CAJE Conference Draws
Local Hebrew Teachers

AMY J. MEHLER

Staff Writer

J

udy Loebl hasn't
decided which
havayah, special ex-
perience, she'll pick at next
week's 16th annual CAJE
conference.
It could be a nostalgic trip
to Ellis Island and the
Statue of Liberty; a peek in-
side Jewish museums; a visit
to Chasidic Crown Heights;
or a tour of Yeshiva Univer-
sity's museum exhibit mark-
ing the 500th anniversary of
the expulsion of Jews from
Spain.
These are some of the 20
havayot experiences that at-
tendees at the Coalition for
the Advancement of Jewish
Education will choose from
when they convene Aug. 18-
22 at Hofstra University in
Hempstead, N.Y.
This is the first CAJE con-
ference for Mrs. Loebl, the
new director of the Agency
for Jewish Education's
Community Jewish High
School. She replaces Rabbi
Bruce Aft, who is leaving for
a pulpit in Washington, D.C.
Mrs. Loebl, director of spe-
cial programming at AJE's
Resource Center, is presen-
ting two papers at the con-
ference.
The first, which she'll pre-
sent along with Sivan Maas,
the community shlichah,
emissary from Israel, deals
with the perceptions Ameri-
can Jewish children and
their parents have about
Israel. Developed as a pilot
program by the Agency for
Jewish Education, the pro-
ject teaches how Jewish
holidays are observed in the
United States and in Israel.
"When we learn about Tu
B'Shevat, we learn about the
geography of Israel," Mrs.
Loebl said. "When we teach
about Purim, the children
learn about ancient and
modern day heroes and
heroines of Israel."
The CHAI project, Chil-
dren and Adults Studying
about Israel, is a five-part
program which has been
adopted by Adat Shalom
Synagogue.
The second is a three-hour
presentation on anti-
Semitism. Created by Rabbi
Aft as part of United Hebrew
Schools' Family Living
Room Series, the program,
which comes with a video
tape and handouts, en-
courages active dialogue
between children and
parents.

Elana Adler, a teacher at
UHS for 23 years, said the
CAJE conference is the best
way for Jewish educators to
learn about programs like
these and how to implement
them at home.
Mrs. Adler, the first repre-
sentative from Detroit to at-
tend a CAJE conference,
said she was so impressed by
what she learned, she press-
ed other LTHS teachers to at-
tend future conferences.
"The best part is being
able to meet teachers from
all over the world, and know
you share the same problems
and triumphs," said Mrs.
Adler. "You're introduced to
the latest teaching methods
and can see what works and
what doesn't."
More than 2,000 people,
from all 50 states and Israel,
the Soviet Union and Latin
America, are expected.
Professionalizing Jewish
education, teacher em-
powerment, addressing po-
litical and communal issues
in curricula, teaching about
Israel and Zionism and fin-
ding a balance between
Judeo ethics and the Ameri-
can way will be explored
during some 1,000
workshops.
Alternative approaches to
Jewish education will be in-
troduced as well. Zugot, from
the Hebrew for pair or twin,
is a concept that allows
Judaic and secular teachers
to share their expertise.
Sessions called Sanhedrin,
named for the rabbinical
court which judged points of
Jewish law before and after
the destruction of the First
and Second Temples, will be
led by attorneys and
halachists. Specific legal
issues vis-a-vis Halachah
will be explored and
debated.
A think tank will examine
papers prepared by scholars.
A. 15-hour open university,
taught by professors, will be
offered for credit. Oppor-
tunities for Torah Lishma,
study for its own sake, will
be increased this year. A
demonstration school will
place master teachers inside
classrooms for observation.
Ella Moscovitz, a teacher
at Hillel Day School, attend-
ed the 13th CAJE conference
at Hebrew University in
Jerusalem.
"The whole idea of CAJE
is to improve yourself, per-
sonally as well as Judaical-
ly," Mrs. Moscovich said.
"We hear what others are
doing, and we get fresh
ideas.

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