Recorded Programs

All of our past online learning programs have been recorded and are available to watch on JWA’s YouTube channel. Follow the links below to view the programs, read presentation notes, and view the materials offered.

#MeToo and Women's Activist History

JWA and Facing History and Ourselves partner to present this program about the #MeToo movement within the larger context of women's activist history.

Girls in Trouble: Women's Agency and Power in the Torah

Guest teacher Alicia Jo Rabins introduces two new study guides from her "Girls in Trouble" curriculum. By exploring the stories of the Sotah, and the daughters of Tzelofchad, participants consider women's agency and power in the Torah.

Ink of our Own: Women Who Scribe

Torah Scribe and Educator Julie Seltzer takes participants on a behind-the-scenes tour of how Torahs are written, and discusses the Jewish law that has long kept women from being scribes.

Story Aperture Online Training

Story Aperture, a new project of the Jewish Women’s Archive, enables people of all ages to collect and share the untold and underrepresented stories of Jewish women through mobile technology.

Education for Social Change: Teaching Young Jewish Leaders

JWA is thrilled to partner with Tali Puterman, winner of the 2017 Natalia Twersky Educator Award, to present themes and teaching methods from her winning lesson, “Henrietta Szold: Learning from the Past to Shape Our Future.”

Cover Art for "Lilith: Demoness or Heroine?"

"Lilith: Demoness or Heroine?" with Alicia Jo Rabins

Join Alicia Jo Rabins: poet, musician, composer, and Jewish educator, as she introduces Girls in Trouble, her new curriculum based on her songs about women in the Bible. Learn about all that this curriculum has to offer and how to use it in your classroom, and participate in some of the activities from Alicia’s lesson about Lilith. Plus, hear Alicia perform her song about Lilith, live!

The First Woman Rabbi: Uncovering the Story of Regina Jonas

Join JWA Rabbinic Intern Sarah Mulhern as she leads participants in a discussion about the little-known story of Regina Jonas: the first woman rabbi, and a Holocaust victim. Learn about the variety of materials and resources that JWA has to offer on this influential figure, and think more broadly about which stories we tell and which we do not, why this is, and what impacts this has on us and our communities.

Hannah Raises Her Voice with Alicia Jo Rabins

Join Alicia Jo Rabins: poet, musician, composer, and Jewish educator, as she introduces Girls in Trouble, her new curriculum based on her songs about women in the Bible. Learn about all that this curriculum has to offer and how to use it in your classroom, and participate in some of the activities from Alicia’s lesson about Hannah. Plus, hear Alicia perform her song about Hannah, live!

Miriam in the Desert with Alicia Jo Rabins

Join Alicia Jo Rabins: poet, musician, composer, and Jewish educator, as she introduces Girls in Trouble, her new curriculum based on her songs about women in the Bible. Learn about all that this curriculum has to offer and how to use it in your classroom, and participate in some of the activities from Alicia’s lesson about Miriam. Plus, hear Alicia perform her song about Miriam, live!

Stop, Look, and Think: The Visual Thinking Strategies Method

Through the use of open-ended discussion questions and a group problem-solving model, the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) method helps students develop visual literacy, as well as their problem solving, deep thinking, and listening skills. Using primary sources from JWA's collection, guest teacher Tamar Rosenfeld-Cohen models how to use the VTS method effectively, and ways in which to adapt and extend it for classroom use.

Barbara Kruger Art Installation at the Australian Center for Contemporary Art

Selling Soap, Smashing Sexism with Rabbi Mike Rothbaum

Learn about the groundbreaking work of Jewish artist Barbara Kruger with 2014 Twersky Award Finalist Rabbi Mike Rothbaum of Oakland, CA. Examine student work and participate in some of the activities from his award-winning lesson entitled “Selling Soap, Smashing Sexism, Seeing Ourselves.” Learn how to create your own original lesson plan for submission to JWA’s Twersky Award.

"Ray Frank: The Jewish Lady Preacher" Article from Israel: The Jewish Magazine

Adapting and Scaffolding Texts for Younger Students with Jonah Hassenfeld

What do you do when you find an amazing letter or article that is too long or too dense for your students? Learn how to modify and excerpt documents, allowing students to access the important ideas within them without losing the voice or intention of the original composition. See examples of modified documents and discuss strategies for introducing them to your students.

