Jul 18, 2023

CAJE Partners With Yerucham Education Pioneer MindCET to Create the Teacherprenuer Initiative

Discovering how technology can inform teaching was a seminal lesson for two staff members from Federation subsidiary the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE), and five Jewish day school educators who spent a week early in July at MindCET in Yerucham as part of the CAJE-MindCET Teacherpreneur Initiative. The Israeli EdTech pioneer MindCET connects entrepreneurship and learning by pairing educators with tech developers to address solutions for education in the digital age. The joint program, funded by the Miami-Yerucham Partnership, was designed to prepare Miami Jewish day school teachers to become “teacherpreneurs,” helping them to embrace entrepreneurship and innovation in learning and inspire their students to do the same. The program, now in its second year, is also intended to equip Jewish day schools with educational advances to better strengthen Jewish identity and peoplehood.

Valerie Mitrani, Director of Day School Professional Development at CAJE, and Julie Lambert, CAJE Senior Educational Consultant, were joined by educators from Hebrew Academy (RASG), Scheck Hillel Community School and The Innovative School of Temple Beth Sholom. The group collaborated with MindCET tech experts to identify and solve educational challenges in their classrooms. 

“The creativity, perseverance and collaboration throughout the five days was palpable,” noted Mitrani. Participants conceived three projects, two of which supported Talmud studies. The third involved integrating Jewish holidays into general studies. For example, counting the Jewish calendar could combine math and Jewish studies for a more wholistic education and an enhanced student experience. “I am very proud of the learning and the projects that each group developed,” added Mitrani. “We are grateful to the Miami-Yerucham Partnership for their support of this program and excited to expand this with other Jewish day school educators.”