WASHINGTON, May 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC) will feature presentations from four 2014 grant finalists at its annual Innovators Retreat on May 22 in Miami Beach, Florida. JEIC is a program that rewards innovators in Jewish education who challenge and improve the way core curriculum and foundational thinking of the religion is transferred to the next generation. JEIC managing director, Rabbi Shmuel Feld explains, "Through our grants we seek to disrupt complacency. We track and evaluate each project closely, with the ultimate goal of finding scalable solutions that will drive Jewish education forward."
The JEIC grant program provides grants of up to $50,000 to winning applicants to further develop and test their proposal. The first two JEIC grants were awarded in 2013. This year's event will feature progress reports from last year's grantees in addition to the presentations from this year's finalists. One or more new grantees will be selected to pursue their vision for a groundbreaking pilot project for Jewish day schools.
The 2014 grant finalists are:
Brauser Maimonides Academy, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. – "HTML – Holistic Torah and Mesorah Literacy"
Oakland Hebrew Day School, Oakland, Calif. – "Workshop Based Beit Midrash"
The Binah School, Sharon, Mass. – "The Binah School's Digital Access Project"
Weinbaum Yeshiva High School, Boca Raton, Fla. – "The Test-Free Torah Classroom"
"Several schools have put forth rather bold ideas – we look forward to engaging presentations and lively discussions," Rabbi Feld said. "We seek revolutionary approaches, but to secure funding a project must have the potential to be scalable and accountable. We are working towards real, practical solutions."
A distinguished panel will evaluate the grant presentations, but feedback and input is encouraged from all retreat attendees. Panelists include Dr. Shani Bechoffer, Rabbi Joshua Lookstein, Rabbi Dr. Shmuel Mandelman, and the event's keynote speaker, Rabbi Dr. Berel Wein.
Attendance at the Innovators Retreat is by invitation only, but Rabbi Wein's keynote speech, "Jews, Education, and the Way Forward" will be live streamed on the organization's website, JewishChallenge.org, at 12:15pm on May 22. Additional photos, videos and updates on the 2014 grant awards will be available on the site in the weeks following the event.
About the Mayberg Family Charitable Foundation
The Mayberg Family Charitable Foundation is a grantmaking family foundation with particular interests in Jewish outreach and Jewish education. Trustees Louis and Manette Mayberg serve on a variety of boards and are deeply involved in many issues and initiatives impacting the future of the Jewish people.
Contact:
David Cyphers
410-280-5451
Email