Graduate Certificates in Jewish Education

Embodied Learning. Mental Health. Well-Being. Anti-Semitism. Israel. Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. Belonging. Climate Resilience.

The issues facing the students in our classroom and educational settings today are complicated, multilayered, and at times, traumatic. From climate anxiety to building inclusive and equitable spaces to rising antisemitism, Jewish educators are called to meet the challenge of supporting our learners in navigating and responding to the ongoing complexities of our institutions and our world. Teaching in Jewish Education today requires a new set of tools and a new understanding.

For far too long Jewish education had been focused solely on the mind. More recently, educators have started learning about the social-emotional experience of their students and incorporating that knowledge into their teaching. But now a more multifaceted approach is required. Jewish educators need a more holistic view of education, that is, we must know how to address or teach the whole person. In this certificate, students will experience embodied learning and will learn strategies to bring this kind of learning into their own settings. Moreover, students will be introduced to new possible ways of creating an inclusive classroom while also responding to some of the most difficult issues of our times.

The Certificate in Emerging Trends in Jewish Education integrates the cognitive, the physical, the spiritual and the emotional to help educators meet the needs of the learning and the learners in the 21st century. As we face the intense challenge of our wholeness and our holiness both for ourselves and our students, we turn to new understandings, skills, knowledge, resources, and inspiration to help us navigate these new realities. The Certificate in Emerging Trends in Jewish Education is a MUST for all Jewish Educators.

Module 1: Teaching Israel: Theory and Practice
As a field, Israel education is at a crucial turning point to meet the needs of practitioners and students alike. In this course, educators will explore educational theories about teaching Israel and have opportunities to try out those theories in relation to their personal and professional interests. The course will explore educational paradigms that focus on affective, behavioral, and cognitive goals. Each paradigm will be considered in the context in which it was created and its applicability to our context post October 7th. Throughout the course, students will apply one or more of these paradigms to a class or unit in an educational institution or environment of their choice.

Module 2: Navigating DEI and Addressing Anti-Semitism in Jewish Educational Settings
In this course, educators will examine moments in American history that have shaped views on racial and Jewish identities today. Facing history pedagogy will be implemented to analyze the legacies of inequity within and outside of our Jewish communities with attention to the tools necessary to mitigate barriers to equity. Frameworks for thinking about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) will also be considered in the context of contemporary antisemitism and the extent to which different models of DEI can integrate or marginalize efforts to combat antisemitism. This involves inquiry into the ways in which antisemitism intersects with other “isms”, including reflection on the ways in which antisemitism and anti-Zionism can overlap.

Module 3: People and Planet: Growing the Field of Jewish Environmental Education
The shoresh (root word) of adamah (earth) is adam (the primordial human), demonstrating the deep interconnection between people and planet within Jewish tradition. Join us for an in-depth study of the burgeoning field of Jewish environmental education, which integrates both nature-connection and climate action centered in Jewish practices and values.

In this module, you will:

• Explore the texts, rituals, narratives, and holiday celebrations that have grounded and guided the development of the Jewish environmental movement as it has evolved over the last 30 years.
• Discover pedagogical frameworks for developing and implementing Jewish nature-based and climate-focused activities and programs.
• Engage with sample curricula and activities that link Jewish ecological wisdom with nature-connection and climate action.
• Learn how to adapt Jewish environmental teachings and climate-focused activities to both traditional and alternative educational spaces and contexts.

Module 4: Judaism, Resilience, Well-Being: Recovering the Sparks of Wholeness
Jewish wisdom and tradition present a well-spring of resources to guide us through the joys and stresses of life. These include teachings, practices, rituals, and values that promote resilience and well-being for our students and ourselves. As Jewish educational leaders, many of us are navigating heightened levels of stress, overwhelm and burnout. This course will introduce participants to skills and strategies which can be utilized to navigate these growing concerns in the field of Jewish education. Together, we will delve into topics such as the emerging sciences of wellness and well-being, trauma and resilience informed care and pedagogies and the intersections with Jewish thought, ritual, practice, and education. In a supportive and supported online community, students will explore a variety of mindfulness and embodied practices and tools which can be utilized to enhance their well-being and their capacity to learn and teach in sustainable, supported ways. Additionally, students will consider how this learning and these resources could be applied to learning environments and communities they serve, and with learners of all ages.

