Jewish Education Innovation Challenge - JEIC

03/26/2026

Wishing everyone a meaningful and peaceful Passover.

02/04/2026

The latest "DEEP Dive E-Journal" from The Deep Consortium features thought leadership from Rebecca Ostro Nagata and Ayala Rachel Raice at SAR Academy, Audi Hecht at Civic Spirit , and Naomi Eisenberger and Julie Fisher at The Good People Fund.

They examine how to teach students what it means to be a Jewish citizen in America today, explore the intersection of civic and Jewish values, and evaluate the impact of authentic educational partnerships through the lens of SAR Academy’s partnership with Civic Spirit.

Learn from these outstanding educators and leaders about building community, fostering agency, and shaping the next generation of changemakers here: https://bit.ly/45RqLyy

01/19/2026

Leadership from the Mayberg Foundation, The Zalik Foundation, and Jewish Education Innovation Challenge recently brought together Jewish day school leaders, funders, and influencers from across Atlanta’s denominational spectrum to focus on strengthening Jewish day school education. By sharing personal stories and bold ideas, the group highlighted how much more is possible when schools work together—not just for enrollment, but for inspiring a deeper, more lasting Jewish identity.

This spirit of collaboration is paving the way for the JEIC’s 2026 Innovators Retreat in Atlanta this April, where Jewish day school educators, leaders and funders will explore the future of Jewish day school learning at the intersection of Torah, teaching, and technology.

Read more about this evening's discussions here: https://bit.ly/4bFC5kQ

Special thanks to Sara and Ross Kogon for hosting this important evening!

Lay leaders and funders from Atlanta’s Jewish day schools gathered at an event hosted by Manette and Louis Mayberg and Helen and David Zalik at Sara and Ross Kogon’s home. The evening fostered connections and shared visions for strengthening Jewish education in Atlanta across the denominational ...

01/09/2026

How will AI reshape the way Jewish values and texts are taught?

This JTA article highlights Jewish day schools across North America that are thoughtfully bringing AI into Judaic studies classrooms, and JEIC’s upcoming 2026 Innovators Retreat in Atlanta, where educators will explore how AI can support, rather than overshadow, core Jewish values in the classroom.

The Jewish Leadership Academy ICJA JCDS, Boston's Jewish Community Day School Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School Berman Hebrew Academy

Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gEqz5qmu

12/18/2025

ICYMI - the last issue of the DEEP Consortium's DEEP Dive e-journal focused on the partnership between the Mandel Teacher Educator Institute MTEI and the Solomon Schechter Day School of Metropolitan Chicago. In particular, the articles show how the High Quality Professional Development (HQPD) of transformative sustained MTEI learning impacts educational leaders, teachers, school culture, and students.

Take a first look at the journal >> https://deepconsortium.org/deep-dive-e-journal-fall-25/

Big news: MTEI is the featured program in The DEEP Consortium’s Fall 2025 Deep Dive e-journal — a major recognition of our 30 years cultivating Jewish educational leaders. As we head into Thanksgiving, we’re feeling especially grateful for the graduates and faculty whose work is at the heart of this feature.

The spotlight on the Solomon Schechter Day School of Metropolitan Chicago team, in particular, shows just how transformative sustained MTEI learning can be for educational leaders, teachers, school culture, and students. Their leadership — and the ways they’ve brought MTEI principles into their schools — is what makes this recognition possible.

Stay tuned: over the next several weeks, we’ll be sharing highlights from the issue.

Thank you to our extraordinary MTEI community for all you do. Wishing you a warm and meaningful Thanksgiving.

Take a first look at the journal >> https://deepconsortium.org/deep-dive-e-journal-fall-25/

11/13/2025

How do we make Jewish learning truly meaningful in an age of endless information?

Zev Eleff, president of Gratz College, explores the urgent need to deepen Jewish content and literacy in a digital world overflowing with information. His new blog post highlights both the historical roots and the innovative future of Jewish learning—including Gratz College’s new Grayzel Digital Platform.

Read more and see the Grayzel Digital Platform in action: https://bit.ly/3JmKOgl

11/11/2025

It was wonderful to work with KadimaCoaching to bring ideas for God-Centered and Student-Centered learning to the devoted faculties of Seattle day schools as a follow up to our Innovators Retreat last spring. Thank you to the Samis Foundation and the Mayberg Foundation for supporting the ongoing professional development over this coming year.

11/03/2025

JEIC Managing Director Sharon Freundel reflects on nearly five decades shaping Jewish learning and mentoring generations of students and teachers through personalized, transformative approaches in this Washington Jewish Week profile. Her story highlights her enduring impact, and her ongoing leadership and volunteerism in the Greater Washington Jewish community.

Sharon Freundel’s eyes light up when she talks about Jewish education and her former students. After all, she said, “once a student of hers, always a student.”

10/23/2025

What does it mean to be a "religious Jew" today? In her latest EJewish Philanthropy op-ed, JEIC Managing Director Sharon Freundel explores how God-centered learning can help Jewish students and communities find meaning beyond ritual — and why every authentic Jewish path deserves recognition.

Reading about Rabbi Ethan Daniel Davidson and his journey toward ordination was truly heartening (“Musician, author and philanthropist Ethan Daniel Davidson adds rabbi to his many hats,” eJewishPhilanthropy, Sept. 17). His odyssey, as he says, reads like a comic book. Denied a Jewish day school ...

10/20/2025

What makes a great Jewish school leader?

Not quick fixes or surface-level influencers, but vision, patience, and purpose.

In "Why Leadership in Jewish Day Schools Matters Now More Than Ever," Jason Ablin of Jewish School Leadership Enterprise (JSLE) shares inspiring stories of school heads and boards who are shaping Jewish education for the next generation.

See how JSLE is cultivating these “quiet influencers”—leaders whose impact will echo for years to come:

Leadership in Jewish day schools doesn’t just shape schools—it quietly transforms families, inspires community leaders, and safeguards the Jewish future. In a world of easy fixes and shallow influencers, real educational leadership takes time, vision, and steadfast support. Jason Ablin, director...

10/16/2025

In her recent piece for The Atlantic, Sarah Hurwitz says, "...it’s hard to fight Jew hatred when you don’t really know what being a Jew means."

That's why JEIC wholeheartedly supports Jewish day schools, one of the best conduits for helping students develop into knowledgeable, committed Jews. We applaud Sarah's odyssey and we encourage parents to begin their children's Jewish journeys when they're young.

“I’m just a cultural Jew,” I would tell people, knowing nothing about Jewish culture.

09/18/2025

Oren Kaunfer’s creative leap from MTV to JCDS, Boston's Jewish Community Day School classrooms showcases how fresh perspectives can reinvigorate Jewish education. The Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC), together with partners such as the Mayberg Foundation, Prizmah:CJDS, and Touro University, is working to strengthen the Jewish teacher pipeline through new fellowships, innovative pilot programs, and exclusive benefit programs.

Working at MTV is not typical training for a Jewish day school teacher. But Oren Kaunfer is no ordinary Jewish teacher. The New England native had a successful career in television before deciding he wanted a more meaningful job. Kaunfer, the son of a prominent Conservative rabbi from Providence, Rh...