Category: Culturally Based Programs, Israel Education Programs, Online Programs, Teen Programs
What are the goals of the program?
Jewish Student Connection exists to help high school students explore what [Jewish] means to them, inspiring proud personal connections with our culture, with our People, with Israel — with each other.
What is the structure of the program?
Forming Jewish clubs in public and private secular high schools to strengthen Jewish identity and education.
What was the genesis of the program and what need was it meant to serve?
Over 70% of Jewish teens attend public or private non-Jewish high schools. Rather than wait for them to become engaged on their own, we bring programming to them.
What are the key elements and underlying principles of this model/initiative?
Teen-centric, non-denominational, focused on education.
Category: Culturally Based Programs, Hebrew Language Programs, Israel Education Programs, Online Programs, Teen Programs
What are the goals of the program
Connecting Jewish youth to Judaism, Israel and each other using web-based conferencing software enabling easy student access from anywhere in the world.
What is the structure of the program?
Weekly Online Jewish Learning. Sundays, 10-10:45 CST and 11-11:45 CST. Students are required to have headsets with microphones, laptops and high speed internet. Students log in from anywhere, usually at home. Learners are youth in grades 6-12 that do not access formal Jewish education and/or are looking for high quality Jewish learning interaction with like-minded peers. Students do not need to have a background in Jewish subjects. JconnecT has educated students come from all backgrounds.
What was the genesis of the program and what need was it meant to serve?
The program was designed to provide an opportunity for Jewish youth in small communities that lack formal educational opportunities after the age of Bar and Bat Mitzvah to study together on Sunday mornings in an active virtual classroom. The goals of the program were to enhance their Jewish knowledge, to strengthen their Jewish identity, and to enlarge their Jewish social network.
What are the key elements and underlying principles of this model/initiative?
The Jewish people have always maintained a "global community" called 'Klal Yisrael". The technology provided by the internet enables us to make that global community more concrete for our young people at a time when sociological studies indicate that the connections seem to be weakening.
What (other) factors made this model/initiative successful?
An important factor has been the innovative curriculum that has been employed. The focus on relevant topics such as contemporary Jewish issues, leadership, and the like has enabled us to engage the students while communicating to them that Judaism has something important to say about issues that are significant to them.
Category: Arts Based Programs & Resources, Culturally Based Programs & Resources, Experiential Education Programs & Resources, Jewish Text, History, & Values Programs & Resources, Online Programs & Resources
What are the key elements and underlying principles of the model/initiative? The Jewish Lens (TJL) is based on the understanding that meaningful education must be experiential, have emotional impact, and empower students to develop their own ideas and follow their own passions. By engaging students in the art of photography, TJL enables students to find personal relevance in Jewish values while expressing their own views, opinions, and creativity. What was the genesis of the program and what need was it meant to serve? TJL was founded by the world-renowned photographer Zion Ozeri in 2005 out of a personal desire to provide an alternative to the age old methods of Jewish teaching and learning. Working in tandem with a curriculum writer and a diverse group of Rabbis, lay leaders and educators, a successful pilot with six supplementary and day schools in New York and Los Angeles spawned the creation of a program that is used across the denominational spectrum and in a variety of settings. In 2009, TJL produced a more robust and user-friendly curriculum, expanding the reach of TJL to over 260 schools and other organizations across the country and in Israel. The Jewish Lens addresses many student's indifference and boredom with established methods of Jewish education. Today's media-saturated culture, which relies heavily on imagery, has changed the way youth interact with content. TJL elevates the art of photography and uses it as a compelling way to engage youth with our traditions and teachings. What are the programs goals? Our goals are to create a deeper, richer connection for the Jewish youth to their individual Jewish identity and community, as well as a better understanding of the unity and diversity of the Jewish people. Describe the Program/Methodology. The Jewish Lens (TJL) provides experiential educational programming that facilitates students' exploration of Jewish values, identity, tradition and peoplehood using a methodology that couples photography with Jewish texts. TJL trains educators to implement curriculum in varied settings including congregational schools, day schools, camps and youth groups. Through the modality of photography, TJL teaches participants to analyze visual content with Jewish values (such as global Jewish communities, ritual and Israel). Images are also interpreted using traditional rabbinic and contemporary texts. Participants take their own photographs and create their own personal commentaries. What is the structure of the program?
Grades 5-12
Hebrew schools, day schools, camps and youth groups.
50 minutes per lesson; 6-20, or more lessons per year
a private social networking site where educators and students can post and share photos with participants across the country and in Israel.
What factors make this model/initiative successful? The combination of photography and text has introduced students to fresh ways of interacting with and creating new Jewish content. Furthermore, by producing an end of year exhibition students are empowered to not only direct their own learning, but to then share it with family and friends. Additionally, TLJ connects students to America and Israel, cutting across geographic and language barriers through the use of images and social media. Finally, educators are provided with new tools through curriculum trainings and ongoing consultations, enabling them to integrate the methodology into their programming.