Are you looking to elevate the teaching and learning in your environment? Do you want to strengthen your skills in curriculum and lesson-plan design? Are you curious about how you can actively involve your students in the learning process?
Hebrew College’s Certificate in Teaching & Learning in Jewish Education focuses on preparing Jewish educators with the essential skills and knowledge to learn best practices and principles in 21st century Jewish education. It offers educators the opportunity to learn important concepts and frameworks and to build new capacities to infuse into your own learning spaces.

“Skillful teachers are made, not born.” — Jon Saphier

In this certificate, you will strengthen instructional practices and assessment skills. You will delve into the curriculum design process, understanding and practicing “backwards design” in crafting engaging lessons and effective delivery. In addition, you will examine various models and theories of teaching and learning, along with a wide array of teaching strategies that can be adapted for classrooms and other Jewish educational settings.

“We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.”
— John Dewey

As teachers and educational leaders, prior to engaging with our students, it is important that we know ourselves and understand how we make meaning. Through this certificate you will become a more reflective practitioner and thereby build and further strengthen your teaching skills. You will deepen your teacher identity, experimenting with new ideas, frameworks, stances and philosophies.

Join us to earn a Certificate in Teaching & Learning in Jewish Education and develop and build your skills in crafting a positive, supportive, meaningful, and inclusive learning environment for your students.

Module 1: Becoming a Reflective Practitioner: Developing our Teacher Stance
The work of teaching is deeply connected to our own stories: who we are, what our experiences in and out of school and Jewish education have been. Who are we as learners? Who do we want to be as teachers and Jewish educators? In this module we will deepen our own teacher identities and learn to be reflective practitioners who continually assess and reflect on our own teaching practices.
We will explore how students, teachers, content, and environment all interact, with a particular focus on strategies to build learning communities. We will develop an inquiry stance, learning to observe students and practice and asking questions that lead to new insights.

Module 2: Curriculum and Planning: Beginning with the End in Mind
Excellent teaching begins with strong planning. In this module, we will learn how to design lesson plans that begin with the end in mind. What do we want students to know and be able to do at the end of our lesson? How will we structure a class session that is engaging, purposeful, and responsive to all of the students’ needs? We will learn how to open and close lessons, how to pace the activities in between, and how to differentiate so that all students can succeed. From there, we will zoom out to consider how an individual lesson fits in a bigger context of a unit or a curriculum in the Jewish educational setting.

Module 3: Modalities of Teaching: Pedagogies for Educational Settings
In this module, students will experiment with modalities that can be implemented in a multiplicity of settings of Jewish learning. We will be introduced to Storytelling, Project Based Learning and Hevruta study. We will also uncover the specific needs, pedagogies and educational stances necessary for teaching and learning the content of Torah, Tefilah and Holidays. During this module we will have the opportunity to create a model lesson using one of the new modalities learned during the module.

Module 4: Assessment: Lessons from Teaching and Learning
When we hear the word assessment we often think about skills-based tests. In this module, we will unpack theories of what learning is, and how we can implement tools to find out what our students know and are able to do in their Jewish lives. With technology advancing exponentially, we will think about what kinds of assessments are appropriate for learners who can access an entire library of information in nanoseconds. We will learn about the Growth Mindset and the implications for unlocking learners’ potential. Students who view their learning through a growth mindset embrace challenges, perceive effort as a pathway to mastery, and view setbacks as opportunities to learn and to grow. Developing assessment and feedback tools that express the tenets of a growth mindset, is a critical way to help students maximize their learning beyond a single course. Viewing the endeavor of Jewish education through this lens, we will learn how to assess our students’ growth knowing that they will be applying their knowledge and learning in real life settings.

Applicants for the graduate level certificate programs must:

• Have a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution or university. Official transcripts must be sent to Hebrew College.
• Complete an application and a short interview.
• Submit two letters of reference.

