Select Career Achievements
Elevating the Jewish in Early Childhood Education
In 2006, I brought together three stellar educators - Rabbi Diane Cohler-Esses, Dr. Chelsea Bailey, and Cantor Ellen Dreskin - and together we created an inspiring guide for early childhood educators to experience and embody transcendent Jewish values in their life and the lives of their young learners.
These became the JECEI Lenses:
Masa (Journey) - reflection, return and renewal
B’rit (Covenant) - belonging and commitment
Tzelem Elohim (Divine Image) - dignity and potential
K’dusha (Holiness) - intentionality and presence
Hitorerut (Awakening) -amazement and gratitude
D’rash (Interpretation) - inquiry, dialogue, and transmission
Tikkun Olam (Repair of the World) - responsibility
Creating a Common Judaism
In 2005, along with Rabbi Yitz Greenberg and Rabbi David Gedzelman, I convened a remarkable group of young rabbis and thought leaders to develop a set of core Jewish ideas, values, and practices that could be held in common by Jews from committed Reform to open Orthodoxy. This group consisted of …
Together, we …
Introducing Systems-Thinking
In 2008, I gave a presentation to the Association of Directors of Central Agencies on a topic few have heard of then - networks and systems-thinking. Since then…
When my friend and mentor, Bob Sherman, and I took over the leadership of the BJE-NY (later renamed the Jewish Education Project), we brought …
Designing Congregational Change
In XXXX, Aliza Kline joined the team at the Jewish Education Project, where I was the Chief Strategy Officer. Together, along with Toby Rubin (founded of Upstart) and Jamie Betesh (XXXX at the Jewish Education Project), we played with design thinking as a tool creatively envision and test out innovative approaches to advancing congregational education.
On congs and ERPs…
Educating for Shleimut
In 2005, along with Dr. Jeff Kress, and with the support of the Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, we …
These theologians and cutting edge educators included:
Together, we developed a model for emerging Jewish education, focused on 6 core principles:
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Cultivating Jewish Leadership
From 2019-2024, as the founding executive director of Na’aleh - working with a _____ group of lay leaders and the professional team - I developed the 7 core practices of Jewish leadership. (or write it as a story… what should we be teaching…)
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In 2023, we began the work of delineating 4 skills for each practice, and then 3 exercises for each skill that you can do at work or at home in order to develop your leadership muscles for each skills. These practices, skills and exercises still ground the wokr of Na’aleh and … ???