Resources for Educational Leaders: Coronavirus and Your Congregation

Boy wearing headphones and looking over his shoulder from a desk with a computer

Editor's Note: This roundup, intended for K-12 educators, is part of a series of pieces that curates coronavirus response resources for specific congregational roles. Additional pieces in this series are available for clergy, presidents, executive director and temple administrators, and ECE center directors and educators.

As the spread of COVID-19 significantly alters how we gather, learn and connect, it’s safe to say that this is not how educational leaders, directors, clergy, faculty or madrichim imagined Jewish learning would be happening today.

Jewish educational leaders always rely on parents as partners, but during this unprecedented time when families are together at home, our collaboration as co-educators is critical.

The resources below have been created and curated to support professionals, lay leaders, parents and learners of all ages to continue their discovery of and strengthen their connection to Jewish life from home as, together, we fulfill our sacred obligations to care for one another.  

1. Expand your skills.

Jewish educational leaders have been gathering virtually to share, learn, and connect about issues we currently face. Recordings of those events are below:

[Webinar] Strategies for Ongoing Jewish Learning in a Time of Coronavirus: Hosted in collaboration with ARJE and HUC-JIR, this session provides helpful principles and advice from experts.  
[Webinar] Responding to Coronavirus through Digital Engagement: This webinar from the Jewish Education Project provides best principles of building community online while meeting your content goals in this time of uncertainty. 
[Webinar] Adult Education, Small Group Gatherings, Experiential Learning for Adults in an Online Setting: This session includes advice about virtual learning strategies, tools, and tricks for virtually engaging adults.
[Webinar] Zoom Training for Clergy, Educators, and Lay Leaders: Zoom is a flexible and powerful tool for virtual meetings that can help you maintain social connections even as you’re practicing physical distancing. Watch this tutorial on how to Zoom, with a particular focus on the needs of congregational clergy, educators, and lay leaders. 
[Webinar] Educational Leaders - Reflections on Virtual Learning: A collaboration of URJ, ARJE and ECE-RJ, this webinar highlighted three educational leaders' perspectives on what they have been doing and learning during the first weeks of virtual learning, and what they are planning next.

Additionally, this resource could be extremely helpful:

"Adult Education, Small Group Gatherings, & Experiential Learning for Adults in an Online Setting: A Guide for Jewish Communities": This universal, comprehensive resource, created by the URJ, HUC-JIR, ARJE, and PEP-RJ, focuses on the “how” and “why” of streaming. It includes creative and relational advice, as well as technical advice and support.

2. Assess possible scenarios.

While you may not know with certainty what is about to happen, it is still possible to plan for different scenarios that may arise. We recently hosted a call on scenario planning for educational leaders and shared resources that can be helpful at this time.

3. Connect with other Reform Movement leaders. 

Access ARJE Covid-19 Resources, then join the discussion and access resources shared with and by congregational leaders in The Tent.

Search #CoronaLearning or #CoronaEducation for discussion threads, tools and resources for this unusual time. 
For all resources and conversations related to coronavirus in The Tent, search for #Coronavirus.

4. Browse the full list of URJ resources on coronavirus response.  

Looking for something more specific or want to review everything we have? Check out “How Reform Congregations are Coping with COVID-19 (and Tools to Help),” which is being regularly updated with new resources.   

5. Lean on Reform Jewish learning and engagement resources.

You can share this content with your families to inspire them to learn and practice Judaism together from home. Include links in your weekly email and on social media; encourage teaching faculty to look to this content for ideas.

ReformJudaism.org Resources: This list highlights ReformJudaism.org’s best content to help families talk about important issues through a Jewish lens and do Jewishly themed activities at home.
Playlists from ReformJudaism.org: These curated Spotify lists are organized by holidays and themes, such as “Hope and Healing,” Shabbat, and Passover.
Stories We Tell Podcast: Nearly 140 Jewish stories and transcripts are available; each episode ends with a question for further discussion.
Videos from BimBam: Use digital storytelling to spark connections to Judaism for learners of all ages.
Videos and Discussions Guides from Shaboom!: This animated web series teaches Jewish values through magic, comedy, and songs.

One of the strengths of our Reform Movement is our ability to mobilize and support each other. These resources, tools, ideas, and networks are designed to do just that, to activate and guide Jewish educational leaders, professionals, and parents as we all strive to do our best work in this most difficult of times.

Have something to say about this post? Join the conversation in The Tent, the communications and collaboration platform for congregational leaders of the Reform Movement. You can also tweet us or tell us how you feel on Facebook.

About the Author

Lisa Langer, RJE

Lisa Langer, RJE (she/her) is an Associate Director of Congregational Innovation and Education at the URJ and is a Clinical Faculty Mentor for the Executive M.A. program in Jewish Education at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She has been a leader, practitioner, mentor and consultant in the field of Jewish educational change and innovation for nearly 30 years. Her experience spans all spaces where Jewish learning thrives, including congregations, camps, central agencies, day schools and homes.

Lisa is a graduate of HUC-JIR and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Menlo Park, CA.

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