View “This is Personal” video about supporting innovation in Jewish day school education

IR22 was an out-of-the-ordinary gathering of Jewish day school positive disruptors including educators, funders, influencers and consumers who see the need for radical improvement in Jewish day schools.

The goals of the retreat were to explore potentially transformative changes in Jewish day schools, provide a framework for participants to understand the whys and hows of these changes, and to give visionary stakeholders in Jewish day schools an opportunity to network, exchange ideas, and seed potential collaborative projects.

See: Some highlights from IR22

During this year’s retreat, “Beyond the Page: Teaching Towards Meaning”, attendees analyzed the latest case study research in Jewish day schools with Jack Wertheimer and Alex Pomson, personalized the meaning of Torah text, and delved into six innovative models of teaching towards meaning.

Watch: The possibilities of Avatars in Jewish education

In addition, participants got a glimpse into the future by watching a clip demonstrating both the positive and negative potential of avatars [artificial intelligence entities] teaching our children, and were treated to the premiere of the short film “This is Personal”. The film, which can be viewed on the link above, expresses why we need to support innovation in Jewish day school education.

One participant wrote: To bring such a group of people together who, in some senses were so diverse, and yet in other ways shared such a foundational set of ideas and principles about what the Jewish world needs was unique and very special. Additionally the mix of a deep commitment to, and reverence for, Jewish tradition along with a disruptive mindset and total rejection of the self-imposed constraints based on "how things are done" was also refreshing, inspiring and unlike anything I can imagine being able to find elsewhere. Finally, I found my own relationship to God and to my spiritual self very much enhanced by the nature and quality of the conversation.

There was ample time for networking aside from the deep learning that everyone did together. This was especially meaningful, as this was the first in-person Innovators Retreat since 2019. What a joy it was to be in the same room and feel the energy and passion of the assembled group!

 

Scroll: Through photos from IR22

The 2022 Innovators Retreat was hosted by the Mayberg Foundation.