From The Education Center Congregation B'nai Israel
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Ira Wise has been Director of Education since 1995. Prior to this, he served Temple Emanu-El in suburban Detroit, MI. Ira has served on the faculty of Eisner Camp, part of the Reform Movement's Northeast Camp Institute in Great Barrington, MA for nine seasons (and he grew up as a camper, staffer and faculty member at Olin Sang Ruby, the movement's camp in Wiscconsin). In addition, Ira teaches at Merkaz, the Community High School for Jewish Studies, and is a regular teacher at the annual Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education and at the Teachers' Kallah of the Westchester-Fairfield Association of Temple Educators.
Ira serves as a mentor for educators enrolled in the Leadership Institute for Congregational School Principals, The Leadership Institute is guided by the vision of the New York School of Education at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) and the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and is fully funded by the UJA-Federation of New York. This historic opportunity enables HUC-JIR and JTS to join together to further the leadership capacity, pedagogic skills and Judaic knowledge of congregational school principals. This program is open to candidates from all denominations in the New York, Long Island, Westchester and the greater metropolitan area extending to New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
Ira has authored several Jewish Educational texts and articles. His titles include: Betman's Book of Hebrew Letters - a Hebrew pre-primer; I Can Learn Torah - a multi-volume translation and read-aloud bed-time Bible for younger children; and Building Jewish Life Shabbat Activity Book - a workbook for first graders. He has contributed to The Madrikhim Handbook - a text for high school students working in Religious School classrooms written by Rabbi Sam Joseph; The Jewish Educational Leader's Handbook - a guide for Directors of Education edited by Robert Tornberg; and Choose Life That You May Live - a Jewish Response to AIDS under the auspices of the Michigan Jewish AIDS Coalition.
He has served as chair of the CAJE college program, which brings students with an interest in becoming involved in Jewish Education to the Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education. He has also served on the mazkiriot (boards) of several CAJE conferences, including this summer's conference at Washington University in St. Louis. During his time in Michigan he served as president of the Jewish Educators Council of Metropolitan Detroit, working with the Agency for Jewish Education to develop programs for teacher development and creating an educational vision for the entire Jewish community.
He received his B.A. in Public Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned his Master of Arts in Jewish Education from the Rhea Hirsch School of Education of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles in 1991. In 1994, the title R.J.E. (Reform Jewish Educator) was conferred upon Ira by the Reform Movement. This professional designation reserved for those who have distinguished themselves through study and service to Reform Jewish Education.
He lives in Fairfield, CT with his wife and two children.
From
The Education Center |
May 2008 |
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“Just the Facts, Ma’am!” |
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Remember when Sgt. Joe Friday would say that to a witness he was questioning? (BTW: Do you remember Jack Webb or Dan Ackroyd?) He was trying to drill down and learn the truth about something. Our Religious School Committee has been spending the winter preparing to do the same thing. We want to know how we are doing. We need your help to find out. Sometime this month, families with religious school-age children will receive a survey in the mail. It should only take about ten minutes to complete. We hope to gather information about a variety of areas that will give us a sense of where you want the school to go next. We will take that data and begin planning for the future. Now that we are done with all of the construction and renovation, it is time to see what we can build inside those spaces and within our students. For those of you who do not receive a survey (because your children are too old, too young, or non-existent, we want to get your opinions as well. We are all part of the village it takes to raise a Jewish child. Click here for a link to our online version hosted by Survey Monkey. And for those who receive the survey but prefer to complete it online, please feel free. And to both better refine and enrich our data, members of the school committee will be calling families with children in various grades for 10 -20 minute phone interview in late May or June. If you receive the call, please be generous with your time and your opinions. Confidentiality will be strictly observed. |
kjjh | Thirteen years ago, I wrote that it was essential for the teachers, the committee and me to actively listen to you and what you feel your children need to become functionally literate Jewish adults. Sometimes people hear what they are told, and sometimes there is nothing to hear. We hope this survey will make sure we are all loud and clear! L’shalom, Ira J. Wise, R.J.E. Looking For Learning In All The Right Places… Please be one of our teachers! We have openings on Sundays (K – 3), Mondays (7 – 8), and Tuesdays/Thursdays (4 – 6) for teachers of either Jewish studies or Hebrew. We can’t do it without you! Please call Ira at 336-1858 or send an e-mail to iwise@congregationbnaiisrael.org for one of the greatest experiences of your life! Really. |
Be a Jewish Hero—Teach in our Religious School! |
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You do not need to have training as a teacher or be a Jewish scholar. You do have to care deeply about transmitting Judaism to the next generation and enjoy spending time with children. Gan – Kitah Gimel (K – 3) meets on 27 Sundays from 9:30 am to noon. Kitot Daled – Vav (4 – 6) meet 57 Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. Kitot Zayin and Chet (7 & 8) meet on Monday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Fluency in Hebrew is only needed in some classes. |
qwert |
YOUNG ADULT ALERT: Is your college graduate coming home for a while? I would love to talk them about joining our faculty! Over the past few years we have been blessed with alumni of our school and our Madrikhim program Let’s go one step further…if you know someone who you suspect might become a good teacher, please let me know. You don’t have to tell them, and if you want, I will keep my source completely anonymous! Call me at 336-1858 or e-mail iwise@congregationbnaiisrael.org. L’shalom, Ira J. Wise, R.J.E., |
Let’s talk about stepping up and being a teacher or substitute in our religious school. By now you know ours is not the kind of school some of us grew up hating. We need you to be part of the team making Jewish learning meaningful and enjoyable for our children. 
