CAJE News

This summer, CAJE Adult Learning: The Center for Jewish Ideas and Engagement is thrilled to unveil an extraordinary collaboration with the Jewish Heritage Alliance (JHA)—a global initiative committed to reclaiming and celebrating the powerful legacy of Sephardic Jewry. Together, we're launching a captivating new course that dares to tell the story most history books have left out: Sefarad: The Untold Story That Changed the World. From the dazzling heights of medieval Spain’s golden age to the long and dark shadows cast by the Inquisition and Expulsion, the story of Sefarad is one of both triumph and tragedy. It includes the complex and often heartbreaking journey of the conversos — Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity, many of whom continued to practice Judaism in secret, thus shaping a hidden chapter of incredible resilience.

At the end of April, more than 55 participants from Miami, including high school seniors and staff, traveled to Poland for CAJE’s Leo Martin March of the Living. Although this year’s journey did not continue to Israel, the connection to Israel was present throughout-- woven into the educational framing, the reflective moments, and many of the sites that were visited in Poland. In Kraków, we walked through once-vibrant Jewish neighborhoods. At Majdanek, Auschwitz, and Birkenau, we bore witness to the horrors of the Holocaust.

On Wednesday, May 7, more than 60 rabbis, educators, and community leaders gathered for a deeply impactful Lunch & Learn event with Rabbi Dr. Yitz Greenberg, one of the most influential Jewish thinkers and theologians of our time. Titled “The American Jewish Century: Stories, Insights and Wisdom from a Lifetime Shaping the Jewish People,” the session was hosted by CAJE: Adult Learning | The Center for Jewish Ideas and Engagement, in collaboration with the Hadar Institute and the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami.

The new Netflix miniseries Adolescence is haunting. It pulls no punches as it unpacks what it means to grow up today, where the line between online and offline is increasingly invisible, and increasingly dangerous. As the show follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller, who is accused of a horrific act, it forces viewers to confront the social and emotional weight our kids carry. As a parent, educator, and someone who works closely with hundreds of teens each year, it stuck with me. But what stayed with me even more than the plot was the silence. The missed conversations.

50% of all new teachers drop out of teaching within their first five years. Since 2008, CAJE has partnered with the Jewish New Teacher Project (JNTP) to increase teacher retention and reduce teacher dropout. Through the two-year JNTP training, new teachers are paired with veteran teachers so they can better handle the school culture and challenges of the classroom. Simultaneously, JNTP shows experienced teachers how to serve as mentors to new teachers. Mentor-mentee pairs meet regularly to focus on classroom management, instructional planning, and pedagogy. This collaboration is a win-win because it not only enhances the new teachers’ practices and satisfaction but also encourages the reflective growth of the mentors. This week, the CAJE Miami - Jewish New Teacher Project (JNTP) program concluded Year 1 of the two-year training.

Do you know someone who is in Early Childhood Jewish Education? Perhaps it is your child or grandchild who is attending one of over 30 Jewish early childhood education centers here in Miami-Dade County. Perhaps you are a devoted and beloved ECE teacher. Or perhaps you love children and care about quality education for all children at all ages and stages of development. If you recognize yourself above, then CAJE wants you to know about ElevatEd - the innovative, groundbreaking national Jewish ECE initiative.

At the beginning of April, Miami’s Diller Teen Fellows rolled out the red carpet (or should we say, beach towel!) to welcome their Israeli counterparts from our partnership community of Yerucham, Israel, for an unforgettable week of cultural exchange, deep conversations, and plenty of Miami vibes known as Jewish Community Mifgash (JCM). While our Miami Fellows were in school during the day, the Yerucham Fellows had their own immersive adventures across the city...

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.