For details/specifics, please contact Susan Morrel at smorrel@hebrewcollege.edu.

Ready to apply? Apply Today!

If you enroll in a Graduate Certificate program and decide to apply to the Hebrew College Master of Jewish Education (MJEd) program before the end of the course, you are eligible to apply up to an additional 4 credits (for a total of 8 credits for the certificate) toward your degree (in this case, you will be responsible for additional assignments and additional charges). Note: This applies to one graduate certificate only.

For details/specifics, please contact Susan Morrel at smorrel@hebrewcollege.edu.

Financial aid and scholarships are limited to those enrolled in the MJEd program (enrollees in the Graduate level certificate programs are not eligible for financial aid/scholarships.)

Are you looking for an authentic way to integrate spirituality into your Jewish educational practice? Are you considering making changes in your approach to teaching God and prayer in your setting?

The Certificate in Jewish Spiritual Education at Hebrew College will provide you with a real sense of what Jewish spirituality has to offer as a form of wisdom for cultivating a soulful approach to life for your students. Jewish education in the 21st century has the potential to be a pathway of cultivating shlemut (wholeness) in our learners through social, emotional and spiritual well being.

In this two semester, graduate level certificate program, you will explore Jewish modes of spiritual life and expression including Jewish thought, prayer, and practice. You will delve into contemporary research in the field of Jewish spirituality, and you will learn constructive models of Jewish education and experiential education. You will engage in a variety of practices that have already been developed for Jewish education, along with emerging trends in the field.

As a graduate of The Certificate in Jewish Spiritual Education, you will be aware and sensitive to the spiritual needs of learners, identifying and utilizing pedagogic approaches to guide students on their spiritual pathways. You will be a skilled guide for holistic education which includes social, emotional, and spiritual learning, and you will be ready to integrate this work into your Jewish educational schools and institutions.

MODULE DESCRIPTIONS

Module 1: The Soul of Jewish Education
Jewish education has been primarily concerned with the transmission of knowledge, acquisition of skills and developing Jewish identity in people. One aspect of cultivating religious identity has been missing from Jewish educational practice and that is nurturing the spiritual growth of the individual as an explicit aim of our educational practice. We seem to shy away from this practice in our schools and synagogues, often thinking that spiritual practice and a person’s being with God are not part of the Judaism we know. However, not only is nurturing spiritual practice part of the essence of Judaism, it has also been a long component of Jewish education but largely ignored in our times. This module seeks to explore the cultivation of the spiritual life of the individual drawing upon the research, particularly but not exclusively of children’s spirituality. I will offer a Jewish lens with which to view this spirituality that comes from our traditional sources and from contemporary thinking including Social and Emotional Learning, Mindfulness and Thriving. We will explore innovative and creative practices for Jewish education in our educational settings for children, adolescents and adults. Deepening our understanding of this field will determine the very way we see the overall and expanded purpose of a Jewish Education.

Module 2: Mussar for Educators
Musar is an ancient Jewish spiritual practice that has been re-energized for the 21st century. It draws upon the depths of Jewish tradition and text along with a unique pedagogy to form and develop human virtues for greater self awareness and broader openness to those around us and the ebb and flow of life’s joys and challenges. We will practice this spiritual art together learning its particular approach as well as reflect on the methodology for educators. No prior experience or knowledge is required and all texts will be provided with English translation. There will be week chavruta requirements as well as a formative assessment. There will be three live sessions on zoom which will be recorded for those who cannot attend.

Module 3:  Creative Expression for Spiritual Development
This seminar is designed to introduce participants to the diverse creative expressions of Spiritual Development including Music, Mindfulness and Meditation, Expressive Arts, Story telling, Creative Writing, Poetry, etc. These creative expressions will be grounded in a Jewish articulation of these approaches using faculty and alumni expertise who have honed these expressions in pedagogical programs. The programs themselves will include Torah Godly Play (story telling), The Expressive Arts as a religious imperative, Jewish Meditation and Mindfulness, spiritual writing and journaling, Music and nigunim etc.

