1. Evelyn Kawaler Judaic Crafts Network
   ShabbART Shalom: Teaching Shabbat Liturgy through Art
   How can you make the Shabbat liturgy come alive? How can you bring the deep meaning of prayers to the awakening souls of your students? Explore the ways in which art can be the perfect medium for teaching the Shabbat liturgy. The siddur will be our inspiration, guide and telescope. The workshop will include hands-on projects, resources and materials to take back to your schools. It is designed for classroom teachers, curriculum specialists and art specialists.
   Presenters:
   • Laurie Bellet, chair of the CAJE Art Network is the author of The Reluctant Artist, The BJL Mitzvot Teacher Guide, and the co-creator of The Tiyulim Classroom Activity Book, and The Aleph to Tav Coloring Book. She teaches and consults for Jewish education programs nationwide and is a regular columnist for an education newsletter.
   • Debi Mishael, MA in Education from U of Judaism, has over 25 years of experience in a wide variety of settings both formal and informal.


2. B’nai Mitzvah Network
   From Learners to Leaders: Shabbat Shacharit, Mincha and Havdalah
   We will explore the best ways to teach trope and nusach, including practical strategies for adolescents, adults, seniors, and those with learning differences.We will demonstrate new technologies to assist in the learning process, and present ideas for creating a cadre of lay readers and leaders.
   We will also explore how to develop congregational ownership of the services, including ideas for creative teen and family programming.
   Presenters:
   • Devorah Gartner, Co-chair, B’nai Mitzvah Network, is a cantor with expertise in congregational school B’nai Mitzvah programming including programs for students with learning differences.
   • Sheldon Levin, past president of the Cantors Assembly, has many years of experience as a congregational cantor, has taught in day schools, camps and the National Jewish Choral Festival, and has edited seven books on Jewish music and education.
   • Neil Schwartz, Co-chair, B’nai Mitzvah Network, is a cantor best known for his innovative materials and workshops on trope and nusach.


3. Congregational Schools Network and Teacher Resource Network
   As the Torah Turns
   Here is a Shabbat-inspired examination of the spirit that drivesreligious school programs, resources and administration—with ruach and kavanah. The two networks will collaborate on this exploration of ways to bring Shabbat qualities into week-by-week religious school activities: Prayer and learning as a class and community; fostering understanding of and commitment to Jewish values and ethics; transforming Torah teachings into daily actions. Examples used in this interactive intensive will be drawn from successful school programs supported by excellent multi-media, print, internet and human resources.
   Presenters:
   • Joan Hersch, CAJE Life Member, and Co-chair of the Congregational Schools Principals Network has been the educational director at Congregation Brothers of Israel in Trenton, NJ for 24 years. She has just retired after teaching for 36 years in the public school system. She has also served as the camp director of the JCC in Ewing, NJ. Joan has served in a variety of roles in many CAJE Mazkiriot.
   • Ronni Sims, CAJE Life Member, is the Co-chair of the Teacher Resource Center Network and the Chair of the Curriculum Bank. She has co-chaired the CAJE 20 Educational Resource Center, a Leadership Kallah, and CAJE 29. Ronni has taught in the US and Israel, and was for many years the director of the Jewish Teacher Resource Center in Albany, NY. Now living in NM, she develops resource programs for the Albuquerque Jewish Education Alliance.


4. Dance Network
   Shabbat in Movement and Dance
   Even if you’ve never danced a step in your life, you too can integrate movement and Israeli folk dance into your Shabbat curriculum and celebration. Participants will learn basic dance and movement steps and terminology, how to learn a dance from a video, as well as some simple Shabbat dances.
   Presenters include:
   • Aliya Cheskis Cotel, director of Congregational Learning at East End Temple, NY, teaches children and adults of all ages. A Gruss Award for Teaching Excellence winner, she is a folk dancer and guitarist. With specialties in arts programming and creative writing, she is the author of Open It Up! Integrating the Arts into Jewish Education, published by A.R.E./Behrman House


5. Healing and Spirituality Network
   Decoding the Secrets of Shabbat
   Through meditation, singing and study we will unlock some of the mysteries that can make Shabbat a magical period of time.We will begin with meditations and music for Shabbat preparation, and then consider how to put Kabbalah back into Kabbalat Shabbat. Moving next to Hasidic teachings, mystical stories and niggunim, we will create the feeling of meeyn olam habah, a taste of the world to come.We will conclude with a special interactive healing service.
   Presenters:
   • Ken Alter is the rabbi of Congregation Ahavath Achim in Colchester, CT. He is the Chair of the Healing/Spirituality Network and lectures often on spirituality and the meaning of prayer.

