Education

Welcome to the Education Department!

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 12:34:27 -0400

The Education Department provides resources and support for congregational education directors, religious school teachers, parents, adult education teachers and independent learners.

Reconstructionist Educators of North America
RENA is the professional association of Reconstructionist education directors.

Rabbi Erin Hirsh
JRF Director of Education
ehirsh@jrf.org

JRF Launches Web-Based Tool for Easy Access to Educational Materials

Lisa Tuttle — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:48:31 -0400

JRF has launched a central web portal that offers easy access to its curriculum-oriented educational materials.

The Reconstructionist Curriculum Resource Finder is an interactive, online tool serving Reconstructionist teachers, parents, and education directors. It provides a menu of suggested textbooks, story books and background material, linking directly to the publishers, on over 20 of the major topics taught in Reconstructionist congregational schools. Topics are searchable by age level, author, title and sub-categories.

The Reconstructionist Curriculum Resource Finder made its debut this week at the CAJE 33 Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education at the University of Vermont.

JRF created the web tool in response to a survey of Reconstructionist congregations that revealed a strong need by educators for easy access to educational materials that are Reconstructionist or compatible with Reconstructionism. Noting that their curriculum changes on a regular basis, the schools cited a need for an evolving resource that reflects the continuing changes in Jewish education.

The first stage of the project, sponsored by a lead grant from Congregation Kehillat Israel in Pacific Palisades, CA, is intended to show how the resource will meet the needs of the more than 100 Reconstructionist congregations that need help identifying appropriate curriculum resources.

In developing this project, coordinators Rabbi Erin Hirsh, JRF Director of Education, and Lori Rubin, Co-chair of the Reconstructionist Educators of North America (RENA), have gone "out of the box" to develop a program which will have immediate impact as the new academic year begins. Visitors to the Reconstructionist Curriculum Resource Finder are encouraged to comment on each and every resource, sharing "best practices" in utilizing the resources, and providing data that can be used for project evaluation and improvement as the project expands. Visitors will also be able to upload their own or favorite resources to help the project evolve.

JRF anticipates the new resource will have a profound impact on Reconstructionist Jewish education.

In order to help us maximize the value of this resource, JRF has invited Reconstructionist rabbis and educators to log on and comment on as many as possible of the entries with which they are familiar or have strong opinions.

Visit www.curriculum.jrf.org now. For further information, please contact Rabbi Erin Hirsh, Director of Education at 215-885-5601 x 16 or via email at ehirsh@jrf.org.

60 Education Directors Study Reconstructionism

Rabbi Erin Hirsh — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:41:19 -0500

Rabbi Erin Hirsh: JRF Director of EducationNearly 60 educators came together at Or Hadash in Fort Washington, PA for the Mid-Atlantic Educator’s Day.

[Watch Erin's charge to the education directors.]

They came from nine congregations ranging from Mechanicsburg, PA to Newark DE to Princeton, NJ. The topic was “Educating Reconstructionistly.” The keynote speaker was Rabbi Jacob Staub, author of Exploring Judaism.

He spoke about the Reconstructionist concept that tradition has a vote and not a veto. Teachers and education directors then broke into a series of workshops to explore their own engagement with tradition and how they can and do transmit it to our students.

Jacob Staub Speaking to Reconstructionist EducatorsThe first series of workshops focused on God, Israel, Prayer and the Civilizational Approach. This was followed by a series of workshops in which teachers divided into age groups to talk about how they really can target their work in developmentally appropriate and concrete ways.

The evaluations indicate that teachers found it empowering and invigorating to deepen their own knowledge while finding other Reconstructionist educators who are struggling with the same issues.

Erin HIrsh Gives Charge to Mid-Atlantic Education Directors

Rabbi Shai Gluskin — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:31:36 -0500

On February 3rd, 2008, 60 educators gathered at Congregation Or Hadash in Fort Washington, PA. Here is a 2 minute video of Erin Hirsh giving a charge to the educators.

Experiential Learning, Barbie Dolls, and Fondue: The Biennial Reconstructoinist Educators of North America RENA Conference

Sarah Chandler — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:35:25 -0500

Educators at November, 2007 RENA ConferenceSome say I just was looking to see some beautiful fall foliage. Others know that I have a soft spot in my heart for carved wood synagogue sanctuaries. Yet others might suppose that as a shul-hopper, I decided to take a few days to check out Congregation Or Hadash in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. In fact, I went to Fort Washington on a mission: to learn from and connect with other education directors of Reconstructionist Congregations.

