MCSJE News & Events -I- January 2024

NEWS

Meet This Year's Undergraduate Teaching Fellows

MCSJE's Undergraduate Teaching Fellows Program offers professional learning to Brandeis undergraduates who are working in supplemental Jewish education. This year’s cohort includes: Rachel Araten ’24, Sophia Berlinger ’27, Tali Gordon-Knight ’24, Mateo Levin ’27, Sadie Lieberman ’27, Abby Litwin ’27, Naomi Stephenson ’26, and Sophia Stewart ’26.

Working in collaboration with other student fellows, under the mentorship of UTF Director Robin Kahn, they explore their own Jewish journeys, reflect on their teaching, develop new inquiry skill, and gain insight into their students’ learning.

MCSJE RESEARCH

Distance Teaching During a Time of Crisis

In two recent articles, Professor Ziva Hassenfeld discusses findings from her new study that aims to understand how Israeli teachers think about their classrooms and teaching, even as war continues in Israel:

‘Something has broken’: Teachers in Israel are straining to provide stability and support for their students

The Professor from the USA Asked, and the Teachers in Israel Answered: A New Study on Teaching During Wartime (Hebrew)

Teaching Torah

MCSJE is committed to sharing its research findings broadly with other scholars and practitioners in an effort to strengthen the field of Jewish education scholarship. In our new format, we share past research that centers around shared themes and ideas, from a variety of projects. This month's theme is Teaching Torah.

How to Study the Bible in Context

Jon Levisohn joins a recent episode of the "Conversations with Pastor Cliff" series.

Introducing the Contextual Orientation to Bible: A Comparative Study

Jon Levisohn explores the "contextual orientation" to the teaching of Bible in this Journal of Jewish Education article.

Text Discussion in a PreK-1st Grade Virtual Bible Classroom

In this Journal of Jewish Education article, Ziva Hassenfeld and several SCRoLL Lab members discuss their study of students during the start of the COVID pandemic.

A Sacred Language or the Language of the Bible: A Curricular Study of Jewish Hebrew Bible Instruction

Ziva Hassenfeld explores how ideological commitment influences Torah instruction in this article in Religious Education.

'Torah Talk': Teaching Parshat HaShavua to Young Children

MCSJE past research affiliate Shira Horowitz outlines a teaching method she pioneered for introducing elementary-aged students to Torah in this working paper, which was later included as a chapter in MCSJE's Turn It and Turn It Again.

Teaching Torah to Young Children

In this webcase, Shira Horowitz further explores practice around teaching Torah to young children while respecting the integrity of the text and the needs of students.

UPCOMING EVENTS

MCSJE events are free and open to the public. Registration is required.

Learning About Learning: Conversations with Scholars of Jewish Education

How Israeli-Americans Think About Their Kids' Hebrew Learning

Hannah Kober '16

Date: Wednesday, January 18

Time: 1 - 1:30 p.m. ET via Zoom

Like other immigrants, many Israeli expatriates find themselves asking how they can maintain their culture on American soil. But what happens when their children learn their heritage language in American educational settings? In this session, MCSJE Doctoral Fellow Hannah Kober will discuss the surprising finding from her recent research that the long-held narrative about Israeli-Americans as producers of Hebrew language education, and not as consumers, needs reconsideration.

PAST EVENTS

Learning About Learning: Conversations with Scholars of Jewish Education

Navigating Ideological Differences in Pluralistic Jewish Schools

Dr. Esther Friedman in conversation with Ziva Hassenfeld

How and why does the ability to navigate ideological differences within classrooms matter to Jewish education — and beyond? In this session, Esther Friedman discusses her recent study on the lived experiences of Orthodox teachers who teach Bible in pluralistic community schools and the institutional-level challenges they face.

Spotlight on Jewish Learning: Past, Present and Future | A panel of Brandeis faculty in recognition of the University's 75th anniversary

What have we learned about Jewish learning in the past, where are we today, and what do we still need to learn for the future? During this MCSJE special Spotlight Session in honor of Brandeis University’s 75th anniversary, Brandeis scholars of Jewish education share some of the most important developments in the field of Jewish education and why these developments matter for the flourishing of individual students and the vibrancy of the Jewish community.

Panelists include Sharon Feiman-Nemser, Ziva Hassenfeld, Jonathan Krasner, Jon Levisohn, and Joseph Reimer.

Stay Connected with the Mandel Center

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education is on Facebook and LinkedIn. Stay connected with us and hear about our upcoming events and innovative research by connecting with our pages.

Received this newsletter from a friend? Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox or check out our newsletter archive.

The Mandel Center offers a robust schedule of events to convene scholars, practitioners, and policy makers to advance thinking, generate new questions and, in some cases, generate new work for future publication. Watch our videos on our YouTube channel or listen to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, Apple, or Google.