CAJE News
Aug 15, 2025
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.
Aug 8, 2025
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.
Aug 1, 2025
What was originally intended to be a transformative summer journey to Israel became something entirely unexpected, but still very meaningful for CAJE’s Diller Teen Fellows. Due to several factors, including the ongoing war in Gaza and the Iranian missile attacks in June, the Helen Diller Foundation, a San Francisco-based Foundation that provides funding and overall vision for the program, decided to cancel the Diller Program’s International Summer Seminar in Israel this year… Rather than letting disappointment define the moment, the teens embraced a new opportunity for growth, connection, and community during a powerful four-day seminar in Chicago.
Jul 25, 2025
When people ask how I ended up at CAJE, I usually say, “It was the right fit at the right time.” But the truth is, this journey started long before I had a title or a team. I grew up in Miami (South Dade) in a home grounded in Reform Jewish life, where Friday night Shabbat dinners were non-negotiable and Jewish learning was something that happened both at the dinner table and in the world around me. Each week, my family would go around and share the most memorable parts of our week — a simple ritual that made time slow down and brought us closer to each other. We still do this today (virtually) with my immediate and extended family each week… Jewish life was seamlessly woven into the everyday — so much so that I never thought to separate it from who I was.
Jul 18, 2025
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.
Jul 11, 2025
At CAJE, we believe education is one of the strongest responses to injustice. Through programs like the Leo Martin March of the Living, we teach teens how hatred and dehumanization evolve over time, how vital it is to bear witness, and steps to becoming upstanders. When our students stand at Auschwitz or Majdanek, they hear firsthand from survivors. They return with newfound purpose and motivation to speak truth, to commit deeply to their Judaism, and to stand up for the State of Israel and the Jewish people. The same forces that shaped the Shoah — silence, distortion, and hatred — still persist. That is why CAJE remains committed to educating about misinformation and equipping our youth to respond with courage and clarity.
Jul 4, 2025
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.
Jun 27, 2025
CAJE is excited to introduce our newest staff member to you! Stephanie Dargoltz Arazi is a Miami-based mental health professional, educator, and multicultural advocate with deep roots in the South Florida Jewish community. Born in Colombia and raised in Miami’s vibrant cultural landscape, she brings a rich, bilingual perspective to her work with teens and families.
Jun 20, 2025
CAJE is thrilled to celebrate The Miami Jewish Film Festival (MJFF)’s inclusion — for the fourth time — on MovieMaker Magazine’s prestigious list of the “50 Best Film Festivals in the World.” This significant honor places MJFF, a program of CAJE, in the top tier of global cinematic institutions and reaffirms its standing as a leader in the presentation of international Jewish and Israeli cinema. With this recognition, MJFF continues to make history as the only Jewish film festival ever to be named to MovieMaker’s annual list, which highlights festivals that filmmakers and audiences alike regard as transformative experiences.
Jun 13, 2025
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.
