A Major Shift No Minor Lift

The Jewish Education Project Productions is
making a documentary
A Major Shift/No Minor Lift:
Jewish Learning for the Whole Person

This new and important film will be screened in May at the City Winery in New York City.

A Major Shift/No Minor Lift features

Dr. David Bryfman, The Jewish Education Project, expertise: youth and technology
Dr. Bethamie Horowitz, New York University, Professor, expertise: Jewish identity
Dr. Jeff Kress, The Jewish Theological Seminary,Chair and Professor of Education, expertise: the well being of children and education
And
The Coalition of Innovating Congregations: vivid images of the new Jewish learning experience. Film from close to 15 congregations' new high impact models. (a joint video project of The Experiment in Congregational Education, The Jewish Education Project and the Leadership Institute)

Filmed and Edited by Israeli Film Maker Aylam Orian


The Major Shift
Here is the research:
Our work is not to fill an empty vessel/ not to implant Jewish software in a person
Our work is to nurture the whole of a person, to accompany them, to acknowledge their passions, their questions and their unique self

You can't separate the Jewish identity journey thing, from the human life journey thing..
We have a different kind of task...that's a major shift. It is no longer about giving knowledge but enabling folks to access knowledge and construct their own meaning.

No Minor Lift
It's a lot of work to shift from teaching about Judaism to nurturing the whole of a person.

The researchers tell us not surprisingly..you can't learn to live, to develop attitudes and grow with a strong sense of self in a classroom alone.

So it is heavy lifting
to stop protecting what always was my teachers always, we always did this program, we all set up the chairs this way. It is hard work instead to focus on:

• building caring knowing relationships,
• Speaking to children's questions/passions;
• Enabling folks to experience and reflect to make their own meaning
• Engaging the family

• Giving a child as he grows his own choice/agency

Exciting Debut of this Documentary.
Once released it will be posted on our website or others to view.

I'm ready to lift my glass at the debut held in the the Winery and say
L'chaim