7. Israel Education Network
   Building Connections between Israel and Diaspora Jewry
   At this table these will be the four questions:
   • What is your own personal connection to Israel?
   • How does Israel figure in the Jewish identities of today’s young Jews?
   • How can we deepen and improve Israel’s place in North American Jewish education?
   • How can we create true Israel engagement in our communities and schools?
   
   Presenters include:
   • Ed Snitkoff, Director of the North American Desk of the Jewish Agency’s Education Department, has degrees in anthropology and Jewish history, and advanced degrees in Jewish education and rabbinical literature. A JTS graduate who made aliyah in 1992, Ed is also a licensed tour guide, and the Co-chair of the Israel Education Network.
   • Joan Florsheim has 40 years experience as a Jewish educator. Having served as an administrator, she is now re-discovering the delights of being a classroom teacher. She has served on several CAJE mazkiriots, chaired the Soviet Jewry Network, and is currently Co-chair of the Israel Education Network.


8. Learning Differences Network
   Learning Differences—Achieving Shalom/Shalem—Wholeness
   The real challenge is educating those who don’t have one. -Richard Lavoix
   Shabbat is an opportunity to withdraw from the crazy world we live in and to connect with our selves, our families, our friends, and our communities. Children with learning differences and their families are often desperately in need of finding Shabbat shalom. In this intensive, we will look at Shabbat as a model for children and families as they try to connect with their best selves and each other. The workshop will include exercises to pinpoint learning styles, Project Accept experiential activities, what teachers need to know to teach children with learning differences, how religious schools can respond to the whole child, the alphabet soup of learning differences, and a look at traditional texts to explore the Jewish perspective.
   Presenters include:
   • Idie Benjamin
   • Yonaton Koch
   • Tamar Strauss


9. Media and Technology Network
   David Frederick and Robert Gartner, co-chairs of the CAJE 31 Technical/Media Network will be combining their expertise in a super session designed to offer teachers new ideas and computer resources to follow through with the ideas they come up with.We will also be dealing with the subject of creating and down-streaming “Virtual shul” services to small Jewish communities where there is no rabbi or synagogue available. We would also like to bring in new and exciting Jewish films and possibly a film maker or two to speak on the films they created.
   Presenter:
   • David Bryant Frederick has a BA in Theatre from the College of Charleston in SC. He has been intimately involved in film, video and theatre for many years, both in Jewish and general settings. He has taught religious school for 6 years.


10. Rabbi and Mrs. Nathan Kapner CAJE Music Network
    Getting into Shabbat through Music
    From wordless niggunim to the most elaborate choral selections, Shabbat is enhanced by a wide variety of special music. People of all ages find that music is a primary gateway into a deeper sense of connection with God and community. Here is a workshop where you can learn new music, prepare a choral piece to share during the CAJE 31 Shabbat services, and discuss effective approaches to Shabbat music leadership. Participate in a Tot Shabbat symposium and try your hand at writing some music of your own.
    Presenters include:
    • Marge Eiseman, Co-chair of the Rabbi and Mrs. Nathan Kapner CAJE Music Network, is a singer/songwriter who travels around the country teaching about Jewish women’s spirituality.
    • Kathy Gohr, Co-chair of the Rabbi and Mrs. Nathan Kapner CAJE Music Network, is a singer/songwriter and accomplished guitar teacher and accompanist.
    
    With help from:
    • Michael and Helene Kates
    • Peter and Ellen Allard
    • Charki Dunn


11. The Florence Ruth Silverman Storytelling Network
    Entering Shabbat with Story: a Learning and Literacy Tool
    Moses received two laws—oral and written. Stories were the bridge between. This intensive will connect the rich Jewish storytelling tradition to our contemporary classroom curricula, focusing on skills for Jewish cultural literacy—interactive learning, listening, kinetic learning, text study, finding sources, spontaneous storytelling, and many more.
    Presenters include:
    • Bonnie Greenberg, MS, is an experienced storyteller/educator and Co-chair of The Florence Ruth Silverman Storytelling Network. She is featured in 120 Contemporary Storytellers and A Beginners Guide to Storytelling. She is on the board of many storytelling organizations. Her audio recordings have won several awards including a Parent’s Choice and NAPPA Gold.
    • Corinne Stavish, Co-chair of The Florence Ruth Silverman Storytelling Network, has produced four cassettes, edited an anthology of Jewish folktales, teaches fulltime at Lawrence Technological Institute in Southfield, MI where she was Professor of the Year in 1999, has been featured at the National Storytelling Festival, and received the Detroit Jewish Woman Artist of the Year in Literature in 2001.
    • And members of The Florence Ruth Silverman Storytelling Network

Coalition Programs

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