Module 4:  Jewish Spiritual Disciplines of Talmud Torah, Tefillah and Mussar
Pirkei Avot teaches that the world stands on three fundamental human endeavors; The Study of Sacred Literature (Talmud Torah), the watchfulness of a prayerful life (Tefila) and the infinite responsibility for the other (Gemilut Hasadim as expressed in Musar). This module explores the Jewish philosophical and theological perspectives of these spiritual practices and provides contemporary approaches to these disciplines for human flourishing and wakefulness.

Are you looking to elevate your role as a Jewish educational leader? Are you searching for ways to strengthen your leadership to support the development of successful teaching and learning?  Do you want to inspire change and innovation in your setting but aren’t sure where to begin? The Certificate in Learning & Leading from Hebrew College catapults you in your role through the cultivation of understandings and practices needed to engage in successful Jewish educational leadership, from budgeting to building change.

Instructional and organizational leadership skills development is vital for anyone in a Jewish educational leadership position who is seeking to delve into the essential tools and strategies to navigate the evolving educational landscape of the 21st century. As a graduate of the Certificate in Learning and Leading, you will be ready to identify your educational and organizational needs and priorities, and implement the changes necessary. You will be able to articulate your educational stance and create a compelling vision that brings others together in purpose and shared values.

MODULE DESCRIPTIONS

Module 1: Instructional Leadership
Instructional leaders strengthen the teaching and learning in their settings through providing educational supervision and developing professional learning communities.  Promoting greater attention to instructional leadership in Jewish schools leads to meaningful and transformative change. In this course, students will develop a shared language and understanding about instructional leadership, drawing on educational learning theories, and exploring tools and strategies that support improving student achievement. Students will engage with instructional leadership practices such as observation, supervision, co-planning, collaboration, and creating a professional learning community.

Module 2: Organizational Leadership
Leadership in Jewish organizations is a highly complex activity.  Jewish educators must learn to navigate in an environment that has many participants, often with diverse priorities and perspectives.  Effective leadership requires a high degree of self knowledge, flexibility in approach, and balance between long term vision and shorter term goals.

The goal of this module is to give Jewish educators the tools they need to be successful Jewish organizational leaders.  Specific topics will include:

• Theories that are useful for leadership (Tzimtzum, Transformative Learning, the Musar perspective on values, wounding/t’shuvah)
• Navigating between personal and organizational values as a leader;
• Assessment of personal leadership preferences (Personal philosophy/values, Covey, Harvard Assessment Tool);
• Approaches to leadership (Charismatic, Authentic, Servant, Adaptive, and Distributed Leadership);
• Leadership in times of change

Module 3: From Talmud to Tachlis: A Practical Guide for Jewish Organizations
In addition to knowledge of specific Jewish content, Jewish educators are expected to be able to be a key participant in the day to day activities of their organizations. The goal of this module is to give learners the foundational knowledge in the “tachlis” areas of Jewish organizations so that they can most effectively contribute to the fulfillment of the organization’s mission and be good partners for volunteer leaders and other staff members. Organizational components to be covered include:

• Governance: organizational structure, presidential partnership; board relations; bylaws and policies;
• Human resources:  talent management and development;
• Finance: understanding financials; budgeting;
• Fundraising: types of fundraising; donor relations; ethical and legal considerations;
• Marketing: types of marketing; pricing of products/services; public relations.

Module 4: Leadership & Change
“Pivot” is a word which has been frequently used over the past few years as Jewish educators were confronted with the need to quickly change course during Covid. Although “pivoting” for unplanned change is essential, we realize that leading planned change is a complex process, requiring a systemic and thoughtful approach. This course is designed to help students develop a deeper understanding of issues involved in leading change in a Jewish educational setting, and to provide the tools and strategies educational leaders need to be successful change-makers in a rapidly changing field. Students will reflect on their own strengths, challenges and approaches to leadership and change (from module 2), and draw upon Jewish wisdom, as well as the literature of general education and business theories, to consider how to design and implement change which positively impacts learning. Specific topics will include: Change Readiness; Appreciative Inquiry; Asset Mapping; SWOT Analysis; Systemic Thinking, and Enduring Dilemmas.