Prizmah Podcasts: Podcasts by Prizmah Center for Jewish Day Schools

Featuring Dr. Vardit Ringvald and Sharon Schoenfeld The events of October 7 marked a turning point for Hebrew educators, shifting their role from language instructors to cultural mediators of Israel’s complex realities. This situation has brought us to a critical moment of reconsideration for the profession. Explore the evolving professional identity of Hebrew educators and begin to consider your own pedagogical approach and actions. Examine the connection between the Hebrew language, Israel, and Israelis, and how language serves as a reflection of its speakers and their place in the world. Leave this webinar with concrete strategies and best practices to ensure that Hebrew education remains effective in fostering language acquisition while authentically expressing the culture and lived realities of its speakers. In partnership with Academic Studies Press Dr. Vardit Ringvald Vardit is the director of the Brandeis University Consortium for The Teaching of Hebrew Language and Culture and a research professor at the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education. Her current work includes a focus on the intersection of Hebrew language and culture in pedagogy and practice. Sharon Schoenfeld Sharon holds a master’s degree in teaching Hebrew as a second language from Middlebury College She is currently the director of Kayitz Kef / Hebrew at Camp at the Brandeis Consortium for the Teaching of Hebrew Language and Culture. Her work focuses on experiential Hebrew immersion initiatives and the mentoring and training of program leaders.

For decades, Israel education in North American day schools has centered on fostering positive feelings toward Israel. But is “feeling good” about Israel the right goal? Drawing on qualitative research with Jewish day school students, Jonah Hassenfeld challenges the assumption that connection must precede knowledge. Explore why knowledge and connection are inseparable, why complex topics including conflict, inequality, and diversity are essential for building both, and how educators can design experiences that help students develop their own informed perspectives. Leave with concrete strategies for creating classrooms that invite deep inquiry into Israel’s history, politics, and culture—without fear of “ruining” students’ connection. Dr. Jonah HassenfeldDirector of Learning and Teaching at Schechter BostonJonah oversees curriculum and instruction across general and Judaic studies. His research on Israel education has been published in Contemporary Jewry and Journal of Jewish Education. A former high school history teacher, Jonah writes and speaks widely about how schools can engage students in complex and sometimes controversial topics without sacrificing intellectual rigor or community connection.

Explore how 20 Israel educators from Jewish high schools across the denominational spectrum address the "you never told me" phenomenon—graduates’ sense of betrayal when encountering criticisms of Israel not covered in their Jewish day school education. These educators integrate both Zionist and Palestinian narratives to strengthen students’ Jewish identification with Israel and the Jewish people while equipping them to engage the complex “Israel conversation” on campus through education rather than advocacy. By presenting critical perspectives on romantic Zionism alongside Palestinian narratives, they aim to ensure students encounter multiple viewpoints and feel prepared rather than misled when confronted with challenging information. Dr. Benji Davis is an American-born Israeli educator and scholar, currently serving as assistant professor of Jewish education at Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. He previously served as the 2024–2025 Israel Institute Teaching and Research Fellow at George Mason University. In 2024, he received the Harold Wechsler Award for Emerging Scholars from the Network for Research in Jewish Education (NRJE) for his research on the philosophy and pedagogy of Israel education.

Featuring Dr. Alex Pomson and Dr. Jessie Kalbfeld Rosov Consulting visited Har Herzl several times during the summer of 2024 to observe North American teen programs in Israel as part of ongoing work with RootOne, an organization founded to increase the number of Jewish teens travelling to Israel each summer. This session shares the findings of their observations at Har Herzl and explores powerful lessons for Israel education that extend far beyond that sacred space. In partnership with Rosov Consulting and RootOne

Part of our Research into Practice series, this episode draws on a qualitative study conducted in six classrooms during the first two and a half months following the attack, explore how educators navigated the tension between preserving childhood innocence and fostering resilience, while also questioning traditional understandings of developmentally appropriate practice. Learn how teachers use developmentally sensitive yet courageous approaches, including guided conversations, creative play, Jewish ritual, and cultural identity, to help children feel emotionally safe while making meaning of difficult realities. This conversation highlights the predictable routines, strong relationships, and Jewish values that teachers draw upon to support both student well-being and their own, offering enduring strategies for educators facing crises in today’s classrooms. Special guests Dr. Lyndall Miller, Dr. Meir Muller and Alan Rifkin Gelnick. Special guest bios Lyndall Miller Dr. Miller is a researcher and consultant in Jewish early childhood education, with a focus on inquiry and leadership development, currently working with the Masor School for Jewish Education and Leadership at American Jewish University. She was previously the developer and director of the Jewish Early Childhood Education Leadership Institute (JECELI). Meir Muller Dr. Muller is the Associate Dean of Community Empowerment at the University of South Carolina, specializing in early childhood education and promoting justice through a lens informed by Jewish tradition. Learn more about him here. Alana Rifkin Gelnick Alana is the founder and CEO of Dreamearly, dedicated to empowering educators and leaders with innovative strategies in early childhood education. Previously, Alana served as the associate principal of SAR Academy in Riverdale, New York, for a decade.

Research into Practice in Israel Education Series Learners undergo a series of developmental stages as they move through childhood and early adolescence, in their attempt to make sense of political systems and political issues in Israel and about Israel (in global politics). In this recorded webinar, gain insight into facilitating developmentally sensitive conversations about tricky political questions with day school students at the elementary and middle school levels with special guest Sivan Zakai and host Matt Reingold.

