TAP Teens and Adult Educators Learn “Positive Practices” Together
By Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, Director, Whole Community Inclusion / “We wish we could get the same training that our TAP teens receive!” This is feedback that I’ve heard over the years from the teachers and education directors who have teens participating in Jewish Learning Venture’s Reta Emerson Fellowship/Teen Assistant Program (TAP).
Special Needs Consortium Moving Forward
By Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, Director, Whole Community Inclusion / On Wednesday, October 22nd, the Jewish Special Needs Consortium of Greater Philadelphia met at Jewish Learning Venture. The Consortium is comprised of professionals from agencies and lay leaders from synagogues who meet regularly to set goals to educate and guide the Jewish community about inclusion.
If You Build It, They Will Come
By Jaime Bassman, Consultant, Whole Community Inclusion / Back in the 1980’s, after the movie “Field of Dreams” was released, I heard a particular line from the film that was frequently quoted (and often misquoted): “If you build it, he will come.” When the Pew Study, A Portrait of Jewish Americans, was released in the fall of 2013 (and the hand wringing over the future of American Judaism began anew), it spurred many organizations to consider how to rebuild their institutions and offer fresh, relevant programming in order to keep Jews in the fold.