Innovation Garden
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Dear Educator, It was in a cave that Plato laid out the vision behind his philosophy and also in a cave that Shimon Bar Yohai began to create the great text of mystical tradition, the Zohar. The cave here is the prozdor (corridor) leading you to our 21st-Century Kaplanian Innovation Garden. We invite you to…
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Primary Contact – Rabbi Shira Stutman sstutman@gmail.com https://chutzpod.com/home We invite you to listen to our podcast.Chutzpod! Chutzpod! is a spiritual, educational, and joyous podcast designed for non-religious Jews and spiritual seekers of all types, and one of the most successful Jewish podcasts in the world. Each episode of this weekly podcast explores a different spiritual…
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Primary Contact: Liora Ostroffliora@newsynagogueproject.org New Synagogue Project This curriculum will allow Jewish educators to enrich their arts curricula, teach Jewish history in accessible and age appropriate ways, and seamlessly integrate antiracist learning standards with Jewish learning standards. The first iteration of this project (which is to be continued and expanded) was a unit on menorahs…
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Primary Contact – Sarra Lev sarralev@gmail.com A Talmud Learning AppFor a demonstration, please see our video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrdgTKtX3GY. The talmud is a text that spans generations and was composed by groups of individuals through those generations (and not by a single author). It is, therefore, a living document that demonstrates and embodies both Kaplan’s philosophy that…
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Dr. Miriam Heller Stern is Vice Provost for Educational Strategy, National Director of the School of Education and Associate Professor at HUC-JIR. She is passionate about empowering Jewish educational leaders and teachers to engage in their work intentionally, skillfully and creatively. She is the founder of Beit HaYotzer/the Creativity Braintrust, an initiative based at HUC-JIR…
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Primary Contact: Pam Sommerspam.sommers@adatshalom.netAdat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation Though it’s impossible to thoroughly simulate what it’s like to worry about where your next meal is coming from, or where you will sleep at night, the Tikkun Ha’Ir Immersive Project in Hunger and Homelessness seeks to have its participants experience, as well as examine and discuss these…
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Primary Contact: Eliana Lighteliana@elianalight.com Welcome to The Light Lab: Transformative T’fillah, Together Our mission is to make Jewish liturgy and prayer practice accessible and meaningful to all seekers. Through our gatherings, programs, podcast, and collaborations, we unlock the transformative power of tefillah to strengthen our spiritual cores and revitalize our communities. We envision a future…
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Primary Contact: Eric Schulmillercantoreric@rsns.orghttps://rsns.org/ The inspiration for this project began when our congregation undertook a capital campaign to raise money to renovate and refurbish our sanctuary and adjacent spaces. Our community placed a high value on creating spaces which would engender participation and belonging, and to that end, one of the additional rooms that was…
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Primary Contacts:Jeffrey Goldjeffreywgold51@gmail.com Devorah Jacobsondevorahjacobson18@gmail.com PDF of Stolen Beam In what ways is the Stolen Beam “Kaplanian in spirit?” Working for social justice was an essential part of Kaplan’s vision. “The Jewish religion,” he wrote, “should articulate and urge upon us those values which would impel us to utilize our abilities and our opportunities both…
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Primary Contact: Dvir Cahanatheameninstitute@gmail.comjewishcreativity.org Creativity is a Jewish value. Viewing ancient ideas through new perspectives is a crucial aspect of the Jewish experience. As Jews, when we enter the millennia-long discourse on the Jewish tradition, we gain a sense of ownership over our identities. Historically, however, the people who have been given the power to…