School heads need to manage, decide upon and negotiate difficult challenges every day. This episode gives listeners a window upon the ways that three heads would think about and handle challenges that may arise with various stakeholders. Hear them discuss and probe several cases drawn up by Rabbi Dr. Barry Kislowicz, who moderated the conversation with special guests Ginny Galili, Stephanie Ives, and Rabbi Jeffrey Kobrin. Special guests Ginny Galili is the head of school at Gross Schechter in Pepper Pike, Ohio.Stephanie Ives is the head of school at Beit Rabban in New York City.Rabbi Jeffrey Kobrin is the head of school at North Shore Hebrew Academy in Great Neck, New York.Rabbi Dr. Barry Kislowicz is the former HOS at Fuchs Mizrachi School in Cleveland and now head of Kislowicz Consulting. A recipient of the Covenant Foundation's Pomegranate Prize, Barry is now the author of a Substack and podcast called Leadership Lenses.

Rabbi Dena Glasgow is the Director of Jewish Education at Gann Academy in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she is responsible for both the Jewish Studies Department and the Hebrew Department. She is also part of the instructional leadership team. Sheri Gross is the Director of Arts, Culture, and Creative Programming at Gross Schechter Day School in Cleveland, and the director of Testimony Theater--a program where teens interview Holocaust survivors and turn their stories into a performance along with personal reflections. She is also the arts critic for the Cleveland Jewish News, and the former director of the Mandel JCC Playmakers Youth Theatre and Performing Arts Camp for 21 years. Why is creativity such an important factor in education? What are the key modes by which creativity manifests itself in Jewish culture? What place does creativity hold in helping Jews and Israelis stay resilient in a post-October 7 world? This conversation explores these questions and more, as participants reflect upon the innumerable ways that teachers and schools foster student creativity. The starting point is Miriam Heller Stern's recent study "Jewish Creativity: An Essential Aspiration for Jewish Education." Dr. Miriam Heller Stern, an expert on creativity and Jewish education, directs the School of Education at Hebrew Union College and is the Incoming CEO of Builders of Jewish Education, Los Angeles. Hadas Wolff Yitzhak, Director of English Educational Programs at Beit Avi Chai and former head of its Hebrew Educational Programs department, previously taught Jewish Studies in Jerusalem’s public high schools and now designs initiatives that foster meaningful connections through music and Jewish Israeli culture. She Lives in Jerusalem.

Tune in to this Prizmah Podcast Live with The Epstein School in Atlanta's Idit Bendavid and David Welsher to hear how the school built its own Hebrew program—one that puts students at the heart of the learning process. Explore the shift from a rigid curriculum to a student-centered, proficiency-based approach that prioritizes real-world communication. From the perspectives of students, teachers, parents, and school leadership, we will explore the obstacles in language acquisition and how a focus on authentic learning experiences is transforming Hebrew education. Idit Bendavid teaches at The Epstein School in Atlanta, where she embraced the Proficiency approach and ACTFL guidelines, transforming her instructional practices and becoming a data-driven decision-maker. Since 2021, she has served as the Director of Judaic Studies and Hebrew for grades K-8, leading the development of the Hebrew curriculum using the Proficiency approach and the Judaic Studies curriculum based on the Standards and Benchmarks framework for grades K-4. A graduate of the Mandel Teacher Educator Institute, Idit is committed to driving meaningful change through innovative professional development. David Welsher is the current associate head of school and elementary school principal at The Epstein School in Atlanta. In partnership with his fellow educators, David is passionate about fostering a vibrant school culture where students and teachers thrive. Under his leadership, The Epstein School has seen improved student performance and increased teacher satisfaction. David's collaborative approach has led to the implementation of innovative programs such as the STEAM initiative and many unique programs to support diverse learners.

What would happen if schools thought of play as not just some fun release that takes place outside of the "serious" work, but as integral to the task of education? Learn what play is and why it's so important, and explore the different ways that our schools incorporate play into different aspects of the student day. The conversation is inspired by the recent book A Moral Case for Play in K-12 Schools: The Urgency of Advancing Moral Ecologies of Play by Rabbi Judd Kruger Levingston, PhD.

This podcast, based on the volume Teaching Israel: Studies of Pedagogy from the Field, edited by Sivan Zakai and Matt Reingold, focuses on Israel teachers in the classroom. Who teaches our students about Israel, and in what contexts? How do Israel educators think about their role--as an "explorer" or "exemplar"? What happens when a "micromoment" arises, when a student struggles to understand or is deeply troubled by something they've learned? And how are Israel classrooms adapting to the reality of our post-October 7 world? What has changed, and what hasn't, in this work? (Recorded on 9/27) Special guests Sivan Zakai is the Sara S. Lee Associate Professor of Jewish Education at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and a Senior Editor of the Journal of Jewish Education. Matt Reingold is a Jewish educator with over 16 years of in-class experience teaching Jewish and Israeli history in Toronto Jewish day schools. In addition to co-editing Teaching Israel, with Sivan Zakai, he is the author of four books about Jewish and Israeli comics and graphic novels. Lisa Exler is Director of Jewish Studies and Ivrit at Beit Rabban Day School in Manhattan. Rebecca Boim Wolf serves as Coordinator for Israel Education and teaches history at SAR High School in the Bronx, NY, a modern Orthodox Jewish day school. Jeremy Toren is the ECC-12 Director of Jewish Education at San Diego Jewish Academy.

ADDRESSING THE PIPELINE PROBLEM: MAIMONIDES FELLOWS PROGRAM Explore an initiative that aims to address the national issue of fewer and fewer talented and inspiring adults choosing to become teachers or stay in the field of education. This podcast dives into how the Maimonides School, a Modern Orthodox school in Brookline, Massachusetts, decided to invest in young talent, even before these talented students made the decision to work in education. Featuring Rabbi Yaakov Green, Head of school at Maimonides School. Learn about the initial results of this innovative initiative and the promises they see for the future of the field.