Adapting: The Future of Jewish Education
'Adapting: The Future of Jewish Education' is a weekly podcast hosted by The Jewish Education Project. Hear CEO David Bryfman or alternating co-host Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath and a different guest each episode explore the big questions, challenges, and successes that define Jewish education. Available on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
Episodes
190 episodes
Creating Meaningful Experiences for Every Child—B'Mitzvah and Beyond
The B-Mitzvah is a defining milestone in American Jewish life, and offers a powerful lens into how Jewish communal spaces can foster inclusion and belonging. With their new book, <...
A Conversation on Memory This Yom HaZikaron
This episode features Omri Rose, author of Echoes of October, a graphic novel exploring events leading up to October 7th through four young people from different backgrounds. In conversation with Samantha Vinokor-...
Living Memory & Holocaust Education: A Conversation on Yom HaShoah
Yom HaShoah begins this evening. As we remember and honor the legacy of the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust, Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath sits down with Dave Reckess, a third-generation survivor and executive director of 3GNY.&...
The Psychology of Jewish Living: Faith in a Modern World
What does it actually look like to live Judaism in today’s world? And what does it mean to be part of a collective when we have so many different worldviews, orientations, and perspectives? In this episode, Sam...
Responding to Violence: Raising Proud Children Today
In an urgent episode following the recent attack at Temple Israel in Michigan, David Bryfman sits down with Daniel Held, Chief Program Officer of United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto, whose community has also faced recent antisemitic threats...
A Love Letter to Jewish Educators
Mister Rogers famously said that in scary times, look for the helpers. But what happens when the helpers themselves are exhausted? This week, host Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath sits down with certified coach, facilitator, and speaker Sh...
How to “Rehuman” in Hard Times
The world feels overwhelming right now. Amid war and uncertainty, Jewish educators are overworked, and parents and students are pummeled with headlines and some with siren alerts. So how do we return to what makes us human: creativi...
Israel, Anti-Zionism, and the Healthy Argument - with Abi Dauber Sterne and Robbie Gringras
The goal of a healthy argument in educational settings is to help one grow, learn, strengthen relationships, and gain new perspectives. On this week’s Adapting, Abi Dauber Sterne and Robbie Gringras share their research of anti-Zionist...
Iranian, Jewish, American: Holding Complex Identities
Before the Iranian Revolution, nearly 100,000 Jews lived rich, deeply rooted lives in Iran. Activist Tabby Refael, whose family fled in the 1980s, tells Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath in great detail how she holds complex identities of being Iranian...
The Path to Jewish Belonging
What does Jewish belonging look like in an age of scrolling, searching, and self-guided learning? In this episode, Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath sits down with independent Jewish educator Netta Asner-Minster, who is inspir...
Purpose and Pluralism: Lessons in Leadership with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of Central Synagogue reflects on her journey, from growing up in Tacoma, Washington with a strong sense of communal purpose, to finding belonging and identity, and feeling like a stranger along the way. In a re...
Why Jewish Education Needs Both Joy and Oy — with Andrew Davies
Even with all of the challenges in the world today Jewish education must strive to emphasize the joy and celebration of what it means to be Jewish in today’s world. The Bible Players are experts at bringing laughter and joy to Jewis...
‘Genocide’ Comparisons: A Holocaust Educator’s Take
October 7th was the largest attempt at genocide against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. What does this moment reveal about modern antisemitism and the importance of Holocaust studies today? Joining Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath t...
Values in Action: Giving for the Jewish Future
How can we turn collective responsibility and shared values into meaningful action for the future of the Jewish people? Josh Schalk, Executive Director of Jewish Future Promise, believes the answer begins with how, and why, we give....
An Optimist in Uniform: Reflections from IDF Reserve Duty
To kick off the new year, David Bryfman sits down with TAMID Group’s CEO, Yoni Heilman. In a conversation that humanizes one of our own heroes, Yoni shares stories as a soldier in reserve duty after October 7th, giving an honest account about h...
Reflections After Bondi Beach from David Bryfman
In an unscheduled and urgent episode of Adapting, Australian-born CEO of The Jewish Education Project, David Bryfman, sheds light on his own Australian Jewish community, some of whom lost loved ones in this week’s tragic attack at Bond...
Including + Celebrating Jewish Voices in American Public Schools
Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath is joined by another history professor, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, who is the lead scholar of Hidden Voices, an initiative to address how overlooked minority groups are taught in New York City Public Schools, including ...
How to Best Support Educators Right Now
This week on Adapting, Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath speaks with Zev Eleff, president of Gratz College and professor of American Jewish history, to address a pressing challenge facing Jewish education today: educators are...
A Wide Tent with Clear Boundaries: Lessons in Jewish Leadership and Peoplehood
David Bryfman engages with Dr. Mijal Bitton, one of today’s leading Jewish scholars and leaders, in an illuminating, nuanced conversation about defining Jewish peoplehood in a time of polarity. Is it better to be inclusive of all beliefs in a c...
The Power of Storytelling to Strengthen Jewish Community
For writer and podcaster Zibby Owens (On Being Jewish Now, Blank: A Novel), it was never her plan to center her work around Jewish identity. But as the critical need for Jewish representation a...
What is This Thing Called Jewish Peoplehood?
What does it mean to belong to the Jewish people, especially during a time of deep division? This week, Dr. Elana Stein Hain and David Bryfman explore the complex and often misunderstood idea of Jewish peoplehood, and how to navigate responsibi...
How to Light the Inner Spark of Today’s Jewish Learners
This week on Adapting, David sits down with Rabbi Mark Wildes, the founder of Manhattan Jewish Experience. Together, the pair explore what it really means to inspire Jewish connection in ...
Meet Our New Co-Host: Dr. Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath
In the first episode with Dr. Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath as our new alternating co-host, Samantha shares the true purpose of Jewish education: to help foster pride, joy, and connection, rather than building identity around fear or hate.
Welcome Home: The Complexity of Hope
This morning, we received joyous news that all 20 living hostages are back home. At the same time, we’re awaiting the return of the bodies of the remaining hostages. So, as a community, how are we supposed to feel? As Jewish educators, how do w...
Two Years Later: A Message to Jewish Educators (and Their Supporters/Champions)
Two years after October 7th, CEO David Bryfman delivers an unscripted, deeply personal message to Jewish educators who have carried impossible burdens through unimaginable circumstances. This isn't a typical Adapting episod...