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Pride, Zionism, and the Art of Code Switching

Jun 19, 2026

Pride, Zionism, and the Art of Code Switching

A number of years ago, after one of my first major Jewish speeches, a close friend walked up to me with a grin and said, "Good code switching." I laughed, thanked her, and immediately asked what she meant. She laughed even harder. At the time, I wasn't entirely sure I knew what the term meant. She explained that I had spent years moving between different worlds: Jewish, professional, civic, and LGBTQ+, and had become adept at adjusting my language, references, and presentation depending on the audience. Without realizing it, I had become fluent in multiple cultural dialects. In other words, I had learned how to code switch. For many LGBTQ+ people of my generation, it wasn't simply a social skill. It was often a survival skill.
The Blacklist No One Wants to Discuss

Jun 12, 2026

The Blacklist No One Wants to Discuss

Over the past week, one of the most troubling stories in the international film community has unfolded largely outside public view. Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid — an acclaimed and internationally recognized director in his generation-- withdrew from the FIDMarseille film festival following a campaign of pressure surrounding his participation. Several filmmakers reportedly withdrew their own work in protest of his inclusion, prompting a broader debate about artistic freedom, cultural boycotts, and whether artists should be judged according to their work or according to their nationality... Before anyone rushes to debate Nadav Lapid's politics, or even the merits of his films, a more fundamental question deserves our attention.
Celebrating a Milestone for Jewish Early Childhood Education

Jun 5, 2026

Celebrating a Milestone for Jewish Early Childhood Education

On Sunday, May 17, 2026, American Jewish University held its inaugural graduation ceremony at the House of the Book on the Brandeis-Bardin Campus in Los Angeles for the first cohort of Ed.D. candidates in Early Childhood Education through an explicitly Jewish program. I am proud to say I was among the graduates who earned their Doctorate in Early Childhood Educational Leadership that day. This milestone was not only a personal achievement. It was also a meaningful moment for our Miami Jewish early childhood community. I was honored to be asked to give a graduation speech on behalf of the entire class and in it, I reflected on a quote I first heard from a four-year-old child during my early years as a teacher: “Growing is invisible until suddenly, it isn’t.” That simple observation became a powerful lens for my doctoral journey and for the work of early childhood education itself.
We’re Not Just Teaching Judaism - We’re Raising Jews

May 29, 2026

We’re Not Just Teaching Judaism - We’re Raising Jews

At a recent CAJE meeting inside Miami’s new Holocaust Education Center at the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach, I had one of those moments where you stop listening to the agenda for a second and just take in the room around you. A building created to preserve the memory of the Holocaust is now also becoming a place where educators are helping students process October 7th in real time. That’s a staggering shift when you really think about it. For years, Holocaust education mostly lived in the world of remembrance. Testimony. History. Memory. The responsibility was to make sure future generations understood what hatred could become if nobody stopped it. Now Jewish educators are dealing with something entirely different. They’re helping students understand Jewish history while simultaneously living through it.
Innovation, Collaboration, and STEM Learning: CAJE’s South Florida Jewish Day School Robotics Festival

May 15, 2026

Innovation, Collaboration, and STEM Learning: CAJE’s South Florida Jewish Day School Robotics Festival

On Thursday, May 7, Scheck Hillel Community School hosted the 8th Annual South Florida Jewish Day School Robotics Festival Supported by the Eleanor M. and Herbert D. Katz Foundation, bringing together 205 students and educators from 11 Jewish day schools across South Florida for a full day dedicated to robotics, engineering, coding, creativity, and collaborative learning. Over the past eight years, the festival has grown into a signature STEM event within the South Florida Jewish day school community, offering students an opportunity not only to showcase their technical skills, but also to engage in meaningful collaboration with peers from schools throughout the tri-county area.
Celebrating Carla Spector

May 8, 2026

Celebrating Carla Spector

On April 22nd, we were honored to celebrate two great milestones— Yom HaAtzma’ut, Israel’s Independence Day (in the Jewish calendar the 5th of Iyar) and Carla Spector, who is retiring after 50 years working for CAJE. This week’s blog presents a few reflections on Carla from me and her direct boss, Dr. Bella Tendler Krieger, CAJE’s Director of Adult Learning and Growth, and then some of the remarks Carla shared with the many attendees.
Not Just a Play, a Jewish Family and Cultural Paradigm

May 1, 2026

Not Just a Play, a Jewish Family and Cultural Paradigm

In my opinion, and based on the reviews, the playwright for The Zionists: A Family Storm, S. Asher Gelman, has written a brilliant and intensely engaging show that is one of the best presentations of what’s happening in our families and communities around the topic of Israel. He was kind enough grant me an interview and in 13 quick minutes, gives us a window into his motivations for writing the play, what he hopes it will accomplish and how painful it is to be a progressive Zionist today.
Carrying Memory Forward

Apr 24, 2026

Carrying Memory Forward

Two weeks ago, Miami teens and staff traveled to Poland as part of CAJE’s Leo Martin March of the Living. Students described the experience as “life changing,” “meaningful,” and “unforgettable,” with nearly all participants sharing that the journey had a significant impact on them. In Kraków, students walked through once-vibrant Jewish neighborhoods, encountering the richness and diversity of Jewish life before the war. At Majdanek, Auschwitz, and Birkenau, they bore witness to the realities of the Holocaust, standing in the very places where history unfolded.
Pedagogy of Partnership (PoP) in Action

Apr 17, 2026

Pedagogy of Partnership (PoP) in Action

Through CAJE Miami’s Pedagogy of Partnership (PoP) initiative, Jewish day school classrooms are being transformed, becoming more collaborative, student-centered, and rooted in meaningful dialogue. This year, the program spans multiple schools and grade levels, engaging 200 students, 14 teachers, and 3 school leaders in building a shared culture of learning. At the heart of PoP is chavruta— a traditional Jewish learning practice in which two learners partner to explore texts through questioning, discussion, and shared thinking. More than just working in pairs, chavruta builds responsibility, listening, and the ability to develop and challenge ideas together.
Learning Through Theater: The Zionists: A Family Storm

Apr 10, 2026

Learning Through Theater: The Zionists: A Family Storm

CAJE Adult Learning is proud to partner with Miami New Drama to present The Zionists: A Family Storm, a powerful new play by S. Asher Gelman. Set at a luxury resort in Turks and Caicos as a hurricane bears down, the play brings the Rosenberg family together just as buried tensions around identity, faith, politics, and belonging erupt, testing the bonds that hold them together. At its core, The Zionists is a family drama about an argument many Jewish families are living through right now: how to relate to Israel in the aftermath of October 7 and during the ongoing Gaza war. As the storm closes in, the family’s reunion becomes a fierce and deeply personal confrontation between competing moral, political, and emotional responses to this moment.