"La-bri'ut" and "If Not Now, When?"
The JEC jumped into action in the shadow of the 2020-2021 Covid-19 pandemic to create curriculum adoptable and adaptable by synagogue/part-time educational programsd locally and nationally.
"La-bri'ut: To Our Health and Wellness" provided tools and strategies for building resilience, based on five Jewish values:
- Sukkat Shalom (creating a shelter of peace)
- Ometz Lev (tapping into one's inner strength in the face of big feelings)
- G'vurah (using one's strength and power for good)
- K'hillah (finding and supporting community)
- Hesed (doing acts of audacious kindness).
Information about La-bri'ut is found on a specially designed website and through discussions in a dedicated Facebook group. Rosov Consulting evaluated the program, with the desire to learn what La-bri'ut taught us all about different approaches to Jewish learning and engagement demanded by the realities of the pandemic. The evaluation is here, and permanently parked on the homepage of the La-bri'ut website.
Then, in late Fall 2020, the question was raised, "what is next?" In other words, based on what we had learned from the deep shifts at the time of Covid, what might help us reshape part-time/synagogue Jewish learning and engagement into the future. Indeed, if we did not make shifts now, when might we be able to later? Thus, the "If Not Now, When?" initiative was born. The JEC created:
- A new foundational document called "The Gifting Framework"
- A conception of the roles of teachers and learners that empowered and engaged children in the learning process
- A pilot curriculum called, "The 3 + 3 Project" that brings together the Gifting Framework and new roles for teachers and learners.
Information about "If Not Now, When?" is on its own website and Facebook group.