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Australian Jewish Educators' Conference 2004
Australian Jewish educators demonstrated their commitment to Jewish learning and teaching at the largest gathering of its kind in Australia – the National Biennial Jewish Educators Conference run by the Zionist Federation of Australia.
Over 400 educators gathered at Bialik College in Melbourne for a two-day professional development conference.
Conference vital statistics:
~ 14 streams – such as Engagement with Israel; two Hebrew streams; Beit Midrash; Technology; Early Childhood, Holocaust Studies and Text, to name a few.
~ Over 100 sessions
~ 11 international presenters
~ 40 local presenters
~ over 400 participants from 18 Jewish educational institutions.
Conference participants hailing from Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and New Zealand, came together totting their conference bags and consulting their programmes to determine their lesson choices. Sessions ranged from a demonstration Hebrew lesson with kids brought in to provide a “live’ show; a videoconference on distance learning with acknowledged Jerusalem expert, Rachel Korazim; hands-on lesson on creative prayer - Tefillah Unplugged – to a philosophical debate on the future of Jewish continuity. All in a day’s work.
That took care of the nuts and bolts. The real networking was achieved over morning coffee, during teatime and in the queue for the lunch buffet. It was then that chabad rabbis, orthodox Hebrew teachers, reform history teachers and kindergarten educators exchanged ideas and engaged in discussion and debate. This is sharing and learning – school teachers, heads of department, shlichim, principals and university professionals.
Special guests included Alan Hoffmann, Director General of the Department for Jewish Zionist Education of the Jewish Agency, who fulfilled his role as leader, thinker and visionary, prompting and challenging participants to consider their role and responsibility as Jewish educators and the prospects for Jewish continuity. Another guest was David Breakstone, head of the Department for Zionist Activity of the World Zionist organisation, who launched the Australian premiere of the exhibition Herzl – Up Close and Personal.
Lorraine Abraham, Executive Director of the ZFA, said that the ZFA “offers a unique opportunity for educators of all Jewish day schools to merge under ONE roof in order to consider the challenge of Jewish education and to take practical steps for its implementation in the classroom”. She added that the “Zionist Federation is committed to ensuring the ongoing connection between the Australian Jewish community and a dynamic relevant Jewish and Zionist education. This is our insurance policy for a Jewish future.”
The Zionist Federation of Australia – congratulated by participants and presenters alike on the conference success – were applauded for facilitating a gathering of this nature and for putting Jewish and Zionist education firmly on the map in Australia today. |
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