Hilary Lewis Community Wide Faculty Professional Development Day

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KC-area congregational school faculty and joined together for the Hilary Lewis Community Wide Faculty Professional Development Day – a shared day of professional learning and development on Sunday, February 16. The event was held at Congregation Beth Torah. Nearly 45 religious school teachers, specialists and clergy had an opportunity to enrich their Judaic knowledge, improve their practical skills, and strengthen networks among colleagues. This opportunity allowed teachers to gain new ideas and to dedicate time to high-level professional development.

The day-long program began with breakfast and was followed by a visual learner’s Tefilah created by Rabbi Monica Kleinman and Hazzan Tahl Ben Yehuda. Rabbi Jan Katzew, Ph.D. who serves as the Director of the Rabbinical School and Associate Professor of Education and Jewish Thought at Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, OH was this year’s guest facilitator. Rabbi Katzew has extensive experience in designing and developing educational resources for congregational schools, day schools and adult learning communities throughout the world and is the author of popular and scholarly articles in multiple fields. His position as director of service learning at HUC enables him to do what he loves most in Jewish education -“to move from Torah to life and back again.”

Rabbi Katzew facilitated an engaging and interactive morning session that focused on “Love the Learner, Then Love the Learning – building relationships with our learners and creating community in our classrooms. Rabbi Doug Alpert, Congregation Kol Ami and president of the Rabbinical Association welcomed the faculty during lunch with an inspiring message. Marcia Rittmaster former Education Director at Congregation Beth Torah shared a beautiful tribute in memory of the late Hilary Lewis for whom the day is named after.

In her 30 +) years of service to the Kansas City Jewish community, Hilary Lewis filled many roles in Jewish education; teacher/administrator for the Community Religious School and then became the school services director for CAJE, then, an arm of the Jewish Federation and assisted schools/teachers in lesson planning, curriculum development, etc. Her deep love for Judaism, creativity and can-do attitude was an inspiration to all who worked with her – she was often referred to as “a teacher’s teacher.” There is hardly a Jewish institution in Kansas City that she did not touch in some way and we know that Hilary would be honored to know that her legacy lives on.

Rabbi Katzew led teachers through an engaging afternoon session focused on the study and practice of Mussar. The day concluded with a dessert reception. This program was generously funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and sponsored by the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City and area congregation Religious Schools.

Special recognition and thanks were extended to the community Congregation Education Director’s team who has come together to create meaningful and inspiring collaborative community education opportunities such as the annual faculty professional development day. Hazzan Tahl Ben Yehuda, Director of Congregational Learning, Congregation Beth Shalom; Rachel Black, Jewish Religious School Director, Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation; Dayna Gershon, Director of Formal and Informal Education, The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah; Rabbi Monica Kleinman, Director of Lifelong Learning, Congregation Beth Torah; Rachel Macek, Religious School Director, Kehilath Israel Synagogue; Rabbi Beryl Padorr, Congregation Ohev Sholom; Marcia Rittmaster, former Religious School Director, Congregation Beth Torah; Shelley Rissien, Lecturer, Academic Program Associate, KU Judaic Studies Department, and Annette Fish, Rabbinical Association Administrator/Program Director.

Guest Facilitator:

Rabbi Jan Katzew, Ph.D. who serves as the Director of the Rabbinical School and Associate Professor of Education and Jewish Thought at Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, OH was this year’s guest facilitator at this year’s Hilary Lewis Community Wide Faculty Professional Development Day – a shared day of professional learning and development on Sunday, February 16.

More from the Event:
  • The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah Faculty
  • Congregation Ohev Sholom
  • New Reform Temple
  • Congregation Beth Shalom Faculty
  • Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation Beth Torah Faculty