The heart of Jewish education, it seems, is the study of the Jewish textual tradition, or what insiders call “learning Torah.” There are good reasons to think about Jewish education that way. But there are also some reasons to question that assumption, based on the history of Jewish textuality and the history of Jewish culture. In this session, Jon A. Levisohn discusses a recent book chapter, where he argues that we need to think more broadly about how and why Jewish education helps young people engage with a wide range of Jewish cultural practices.

Originally recorded: 2/26/26

At the Mandel Center, we are committed to advancing the field of Jewish educational scholarship, especially scholarship on teaching and learning, in order to make a deep and lasting difference on the lives of learners and the vibrancy of the Jewish community. That’s our mission.

To learn more about the Mandel Center, and sign up to attend upcoming virtual and physical events, visit our website.

Learning About Learning is a production of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education at Brandeis University, and is engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media LLC.

In this session, we explore insights into how Israel educators from Jewish high schools across the denominational spectrum approach teaching modern Israel in response to the "you never told me" phenomenon: graduates expressing disillusionment that criticisms of Israel were not covered in their high school education. Benji Davis discusses his recent study and share how educators intentionally incorporate both Zionist and Palestinian perspectives to deepen students' Jewish identification with Israel and the Jewish people, while preparing them to engage in conversations about Israel on campus.

Originally recorded: 1/15/26

At the Mandel Center, we are committed to advancing the field of Jewish educational scholarship, especially scholarship on teaching and learning, in order to make a deep and lasting difference on the lives of learners and the vibrancy of the Jewish community. That’s our mission.

To learn more about the Mandel Center, and sign up to attend upcoming virtual and physical events, visit our website.

Learning About Learning is a production of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education at Brandeis University, and is engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media LLC.

What does the latest research in teaching and learning in Jewish day schools reveal about what’s going on in classrooms today? For this webinar, respondents Daniel Held (UJA Federation of Greater Toronto), Amanda Pogany (Luria Academy of Brooklyn), and Tali Zelkowicz (The Wexner Foundation) brought their questions to Teaching and Learning in Jewish Day Schools, a new publication focused on presenting a better understanding of how day schools are educating diverse Jewish youth in a variety of content areas. In a generous and generative conversation with Ziva Hassenfeld and Jon Levisohn, they shared some of their learnings with us.

Teaching and Learning in Jewish Day Schools is available for purchase and published in the Mandel-Brandeis Series in Jewish Education by Brandeis University Press.

Originally recorded: 12/11/25

At the Mandel Center, we are committed to advancing the field of Jewish educational scholarship, especially scholarship on teaching and learning, in order to make a deep and lasting difference on the lives of learners and the vibrancy of the Jewish community. That’s our mission.

To learn more about the Mandel Center, and sign up to attend upcoming virtual and physical events, visit our website.

Learning About Learning is a production of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education at Brandeis University, and is engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media LLC.