CAJE News

This year, CAJE launched an exciting new initiative with Pedagogy of Partnership (PoP) powered by Hadar. Pedagogy of Partnership (PoP) is a comprehensive Jewish educational model for teaching and learning that fosters wonder, empathy, and responsibility toward fellow learners and Torah. Drawing on our Jewish learning tradition of chavruta - learning in pairs, PoP combines it with 21st century learning science to create joyful and impactful student-centered learning that has proven successful in day schools across the country.

Parents of school-aged children are among the most underserved when it comes to Jewish educational programming, despite their vital role in shaping the next generation’s identity. While there are countless learning opportunities for students, young professionals, and retirees, few programs address the unique challenges parents face — like raising Jewish children in an increasingly secular world or integrating Jewish values into daily life. Learn what CAJE is doing to remedy this!

Last week, CAJE’s Miami Leo Martin March of the Living hosted An Evening of Legacy — a gathering created with one powerful goal: to raise the necessary funds to bring Holocaust Survivors to Poland so they can share their testimonies directly with community teens. More than just a fundraiser, the event highlighted the power of memory, testimony, and generational responsibility, reminding us all why this mission matters now more than ever. Central to the evening was a stunning visual exhibition by Laszlo Selly, both a Holocaust Survivor and photographer, who captured intimate portraits of fellow Survivors.

This past Sunday, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s BeWell Miami Initiative, in proud partnership with the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE) and Jewish Community Services (JCS), hosted its Second Annual BeWell Youth Mental Health Summit, bringing together parents, caregivers, professionals, and community members for a powerful day centered on adolescent mental health and well-being. Attendees engaged in meaningful discussions, practical workshops, and hands-on sessions designed to equip them with the tools, language, and strategies needed to better support the youth in their lives — at home, in schools, and across the broader Jewish community.

The above was the title of the interactive workshop offered two weeks ago by Dara Horn at the Holocaust Teacher’s Institute of the University of Miami School of Education and Human Development. Most of the attendees were public school teachers from all across Miami-Dade. This was a full-day workshop, so I divided my description of what we learned into two parts. Part one explored how Dara Horn laid out the seminal foundations of Jewish civilization and what made its ideas so radical. Part two laid out the Dynamics of Antisemitism.

Thanks to all who were able to join us for “Israel at a Crossroads: Three Big Dilemmas for the Jewish State" featuring Tal Becker, Vice President of the Shalom Hartman Institute. Whether you joined us in person or missed the conversation, we’re excited to share some key insights from this thought-provoking discussion on 3 dilemmas that are not about our immediate security and survival but do address the long-term thriving of the State of Israel going forward.

The above was the title of the interactive workshop offered this week by Dara Horn at the Holocaust Teacher’s Institute of the University of Miami School of Education and Human Development. Carly Orshan, CAJE’s Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Teen Education, and I were invited by Dr. Kassenoff to attend from CAJE.

This past week, CAJE’s Executive Director, Rabbi Efrat Zarren-Zohar, and Senior Director of Strategic and Teen Initiatives, Carly Orshan, had the privilege of meeting with the COYO delegation, an esteemed group of top leaders from Israel’s foremost youth organizations. COYO: the Israeli Council for Youth Organizations, an umbrella organization that represents a diverse network of 21 different initiatives that empower young people across Israeli society, including both Jewish and Arab communities.