returning as teachers. Please let me know if they are Fairfield County bound.
The Life Cycle of a Camp Family | ||
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It often begins with a discussion and a decision. “Do you think we are ready for our son/daughter to go to sleepaway camp? Can we handle it emotionally? (We probably say it as: “Is he/she ready?” but we are pretty sure we are the one’s who are worried, not them.) Once we get to the acceptance stage we need to choose a camp. Here in the Education Center, we promote Eisner and Crane Lake, two wonderful camps sponsored by the Union for Reform Judaism, of which our temple is a member. They have all of the usual stuff—sports, drama, arts and crafts, swimming, boating, hiking, nature, adventure ropes courses, 50’ foot climbing tower and 65’ climbing wall, etc. Both are close to our community – a 90 minute drive for Eisner and another 20 minutes for Crane Lake in the heart of the Berkshires. Go to http://necamps.urjcamps.org/ to get the details on each camp. Unlike other camps, however, our Northeast camps provide an experience of living Judaism. We don’t beat the kids over the head with it. Instead, Jewish values and ideas suffuse every part of the day. I spend two weeks at Eisner along with many other educators, rabbis and cantors. Our role is to serve as teachers and role models. This summer our younger son will be an overnight camper for the first time. Currently in Kitah Bet (2nd grade), he has been waiting for this for five years, since his brother started. | qwert | He (and we) can’t wait. A sibling going to camp is the next stage of the camp family life cycle, which for us will include two weeks at home with no children. As for the next stage, it is the driving stage. Since the end of last summer, we have been driving our older son to Long Island, New Jersey and Albany to help his camp friends celebrate becoming Bar or Bat Mitzvah. I think Boston is on the schedule as well. Last month, a dozen of his camp friends came to us for Ethan’s Bar Mitzvah celebration. We had 18 kids sleeping all over the house that Saturday night! I invite you to make our camps a part of your family’s life cycle. We have forms and videos in the office and will be happy to speak with you about camp. We can connect you with the parents of one of the thirty kids from our congregation who attended camp last summer to hear their thoughts about camp. Oh, and down the road is an exciting phase of the camp family life cycle. My sister met her husband at camp, as did hundreds of other couples I could mention. You never know… L’shalom, Ira J. Wise, R.J.E. |
Dear Rabbi Prosnit and Dr. Schiff:
We
would like to congratulate your congregation for supporting your Director of Education,
Ira Wise, as he has been selected as one of twelve experts in the field to serve
as an educational mentor for the Leadership Institute for Congregational School
Principals.
The Leadership Institute is designed as a two-year certificate program in which 40 New York area principals from all denominations - Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist and Orthodox - will be selected, to develop their leadership capacity in their congregations, to expand their Judaic knowledge and to enhance their pedagogic skills, as they work towards transforming their religious schools into exciting places of Jewish learning. The Leadership Institute is being sponsored by both the Reform and Conservative institutions, Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion and the Jewish Theological Seminary and fully funded by the UJA-Federation of New York.
These mentors will guide the participants through a two-year journey that focuses on three main areas of study: leadership, pedagogy and Judaica. The leadership curriculum will introduce participants to the current research on educational leadership and include such issues as school management, culture of the school and community and lay/professional relationships. The pedagogy component will strengthen the identity and effectiveness of congregational school principals by introducing current research on learning and practicing critical supervisory and pedagogical skills. Lastly, the Judaica piece will enhance Jewish scholarship by focusing on texts, theology, ideology, role modeling and personal religious growth.
