MCSJE News & Events -I- October 2024

NEWS

Harry S. Levitan Prize for Excellence and Leadership in Education

Mazel tov to MCSJE's Professor Ziva Hassenfeld, winner of the 2024 Harry S. Levitan Prize for Excellence and Leadership in Education at Brandeis University. The Levitan Prize recognizes alumni for leadership in the field of education through teaching, research, or volunteer efforts.

ASA Sociology of Religion 2024 Distinguished Book Award

Congratulations to Professor Ilana Horwitz (Tulane), director of the MCSJE Doctoral Fellows Program. Her book, God, Grades and Graduation: Religion's Surprising Impact on Academic Success, received the 2024 Distinguished Book Award from the Sociology of Religion section of the American Sociological Association.

A New Cohort for the MCSJE Doctoral Fellows Program

Welcome to the members of the fifth cohort of the Doctoral Fellows Program:

Reuven Margrett, Michigan State University 

Emily N. Reich, University of California-Berkeley

Orna Siegel, Jewish Theological Seminary

Yael M. Silverstein, Columbia University, Teachers College

The MCSJE Doctoral Fellows Program provides intellectual and professional support to a small group of current doctoral students in North American and Israeli universities whose research is related to Jewish education.

MCSJE IN THE NEWS

A Challenging Summer for Jewish Camps

In a recent piece for The Conversation, MCSJE faculty member Jonathan Krasner shared his thoughts on the dilemmas facing camp staff during summer 2024.

MCSJE RESEARCH

Translation as a Window into Students' Religious Literacy Practices

In a new article in Religious Education, MCSJE faculty member Ziva Hassenfeld studies how Modern Orthodox youth read and translate the Hebrew Bible refracted through their own cultural and religious expectations.

UPCOMING EVENTS

MCSJE events are free and open to the public. Registration is required.

Learning About Learning: Conversations with Scholars of Jewish Education

How Educators Can Overcome Barriers to Engaging with the Conflict

Dr. Keren Fraiman

Date: Thursday, October 10

Time: 1 - 1:30 ET via Zoom

There is a growing consensus that successful and holistic Israel education demands a sophisticated and nuanced engagement with critical questions within Israel, and in particular, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This feels especially pressing in a post October 7th world. Despite this critical need, many educators continue to express reticence about conflict education. In this session, Keren Fraiman will explore why educators are hesitant to engage in conflict education, highlighting the greatest sources of challenge and a typology of barriers to entry. Importantly, she will share what we can do to support our educators, educational systems, and the community more broadly.

Spotlight on Jewish Education after October 7th

Panelists Jonathan Krasner (Brandeis University), Matt Reingold (TanenbaumCHAT), Amanda Winer (The Jewish Education Project), Sivan Zakai (HUC-JIR) with Jon Levisohn (Brandeis University)

Date: Thursday, October 31

Time: 12 - 1:15pm ET via Zoom

The attack on October 7th, the ensuing war, and the changed environment in the US have all led to questions about how American Jewish educational institutions have responded, and how they should. What do we know about the impact of the last year on schools, synagogues, camps, Israel trips, and other initiatives? How have educators been affected? How have children? What new trends are emerging? In this session, a group of scholars and educational leaders will offer ideas for educators and educational institutions one year into this new environment.

PAST EVENT

Learning About Learning: Conversations with Scholars of Jewish Education

How American Activists Helped Free Soviet Jews

Professor Shaul Kelner

In his recent book, Shaul Kelner recounts the compelling stories of heroism that helped to free Soviet Jews. In this session, he discussed how this activism reached Jewish educational spaces — through bar and bat mitzvah twinning, school field trips to rallies, summer camp programming, and much more — and reshaped the Jewish American experience from the Johnson era through the Reagan-Bush years.

Stay Connected with the Mandel Center

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education is on Facebook and LinkedIn. Stay connected with us and hear about our upcoming events and innovative research by connecting with our pages.

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The Mandel Center offers a robust schedule of events to convene scholars, practitioners, and policy makers to advance thinking, generate new questions and, in some cases, generate new work for future publication. Watch our videos on our YouTube channel or listen to our podcasts on Spotify, Amazon, or Apple.