Tag: Jewish Schools & Educational Services

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.

For many parents and educators, bringing young children into the Passover Seder can feel like a stretch. The Seder is long, structured, and filled with words that may feel beyond a young child’s grasp. And yet this is exactly where the opportunity lies! Young children don’t need to understand every word of the Haggadah to connect to the story. They experience it. They feel it. And when we shift from “getting through the Seder” to “inviting children into it,” the night becomes something alive, memorable, and deeply meaningful. Start with the Big Idea: From Narrowness to Freedom At its core, the Seder tells the story of moving from Egypt, a place of captivity, or narrowness, to liberation and freedom.

Across the country, schools are grappling with a growing challenge: recruiting and retaining talented educators. Jewish day schools are no exception. At a time when the demand for strong, dedicated teachers is higher than ever, the question is not only how to bring educators into our schools — but how to ensure they feel valued, supported, and inspired to stay. In Miami, we believe we have a unique opportunity to lead.

On February 5th, our community gathered at Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center for a truly meaningful celebration - the ElevatEd Graduation Dinner. Nearly 90 educators, family members, community leaders, Federation representatives, CAJE partners, and honored guests filled the room, creating an atmosphere of pride, gratitude, and shared purpose. ElevatEd is a national initiative dedicated to elevating the field of Jewish early childhood education by investing in educators themselves.

This past month, the Robert Russell Early Childhood Department at CAJE was proud to host our annual 3-part virtual professional development series for early childhood educators across our Miami network – and the response was nothing short of extraordinary! Each session welcomed a record-breaking 108 ECE educators, a powerful reflection of both the desire for meaningful learning in our field and the deep commitment our educators bring to their work every single day. The series, The Inclusive ECE Classroom, was led by master early childhood educator and ECE consultant Marta Nemesh, whose depth of knowledge, warmth, and practical wisdom resonated throughout all three sessions.

At the heart of CAJE’s work is a shared communitywide vision: When we invest in the well-being, skill, and resilience of our educators, we strengthen our children, their families, and the future of Jewish life.This fall, CAJE launched major parallel initiatives for Early Childhood and Day School educators - each rooted in trauma-informed practice, professional collaboration, and the belief that adults need strong support systems to fully support their students.

If you’re looking for a leader who is reshaping how Jewish life and learning meet the world of tomorrow, no one is more worth watching than David Bryfman. As CEO of The Jewish Education Project (JEP) — a national organization that helps educators and communities reimagine and innovate Jewish learning for the modern age — he is not simply preserving Jewish education; he is boldly rewriting what it can be in the 21st century. Soon you’ll have an opportunity to hear from him in-person (see below). A Global Educator with Big Ideas - Bryfman holds a Ph.D. in Education and Jewish Studies from New York University, where his research focused on how Jewish adolescents build identity.

Last week, I had the privilege of participating in the 2025 Paradigm Project Conference, held in Tarrytown, NY, a picturesque and peaceful setting that beautifully matched the spirit of reflection, learning, and connection that filled the days. It was a truly uplifting gathering of hundreds of passionate early childhood educators from across the country who are committed to reimagining what Jewish ECE can look and feel like for children, families, and educators. The energy throughout the conference was electric; the learning was deep, and the sense of belonging to a shared movement was palpable.

Last month, the CAJE–MindCET Teacherpreneur Initiative culminated with an extraordinary visit to Israel filled with learning, creativity, and connection. The Initiative, part of the Miami–Yerucham Partnership, empowers educators to become innovators who design technological and pedagogic solutions to real classroom challenges. Educators representing Lehrman Community Day School, Pardes Jewish Day School, and CAJE-Miami participated in Israel EdTech Week, an annual gathering of teachers, entrepreneurs, and innovators exploring the future of learning.

One of the greatest challenges facing Jewish day schools today — both locally and nationally — is the retention and recruitment of talented educators. Teachers are the heart and soul of Jewish education, shaping the minds, values, and Jewish identities of our children. Yet, across the country, schools are grappling with burnout, financial pressures, and the difficulty of attracting new teachers to the profession. In the recent past, CAJE convened a Teacher Retention and Recruitment Task Force, chaired by Dr. Helen Chaset, to examine these very issues. The Task Force laid important groundwork, exploring how schools could better support their teachers through professional development, compensation, and community recognition. Many of the insights gathered then have become the foundation for the initiatives CAJE is now advancing.