Rabbi Deborah Bodin Cohen, 2014 Twersky Award Winner; cropped

Twersky Winner Tells All with Rabbi Deborah Bodin Cohen

Learn about the history of Confirmation through incredible letters and photographs with 2014 Twersky Award Winner Rabbi Deborah Bodin Cohen of Potomac, MD. Participate in some of the activities from her award-winning lesson and learn about how to create your own original lesson plan for submission to JWA’s Twersky Award.

Music and Lyrics: Learning from Songs with Pauli Katz

Letters and articles can be difficult sources for younger students to parse. Yet, songs with melody and lyrics provide rich and multi-layered opportunities that meet students’ diverse learning needs while helping achieve your educational goals. Learn how to guide students through the exploration of musical elements and analysis of lyrics, and get some ideas for how to weave historical music into your lessons about history, holidays, and Jewish values.

Unlocking the Power of Oral History with Etta King

Talking with older relatives and community members about their lives is a great way for students to build practical skills, develop new relationships, and unlock exciting historical stories. Learn how to lead an oral history project with your students, be introduced to JWA’s myriad oral history resources, and brainstorm with colleagues about how to bring inter-generational story sharing into your classroom or community.

Heather Booth and Fannie Lou Hamer, 1964

Freedom Summer 50th Anniversary Celebration (May 2014)

The year 2014 marked the 50th anniversary of Mississippi Freedom Summer. Investigate how community organizing, Jewish values, and moral conviction influenced the lives of Jewish Freedom Summer activists. We will model activities that will teach your students about courage, activism, and Jewish identity using the Living the Legacy curriculum.

Zippy Porath and other American students, 1947

An American Jew in Israel

Teach about Israeli Independence Day (Yom Ha’Atzmaut) through the lively and engaging letters of Zipporah “Zippy” Porath. Through the letters of this young American woman who was studying at Hebrew University in 1947, we will explore the joy and the heartbreak that led up to Israel’s statehood and examine the role that gender played in one woman’s Zionist experience.

Bella Abzug at a New York Press Conference, 1972, by Diana Mara Henry

Queen Esther and Bella Abzug: Costumes, Leadership, and Identity

Throughout history, activists have chosen different costumes and personas as strategic tools to help them stand up against injustice. Examine how the biblical figure Esther and the historical figure Bella Abzug fought for justice and liberation by adopting personas that helped them to achieve their goals. JWA staff will demonstrate ways to use the stories of these women in your classrooms as you prepare for Purim.

Wednesdays in Mississippi: 50th Anniversary Celebration

In 1964, a group of middle class women took on the problem of racism in the American South. Learn about this little known story of women collaborating across geographic, racial, and religious boundaries through documentary clips of Wednesdays in Mississippi activists. Explore the challenges and benefits of creating social change through community coalitions and discuss ways to connect this story to conversations about activism within your own community.

Jews, Music, and the Civil Rights Movement

Music has tremendous power to inspire people and bring people together—in both good times and challenging ones. Learn how music incited social change during the Civil Rights Movement. Discuss the role of music within Judaism and how that compares to how music was used in the primarily Christian context of the Civil Rights Movement. This session includes a brief tutorial on writing your own freedom/protest songs.

Collective Action: Lessons from the Labor Movement

What is the meaning of work? What conditions cause workers to suffer and what inspires them to take action to improve their lives? What can Jewish history teach us about contemporary labor issues and our responsibility towards workers around the world? Watch interactive activities and see an experienced facilitator model investigations of several historical artifacts you can put to use in your classroom.

Freedom Summer 50th Anniversary Celebration

Listen and Tell: Oral History Projects

Learn about tools and techniques that will make oral history projects more engaging for both you and your students. Get oriented to various online resources that will help you collect and share stories in your classroom or community. Finally, explore how oral histories can be used as “Jewish texts” that teach students about Jewish history, identity, and community.

Hanukkah: Ignite and Inspire - Online Learning Program for Jewish Educators

Build connections among Jewish values, trailblazing Jewish women, and the Hanukkah story. This program will provide a new lens for teaching your students about Hanukkah that goes beyond the Maccabees and the candle lighting blessings. JWA staff will model resources and activities that can be put to use as you celebrate the festival of lights.

Kesher School Students Learn About Pauline Newman

Teachers Tell All: Voices from the Field

Learn from a group of hand-picked educators from around the country. Seven teachers share their work and field questions from webinar participants. Presenter bios and Powerpoint presentations are included.

Sharing Stories
Inspiring Change