The Reconstructionist Education Database goes live March 25, a flick-of-the-digital-switch that will be a boon to educators and learning across the Reconstructionist movement. Hosting troves of curricula in one, searchable spot will not only save educators time but make teaching more effective. Another expected result: more children and adults will understand the basics of Reconstructionist Judaism.
More than a year in the making, the database houses curricula, age-appropriate classroom activities and informational content geared for educators. The range of subjects include the basics of Reconstructionism, Jewish holidays and life cycles.
There’s also a unit on the World Zionist Congress. (Reconstructing Judaism is proud to endorse the Hatikvah slate. Learn more here and vote here Mar 10-May 4.)
More such educational units are on the way, including one focusing on Jewish cuisine from around the globe.
While the database — which will be housed on ReconstructingJudaism.org — contains hundreds of pages of new content, educators can fine-tune searches to find exactly what they need. Materials are free to Reconstructionist education directors, classroom teachers and rabbis while some will be accessible to the general public.
Education directors will receive an email inviting them to register. Rabbis seeking access should email edsupport@reconstructingjudaism.org. The database’s direct link, not live until March 25, is edu.reconstructingjudaism.org.
This digital resource, part of the Wenger-Markowitz Family Education Initiative, resulted from a $1 million gift from Ruth Wenger and Jonathan Markowitz, members of Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Ill. Rabbi Lily Solochek (they/them), RRC ‘20, was brought on to direct the project, under Reconstructing Judaism’s Thriving Communities department.
Justin Rosen Smolen, vice president for Thriving Communities, said that the wider movement is “immensely grateful for the generosity and vision of Ruth Wenger and Jonathan Markowitz, who have made an unprecedented investment in Reconstructionist Jewish education through this exciting initiative.”
“Educators can access, and contribute to, a curated selection of Reconstructionist-aligned resources to use in their congregations,” added Smolen.
“I asked, ‘what do people have? What are people really looking for updated content on? What is really missing from people’s education libraries?” recalled Solochek.
In addition to creating new curriculums, Solochek also learned what different communities had already done and could be shared.
“One hope with this piece is that teachers who are feeling like they would personally like more information about what is Reconstructionist Judaism can find really easy answers without having to read through our entire website,” they said.
Some of the materials Solochek has produced have already been distributed and used by Reconstructionist educators, who have responded positively to the quality, values alignment and the relevance.
Jessica Bram, director of congregational learning at University Synagogue in southern California, recently utilized Solochek’s curricula to prepare and teach an adult education course on Reconstructionism. Additionally, she has shared with the teachers she supervises, most of whom do not come from a Reconstructionist background. The religious school also adapted an arts and culture unit to create a Purim activity for children.
Bram thinks the database will be a gamechanger for University Synagogue and other communities.
“I’m really excited to be able to give my teachers a usable tool that I feel comfortable with them picking anything from it,” said Bram. “What they’re doing is a true gift and fulfilling a need.”
“It’s going to save summer planning a lot, a lot of hours of writing my own curricula,” she said. “And it’s definitely an amazing starting place for us in terms of deciding what are the big topics that we want to tackle and giving teachers the resources to be successful.”
