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Overcast Conference tackles challenges in Jewish education
Seven hundred people concerned with the future of Jewish education joined dozens of rabbonim, rebbetzins, educators and community leaders at the second annual Five Towns Community Education Conference, at the Young Israel of Woodmere on Sunday, June 28.
Simultaneously, a similar event was drawing 500 people to Congregation B’nai Yeshurun in Teaneck. Many of the same speakers shuttled between the venues and presented at both events. The 85-year-old keynote speaker, Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, opened the conference in Woodmere and closed the one in New Jersey.
The events’ organizer, Rabbi Reuven Taragin, was cheered by the size of the turnout — an increase from 500 in Woodmere last year — and by the passion and enthusiasm of participants.
Thirty presenters addressed a wide range of topics that included challenges in classrooms from pre-school and up, opportunities and issues faced during a year in Israel, the impact of the Internet, parent-child interactions, tefillah, and more.
Each session ran for 30 minutes — TED Talk style — and thus was concise and to the point, Rabbi Taragin said. Participants found that they wanted to hear from more speakers than they had time for — six sessions ran concurrently — with the lineup featuring people who are tops in their fields, he said.
In his session, Rabbi Taragin emphasized the need to individualize Torah instruction, and to adopt a loving approach.
“Kiruv rooted in ahavah is the educational philosophy we’re talking about here,” he said. “Not kiruv because you believe in the ideology, but kiruv because you love people — and if you love people you want them to live in the best possible way, and you believe that that’s Torah.”
Since G-d created each person with a unique neshama, educators must work with students “based on who they are so they can become the people they are meant to be.”
He said that Rav Kook wrote that each student understands a Torah that’s unique to them and that “our goal is to help each person find their letter in the Torah.”