The theme of the RENA conference was “Experiential Learning” with a focus on how to incorporate the style of programming from Camp JRF into our schools and congregational education models.

Our first session focused on using theatre in the classroom. Alana Sklover, the facilitator, a former Camp JRF counselor and current RRC student, presented a variety of creative ways to teach Hebrew, Bible and prayer through movement and interactive competitions. The opportunity to be silly with my colleagues really broke the ice, as well as opened us up to new ways of making learning exciting and interactive. We even had a sharing session at the end where we exchanged best practices in the areas of Hebrew games and kinesthetic activities.

Gidon Isaacs, Education Director of the SAJ, and I facilitated the second session on incorporating film into the classroom. We studied texts by Mordecai Kaplan on the topic of how studying history can influence Jewish identity. Then we watched a short film called “The Tribe” which brought out these themes in a modern context. The film traces the story of the Barbie doll, created by a Jewish woman, to suggest some answers about American Jewish identity. After the film, we engaged in a lively debate about how to focus our curriculum so that we can reach our students who only come to our classes a few hours a week. Each education director shared both challenges and successes on this topic.

During the second day of the conference, we were treated to a session on the music of Camp JRF. Our facilitator, RRC student and former Camp JRF educator and songleader James Greene taught songs and shared a variety of theories on music education. From sharing the top songs of the summer (yes, the campers voted) to enlivening the room with creative new tunes for prayer, each participant left with a new perspective on how music can enhance our schools.

Reconstructionist Education Directors Retreat

Rabbi Erin Hirsh — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 18:07:52 -0400

Start: Nov 11 2007 - 5:00pm

End: Nov 13 2007 - 1:00pm

Reconstructionist Education Directors
It's time for our RENA retreat!

Where: Congregation Or Hadash outside Philadelphia

When: Sunday night through Tuesday afternoon, November 11-13, 2007

Why: To give Reconstructionist Education Directors a chance to share ideas, interact with each other, and learn about infusing informal and formal education into our religious schools.

Location detail:
Congregation Or Hadash
190 Camp Hill Road
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
19034
United States

Connecting at CAJE

Rabbi Erin Hirsh — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:38:48 -0400

Reconstructionist CAJE ParticipantsReconstructionist Educators from (clockwise from lower left) Illinois, Florida, New Jersey, Colorado, Philadelphia, Maryland, Ohio and Georgia join together at the Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education in St. Louis to discuss what's new in Reconstructionist Education. They were among nearly forty Reconstructionist educators who attended the August conference.

Dave RobertsDavid Roberts, President of the Board of Directors of RRC and an ex-officio member of the JRF Board and his wife, Sue Fischlowitz, a member of the Camp Board, live in St. Louis and graciously hosted a dinner for approximately 30 Reconstructionist educators.

This included Education Directors, Early Childhood directors, teachers, JRF staff, RRC students, JRF board members, RENA executive committee members and Reconstructionist college students at a Thai Restaurant near the campus of Washington University. It was a highlight of the CAJE experience for those who attended and the generosity of the Roberts-Fischlowitz family is profoundly appreciated.
RRC student Aileen Heiman, CAJE Intern and Lori Rubin, RENA Co-Chair and Education Director of Or Hadash in Fort Washington, PA
Sue Fischlowitz

Reconstructionist Educators Take Home Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards

Rabbi Erin Hirsh — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:40:00 -0400

Dalia Rosenthal (left) and Dina Bartnov (right)Two Reconstructionist Educators were among the winners of the fifth annual Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education.

The winners were Dina Bartov, a teacher at Beth Evergreen, in Evergreen, Colorado, who is supervised by Education Director, Jill Wildenberg, and Dalia Rosenthal, Education Director of Kehillath Shalom in Cold Spring Harbor, New York.

The awards are sponsored by Harold Grinspoon Foundation and Jewish Life Network/Steinhardt Foundation in partnership with JESNA. Designed to recognize, honor, and support outstanding classroom Jewish educators on the local level, these awards were presented to professionals in communities across North America in conjunction with their central agencies for Jewish education or federations.

