Even with all of the challenges in the world today Jewish education must strive to emphasize the joy and celebration of what it means to be Jewish in today’s world.

The Bible Players are experts at bringing laughter and joy to Jewish education, from using improvisation to teach mitzvot, to playing their own version of Rock, Paper, Scissors (“Candle, Cup, Challah, Bless”) to teach the order of Shabbat.

This week, enjoy a light-hearted conversation between David Bryfman and Andrew Davies, co-founder of the Bible Players, and recipient of The Jewish Education Project’s Young Pioneers Award and The Covenant Foundation’s Pomegranate Prize. Hear from Andrew on why holding both the “joy” and the “oy” is essential in Jewish education, and how he brings that balance to their learners.

To learn more about The Bible Players, visit thebibleplayers.com.

Learn more about The Jewish Education Project at jewishedproject.org

This episode was produced by Miranda Lapides and Rina Cohen Schwarz. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben.

This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media.

If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York.

October 7th was the largest attempt at genocide against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. What does this moment reveal about modern antisemitism and the importance of Holocaust studies today?

Joining Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath this week is Alyssa Weinstein-Sears, a longtime educator and Holocaust and Genocide scholar. Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Alyssa emphasizes the goals of Holocaust education at a time when most students have a narrow view of what it was, unpacking how inflammatory language to talk about Israel can obscure historical truth, and what gives her hope.

Learn more about The Jewish Education Project at jewishedproject.org

This episode was produced by Miranda Lapides and Rina Cohen Schwarz. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben.

This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media.

If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York.

How can we turn collective responsibility and shared values into meaningful action for the future of the Jewish people?

Josh Schalk, Executive Director of Jewish Future Promise, believes the answer begins with how, and why, we give. The Jewish Future Promise invites individuals to commit 50% of legacy giving to Jewish causes, to help ensure that Jewish life, learning, and values endure for the next generation.

This episode goes beyond the Jewish Future Promise. Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath talks with Josh about what matters most to those invested in the Jewish future: how to give based on our values, how we model those values for our children, and how to show up Jewishly through our own giving.

Learn about the Jewish Future Promise at jewishfuturepromise.org

Learn more about The Jewish Education Project at jewishedproject.org

This episode was produced by Miranda Lapides and Rina Cohen Schwarz. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben.

This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media.

If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York.

To kick off the new year, David Bryfman sits down with TAMID Group’s CEO, Yoni Heilman. In a conversation that humanizes one of our own heroes, Yoni shares stories as a soldier in reserve duty after October 7th, giving an honest account about his experiences in the war, about what Zionism means to him, on what Israelis need to know about Jews living outside of Israel, and why he remains an optimist.

Learn more about The Jewish Education Project at jewishedproject.org

This episode was produced by Miranda Lapides and Rina Cohen Schwarz. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben.

This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media.

If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York.

In an unscheduled and urgent episode of Adapting, Australian-born CEO of The Jewish Education Project, David Bryfman, sheds light on his own Australian Jewish community, some of whom lost loved ones in this week’s tragic attack at Bondi Beach, and others who are holding hope and praying for the recovery of the wounded.

David reflects on the responsibility of educators and parents to care for our children’s safety and wellbeing, calling on them to acknowledge their children’s fear and recognize that there’s both evil and good in the world. Most of all, he urges listeners to take care of themselves and to maintain hope, especially during this season of Chanukah.

Learn more about The Jewish Education Project at jewishedproject.org

This episode was produced by Miranda Lapides and Rina Cohen Schwarz. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben.

This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media.

If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York.

Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath is joined by another history professor, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, who is the lead scholar of Hidden Voices, an initiative to address how overlooked minority groups are taught in New York City Public Schools, including Jewish history and stories.

As educators, we are invited to ask: What does meaningful Jewish inclusion in education really look like? What core knowledge should non-Jewish students have about Jews? And how do we teach the full scope of Jewish involvement in American history, even when that history is controversial?

This essential conversation aligns with the Center for Jewish-Inclusive Learning (CJIL), our initiative to support public and independent school educators with resources about the Jewish people and creating safe and inclusive spaces for Jewish students and faculty.

To learn more about CJIL, visit cjilearning.org

To learn more about Hidden Voices, visit https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/subjects/social-studies/hidden-voices

Learn more about The Jewish Education Project at jewishedproject.org

This episode was produced by Miranda Lapides and Rina Cohen Schwarz. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben.

This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media.

If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York.

This week on Adapting, Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath speaks with Zev Eleff, president of Gratz College and professor of American Jewish history, to address a pressing challenge facing Jewish education today: educators are not feeling supported enough.

In a conversation encompassing civic education, history, and text study, Zev urges educational institutions to help strengthen their Jewish literacy, with recommendations like leveraging technology to digitize archives, from Judeo-Aramaic texts to Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s documented work with Martin Luther King Jr. Another recommendation is using American Jewish history as a model for teaching inclusivity. Efforts like these, championed by both Gratz College and The Jewish Education Project, aim to give educators the tools and support they need.

Learn more about The Jewish Education Project at jewishedproject.org

This episode was produced by Miranda Lapides and Rina Cohen Schwarz. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben.

This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media.

If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York.

David Bryfman engages with Dr. Mijal Bitton, one of today’s leading Jewish scholars and leaders, in an illuminating, nuanced conversation about defining Jewish peoplehood in a time of polarity. Is it better to be inclusive of all beliefs in a community, or to establish clear boundaries and principals? What if it's possible to have both?

Mijal’s unique perspective, shaped by her personal background, serves as a model for how much introspection we need to become the best possible educators we can be.

Learn more about The Jewish Education Project at jewishedproject.org

This episode was produced by Miranda Lapides and Rina Cohen Schwarz. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben.

This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media.

If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating and review, or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released. To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York.