Synagogue educators attend tech training
Educators from synagogues throughout South Florida recently learned innovative educational tools during their participation in ShalomLearning’s summer training seminar that took place at Orloff Central Agency for Jewish Education of Broward County.
ShalomLearning is an organization whose approach blends faceto-face classroom learning with online, technology-based learning in synagogue settings. Founded in 2011, its aim is evolving educational needs of today’s Jewish community in a way that is engaging, relevant, affordable and accessible.
The training seminar that Orloff CAJE in Davie hosted, in partnership with the Lorraine & Jack N. Friedman Commission for Jewish Education of the Palm Beaches, trained educational directors and teachers in synagogue education programs from both Florida and other parts of North America to implement ShalomLearning’s program and approach.
Lynne Lieberman, the Friedman CJE’s senior director, said that children in the community can receive high-quality afterschool Jewish education regardless of their extracurricular activities.
“We look forward to our inhouse technology integration educator collaborating with the synagogue schools in this pilot program to bring this unique type of instruction to students.”
Local synagogue educators that attended the seminar praised ShalomLearning.
Ronit Goldstein, religious school director at Temple Beth Torah Sha’aray Tzedek in Tamarac, said that last year was the first year the synagogue implemented the ShalomLearning Judaica curriculum in its school for students in third through sixth grade.
“The curriculum was very successful,” Goldstein noted. “The material provided allowed teachers to pick and choose the material they would like to teach their class. Students were engaged in an interactive learning and enjoyed logging into the platform, answering the questions. The overall experience of both students and teachers was very positive and the overall feeling was that the curriculum enriched our students’ knowledge.”
Rabbi Melissa Stollman, director of lifelong learning at Congregation Kol Tikvah in Parkland, said “Congregation Kol Tikvah is eager to implement the ShalomLearning’s Jewish value-based curriculum after attending the seminar last week.
The interactive lessons, power point designs and digital systems are helping our religious school’s implementation of reimagining congregational education.”
Other local synagogues represented at the seminar included B’nai Aviv in Weston, Temple Beth Emet in Cooper City, Temple Beth David in Palm Beach Gardens and Temple Beth Am in Jupiter.
Contact Himelfarb at 301-660-3800 or debi@shalomlearning.org or visit shalomlearning.org for more information on the organization.