Despite the essential role of leadership, Jewish day schools and North American schools more broadly are facing a significant leadership shortage. According to the Avi Chai Foundation, nearly 50% of Jewish day school heads of school were expected to retire or leave their positions within five years of a recent survey, creating an urgent need for new leaders. Similarly, a 2023 report by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) highlighted that nearly 60% of heads of independent schools anticipate leaving their roles within the next decade. With nearly half of current heads of school expected to leave in the near future, investing in and supporting these leaders is not just an investment in education — it is an investment in the Jewish future itself.

For close to 30 years, I’ve had the privilege of serving this community — first at Temple Beth Am and now for more than two decades at CAJE. From the start, I was drawn to CAJE’s mission of strengthening Jewish education across the community. Over the years I’ve worn many hats at CAJE, but I found my place in the area of professional development. That passion has led me to work with leading organizations like the Jewish New Teacher Project and Learning Forward because I believe the best way to build strong schools is by supporting its professionals. I have seen through my work that when we invest in educators, the ripple effect on children, families, and communities is exponential. And speaking of families, I am proud that my own children are products of Miami Jewish day schools. - Valerie Mitrani

This week we shine the CAJE Summer Spotlight on local Early Childhood Educator Romina Naparstek, co-creator of Matzati a fun and enriching game that brings Israel to life for people of all ages from preschoolers to adults. Romina is an example of the innovation coming from our Jewish Early Childhood community, she is among the caring, talented, mission-driven people who are constantly seeking to improve themselves and the world. Let’s together celebrate the teacher leaders and directors who are the foundation of our Jewish community!

A Reform rabbi, a Conservative rabbi, and an Orthodox educator walk into a virtual room. Nope, it’s not the start of a joke; it’s the beginning of something groundbreaking! Meet Wisdom Without Walls: an online salon for Jewish ideas — the brainchild of three powerhouse Jewish thinkers — Dr. Sandra Lilienthal (Covenant Foundation awardee and beloved adult educator), Rabbi Ed Feinstein (brilliant storyteller and thought leader), and Rabbi Jeff Salkin (prolific writer and one of the most quoted rabbis in the U.S.). Together, they tear down the silos within the Jewish world and build something new: a vibrant space for real conversation across denominations, backgrounds, and borders.

When people ask how I found myself at CAJE, I usually smile and say, “It was the natural next step.” But the truth is, this journey began long before job titles, consulting work, or doctoral programs. It began in a public high school classroom in Tampa - with bagels, orange juice, and a lot of heart. I was raised in a family of six by traditional Jewish South African parents who instilled in us a deep sense of pride in our Jewish identity. We didn’t attend Jewish day school, but Judaism was part of everything - Shabbat dinners, Hebrew school, Israel bonds tucked into birthday cards. In high school, I became president of the Jewish Awareness Club. Every meeting came with “bagels and Jews” - a playful misprint that stuck, and one that reflected the joy and authenticity of our gatherings.

While most teachers were starting their summer vacations in Florida, Lee Levy-Friedman, a beloved Early Childhood teacher at Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach, packed her bags and flew to Israel — to volunteer as the war continued and amid the unexpected escalation with Iran. Lee traveled to Israel at the end of June as part of a grassroots effort led by Livnot U’Lehibanot ("To Build and To Be Built"), an Israeli nonprofit that’s been combining service, spirituality, and Jewish learning for over 45 years. Since October 7th, Livnot has restored more than 300 homes and public buildings in the Gaza Envelope and northern border communities.

When people ask what brought me to CAJE, I smile — because the real answer started decades ago and thousands of miles away. I was born and raised in Montreal, Canada, the daughter of Moroccan immigrants who came to North America as teenagers — my father at 12, my mother at 14. They met on a Federation-led Israel trip and built a home deeply rooted in Jewish values, culture, and community. My parents were, and still are, “community people” — always opening their hearts and home to others, always making sure Jewish life thrived around them. My mother, in particular, is a fierce believer in the power of education, especially Jewish education.

In January of this year, Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools released a report about Jewish day school alumni on campus. It shows in numbers just what a difference attending Jewish day school makes in the lives of young Jewish college students. This data provides us with more concrete evidence of what those of us in the field already know-- compared to peers who did not attend Jewish day school, Jewish day school alumni consistently report stronger ties to their Jewish identity, a deeper connection to Israel, and greater participation in Jewish life during their college years. Simply put, these are the building blocks of our Jewish future, and Jewish day school is where these students learn to build.