Both educators attended the Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education in St Louis, Missouri in August. They are pictured above at a Reconstructionist dinner hosted by David Roberts and Sue Fischlowitz.

Web-Based Curriculum Project in the Works

Rabbi Erin Hirsh — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 16:37:03 -0500

Original version of the guide, by Dr. Jeffrey Schein and Leah MundelThe Reconstructionist Web-based Curriculum Project is set to be launched in late spring of 2007 and is intended to help the more than 100 Reconstructionist congregations (and interested progressive Jewish congregations) that are in need of curricula resources. The curriculum project is an online interactive resource that will provide a menu of options for teachers, parents, and education directors.

When accessing the Web-based Curriculum Project, users will be invited to select one of 14 topic areas for which they need resources. These 14 topics will address areas of frequent congregational school study. These include:

• Comparative Religion
• God & Spirituality
• Hebrew
• History
• Holidays
• Holocaust
• Israel & Zionism
• Life Cycle
• Philosophy & Theology
• Reconstructionism
• Synagogue Literacy
• Texts
• Tikkun Olam & Mitzvot
• Values & Ethics

Each of the fourteen topics noted above will be subdivided into four categories of resources and materials and include articles and websites of interest on each topic and a bibliography of books for adults on the same subject. These four areas of subdivision will include:

• Educational Goals and Objectives
• Resources for Primary Grades (Kindergarten-2nd grade)
• Resources for Intermediate Grades (3rd-6th grade)
• Resources for Secondary Grades (7th-12th grade)

Within these subdivisions, you will find a listing of recommended textbooks and storybooks with web-based links directly to the publishers.

In true Reconstructionist spirit, the Web-Based Curriculum Project is not a project that will ever have an “end point” per se. Rather, it will be an evolving resource. Visitors to the Web-based Curriculum Project will be encouraged to blog, share best practices in utilizing the resources for similar-size congregations, and so on. Users will also be able to upload their own or favorite resources to help the curriculum resource grow. Additional topics and types of resources will also be added over time.

This project is jointly under the direction of Rabbi Erin Hirsh, JRF Education Coordinator, and Lori Rubin, RENA Co-Chair. Rabbi Shai Gluskin, Director of Publications and Internet Resources, created the web template for the data. Volunteers include Ady Bell, Sarah Chandler, Marla Dansky, Chava Gal-Or and Anne Johnston. If you would like to help with this project, please contact Rabbi Hirsh at ehirsh@jrf.org or 215-782-8500, ext. 16.

Introducing Our New JRF Education Coordinator

Sherry N Rubin — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:25:31 -0500

Rabbi Erin HirshWe are pleased to welcome Rabbi Erin Hirsh as JRF’s new Education Coordinator.

Since entering the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College as a student twelve years ago, Erin has focused her work on Reconstructionist education. She has taught at several religious schools and served as Education Director at two of them. She has served as the Education Director at Congregation Mishkan Shalom for the past seven years and will continue in that role on a part-time basis.

Erin has worked for JRF in various capacities since 1994; serving as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Education Liaison for two years and subsequently as a grant and educational curriculum writer for three years. We welcome her return to JRF!

Erin authored the Etz Hayim We adult text study curriculum and served as a member of the JRF’s “Educational Services to Congregations” subcommittee, the National Education Commission, and subsequently the National Education Committee. In addition to these roles, Erin has served as an educational consultant to a dozen congregations, both on behalf of JRF and as an independent consultant. She has also been an active member of RENA, the organization of Reconstructionist Educators of North America.

Erin will be working at JRF 10 hours a week. She will generally be in the JRF office from 10 am–2 pm on Mondays and Fridays and also available by appointment. She can be contacted by e mail at ehirsh@jrf.org and by phone at (215) 782-8500, ext. 16.

Education directors, rabbis, youth, adult education committees, and other congregational constituencies are invited to contact Rabbi Erin Hirsh to gather information and learn about best practices for providing formal youth and adult education in congregations. She is also an excellent consultant about educational resources currently offered by the Reconstructionist movement (and elsewhere) that may serve specific congregational programming needs.

In addition to her direct work with congregations, Erin will develop plans for new and ongoing JRF educational projects, develop proposals and help JRF solicit funding for these new projects.