a music specialist in Jewish preschools, camps and religious schools and enjoys sharing her love of Judaism and education through music, creative programming, humor, and tradition... Read More →

Monday June 23, 2025 3:45pm - 5:15pm EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Creating Community Spirituality

8:30am EDT

Ometz Lev - A Strong Heart: Cultivating Resilience through Creative Movement and Expressive Arts

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

Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Where can we find “Ometz Lev,” a strong, resilient heart? Through creative movement! We will “move” and “be moved by” its Hebrew letters, explore their kabbalistic meaning, and further our understanding via drawing/journaling. Learn my holistic approach to teaching Hebrew letters, whose gestural, spatial designs connect us to Jewish spirituality. For both children and adults!

Speakers

Davida Adelberg

Teaches Jewish Studies and Beginning Hebrew, Congregation Sinai

Davida Adelberg teaches Jewish Studies and Beginning Hebrew at Congregation Sinai in San Jose, CA. She enjoys creative movement and Jewish spiritual connection, uniting both in "moving" the Hebrew letters with the gestural Alef-Bet, created by Stan Tenen, z"l. Davida is blessed with... Read More →

Tuesday June 24, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Hebrew/Yiddish Teaching Tools & Techniques

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

The Gematria of Tzitzit: Bringing the Mitzvah of Tallit Alive for our Students

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

Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

The idea of placing our tradition on the shoulders of our B'Mitvah students through wearing a tallit can feel like a lot to a thirteen year old adolescent. Join me in one of my students' favorite lessons! Together, we will learn about gematria, the mystical math tradition of the Hebrew letters and how it relates to tzitzit. Study the texts that instruct us to wear fringes and then we will then learn how to tie tzitzit. You'll leave with one of your very own to tie on a backpack, attach to a keychain, or hang on a bulletin board to be a reminder of the mitzvot. In turn, you'll be able to teach it to your own students!

Speakers

Jeri Robins

Cantor / Director of Education, B'Mitzvah Tutors, Cantor, Classroom Teacher - Elementary, Classrooom Teacher - Middle School, Director/Head of School

Boston-based Cantor Jeri Robins serves as the Cantor at Beth El Temple Center in Belmont, Director of Education at Temple Chayai Shalom in Easton, and teaches at Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline, as well as working with students privately. A graduate of Hebrew College with cantorial... Read More →

Tuesday June 24, 2025 4:15pm - 5:45pm EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

8:30am EDT

Grandparents: A Hidden Treasure in Plain Sight

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

Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Learn how to transform grandparents from an untapped asset into powerful catalysts for Jewish identity and family engagement. Discover ways to strengthen the vital bond between grandparents and their grandchildren (whether in person or at a distance) thereby ensuring a vibrant and enduring Jewish heritage for all families. This session offers a quick self-assessment of grandparent engagement in your program, as well as 10 ideas for engaging grandparents including intergenerational holiday programs.

Speakers

Ilene Vogelstein

Ilene has extensive professional and volunteer experience in the Jewish community. Ilene conducted the first survey on the state of Jewish preschools in America (2000). She was the Coordinator of the Early Childhood Education Department at Baltimore Hebrew University and was adjunct... Read More →

Wednesday June 25, 2025 8:30am - 10:00am EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Creating Community Family Education

10:30am EDT

Text as Texture

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

Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Explore the use of letters and writing as an artistic element. Participants use a variety of media to create experimental typographic art informed by inspiration both Jewish and not. We'll begin by looking at art involving words and text, including Jewish art from across the centuries. Then everyone will have the opportunity to make word-based art of their own. No artistic skill required!

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 →

Wednesday June 25, 2025 10:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Visual Arts

2:00pm EDT

From Sinai to Silicon: AI in Jewish Classrooms

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

Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

What if you had a chevruta who could help plan your next lesson, write thoughtful parent emails, and check student comprehension? A hands-on workshop in AI —from simple time-saving tools to full-scale collaboration across schools and staff.

Recommended: bring a laptop (or phone) and ChatGPT account (free or paid).

Speakers

Natan Lapin

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Van Meter Hall: VM - 101

Big Picture of Jewish Education Technology

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