Mentors will also work with the principals to develop an individualized education plan, in which they will define their specific goals for professional development and further Jewish learning. Finally the mentors will assist the participants in the design and implementation of a school change project.
Our mentor training sessions have already begun, and we are thrilled to be working with such a fine group of Jewish education professionals whom we regard as exceptional role models. We trust that the work your educator will be doing with this project will enhance his/her own practice, knowledge, and ability to strengthen your own school community. Once again we want to thank you for your support. Please do read more about the Leadership Institute on our website at www.leader-institute.org.
Sincerely,
| Evie
Rotstein Project Director | Aviva
Schwartz | |
| Jo
Kay, Director New York School of Education Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion | ddff | Dr.
Steven M. Brown, Dean William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education Jewish Theological Seminary |
The
phone bills are getting bigger. Audrey and I could not be happier. 
 | ||
| Some of our Crane Lake Campers front, l. to r.: Alison Kirsch, Sarah Harris, Matthew Kalmans, Sam Glass, rear: Scott Harris, Michael Chetrit, Alex Rich, Sharon Harris |
For the past four summers, our oldest son Ethan has been an overnight camper at Eisner, one of our movement's two Northeast Camps. This fall, he and his friends from camp have been talking on the phone-a lot! And it is fantastic. The relationships he has been forming over the summer are becoming a part of his year-round life. They are all planning to spend their summer together. So why are we so thrilled?
As I write this I am getting ready to go to the biennial convention for the Union of American Hebrew Congregations-our Reform Movement. It will be an exciting few days of learning and networking with other synagogue Jewish professionals and lay leaders. It is always a great opportunity to expand horizons and see what others have tried.
It is also a chance for me to catch up with the kids
with whom I spent hours on the phone during the dark months between UAHC summer
camp sessions. I will see people I shared a tent or cabin with in the 70's. I
will have coffee with a friend who now lives in Israel. We were counselors together
in the early 80's. And I will learn with rabbis and professors who were my friends,
counselors and fellow faculty over the years. 
These are relationships that never end. Eisner and Crane Lake Camps are the best way I know to reinforce all of the things we try to teach our children at home and at B'nai Israel: Jewish values and identity; getting along in a group; making everyone feel a part of the community, just to name a few. I believe that after feeding them and lighting Shabbat candles at home, sending your child to a Jewish summer camp is the best thing a parent can do for them.
I invite you to stop in, call (336-1858) or e-mail
me and let's talk about Eisner and Crane Lake. I have a video you can take home.
We can connect you and your 
child
with other B'nai Israel families who have sent their kids to our camps as well.
Space is filling up quickly, so I urge you not to wait. Both the temple and the
camps have scholarship funds available to help make it more affordable. That too
will not last long. I look forward to seeing your child in a photo like these!
L'shalom,
Ira J. Wise, R.J.E.
Director of Education
Click here for the Northeast Camp Institute Website!
IT USUALLY HAPPENS ON A THURSDAY @ 5:35 p.m.
That's when a parent comes running into the office - sometimes frantic, sometimes annoyed - looking for their child. They HAD sent a note to the teacher explaining why their son or daughter had to leave early, so why wasn't little Joey or Joanne waiting on the curb? Is everything all right? That's when I explain that we do not send kids out to the curb at the appointed early time. Ever. There are a few reasons for this - and all of them are for the benefit of the children.
- We have very little time
in the classroom. We do understand that early dismissal is sometimes a fact of
life for some of them. And while we know that parents try to stick to their schedule,
traffic and other delays happen. So we do not send kids out of class until their
parent comes to the office to get them so they don't waste time standing around.
- We are also very concerned about safety. For much of the school
year, dusk and darkness fall during class time. Although our parking lot guard
Leroy is fantastic, he cannot be everywhere at once, and he is not responsible
for supervising children. So we keep them in class until Mom or Dad arrives to
keep them safe.
- Finally, we need to know that when you intend to pick up your child early, they actually get into a car with YOU. When the students are waiting on the curb for you, we have no way of knowing that they left with you.
While this policy is in the Family Handbook you received in August, one of the parents who came in early suggested that we amplify our reasons. We ask for your understanding and cooperation.
Ira J. Wise, R.J.E.
