MORE interested in spirituality / LESS interested in organizations and institutions. LESS willing to follow instruction from rabbis and other authorities / MORE inclined to construct their own Jewish meaning, experiences, connections. 

(description of American Jews in the ground-breaking book, The Jew Within, and in subsequent studies)

The challenge for 21st century educators is to create authentic and high quality Jewish learning that accommodates the needs of the post-modern American Jew. It is a primary task for us here at Jewish LearningWorks.

Three years ago, we began to sow the seeds of educational practice to respond to that challenge.  We are seeing the fruits of that labor in a number of successful new educational ventures and partnerships:

• Read last month's J Weekly cover story on how we partner with synagogues and schools to reach young families through new programs like Kesher and Shalom Explorers...
• Our Special Needs program has evolved into a full-blown campaign to make our community more welcoming and inclusive for all learners - as Proverbs says, "teach each child according to their way..." click here for a window into this work...
• Our Embodied Jewish Learning & Jewish Wellness initiative are helping educators and JCCs connect a new generation to Jewish learning using Yoga, dance and other non-traditional pedagogies. Read more here...
• Through One Bay One Book, which involved more than 1,000 readers discussing the same book, and other outreach, the Jewish Community Library is connecting "the People of the Book" to Jewish literacy outside its walls...
• Last month, in collaboration with the Oshman Family JCC, we hosted a re-imagined Feast of Jewish Learning. Formerly an adult learning event, Feast 2.0 added family components in addition to the incredible adult learning our community has come to know and love and I'm delighted to say, the day was enriched.  There were classes on Talmud, and classes on Jewish ethics. There were art exhibits and crafts projects. We had Yoga and Yiddish dancing. And for the kids, a puppet show, mime... we even had a bounce house. We also had sessions on fair access to food, gender identity and helping interfaith families thrive.
• More families are taking advantage of our ever-growing Do-it-Yourself resources to "do Jewish" at home or with friends.

One size does not fit all, when it comes to Jewish life and learning; it never did. As J Weekly captured it - We Jews come in many shapes and sizes. "Do we say, 'Here's the square hole you have to fit into? Or do we want to create as many different shapes as there are pegs, so there's a place for everyone?"  

If you are reading this letter, it may mean that you've found your place. Or perhaps you feel that you are on the fringe and you seek a way in (Don't fret, even those who appear to be "in the center" often feel themselves on the fringe in some way. Spoiler alert: there is no "center" - rather, a network of individuals, families, groups, and institutions that comprise a diverse and evolving "Jewish people." The "center" can be wherever you happen to find yourself in that beautiful tapestry).

Through film, lecture, yoga, art, text study, literature, or a conversation over a cup of coffee, we hope one of our offerings strikes your fancy. And we remain hopeful that the work we do behind the scenes in schools and with institutions helps you and others connect to what you are looking for.

If it doesn't - please let us know. We're all ears.