Ira J. Wise, R.J.E.
Director of Education
iwise@congregationbnaiisrael.org
From The
Education CenterCongregation
B'nai Israel
Religous SchoolAdult Jewish Learning Book Fair
Ira Wise has been Director of Education since 1995. 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. He is also the President of the School Volunteer Association in the Bridgeport Public Schools.
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.
Nominated by Rabbi Prosnit, Ira has been named a Jim Joseph Foundation Fellow of the Lookstein Center for Jewish Education in the Diaspora. The Lookstein Insitute is part of Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel, where part of the fellows’ work will take place. Ira was selected as one of fourteen fellows from a field of over two hundred nominees. They will identify, direct and empower Fellows to develop and lead online collaborative communities in their professional fields. The purpose of the Fellowship is to provide leading edge professional development to outstanding Jewish educators from formal (e.g. supplementary, congregational, and day schools) and informal Jewish education settings (e.g. camps, youth groups, community centers). They will work together to advance new ways of learning and working together to bring about qualitative changes in the way Jewish educators work with others as they learn.
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. 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 |
April 2010 |
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Keren Ami means “My People’s Fund” |
Today we use cans with a slot in our school. At Merkaz, we have large manila envelopes. The containers have changed, but the idea hasn’t. We hold out the expectation that all of our children will make a contribution. We hope that most will do it most of the time. Sadly, that is not always the case. We are trying to teach them that giving tzedakah is more than just a good or nice idea. We teach them that “charity” is different from tzedakah. Charity means “from the heart.” Tzedakah – which literally means “justice” – is an obligation to share with those in need, whether we feel like it or not. Their need doesn’t change just because our mood does. I am so proud to be a part of B’nai Israel. In October, I wrote about how some of our students were not returning because of their family’s financial situation. A number of you responded. Some even responded before that article was written, having heard through the grapevine that there was an extraordinary need. Enough money was raised to establish a fund to provide scholarships for several students. All of those who gave asked to remain anonymous. I want to publicly thank them for their generosity. Elsewhere in this bulletin you will read that the Brotherhood has made a generous contribution to the Religious School Scholarship Fund for the coming school year. If you are able, I invite you to join them. When we gave Keren Ami in Mrs. Steinhorn’s class, we always thought the needy people were in the Soviet Union or in Israel. What I learned again this past year is that some of us are in need, right here in our community, in our congregation. If you are one of those families whose resources are stretched to the limit, please don’t walk away from our community. Let us help you and your family stay connected. When we are in need, we need our community more than ever. Ask for help. The process is extremely confidential. All financial assistance is handled by our Financial Secretary in order to maintain your privacy. Remember, Keren Ami means “My People’s Fund.” Sometimes that means my role is to put in. Other times it means it is time to benefit from the fund. The important part to remember is that “My People” refers to you and me. L’shalom, Ira J. Wise, R.J.E. |
I was in second grade when I first became a Religious School student. And I know exactly where my Consecration Torah is to this day. I remember Mrs. Steinhorn (yes, the same Sharon Steinhorn that was B’nai Israel’s first family educator in 1979!) passing around a small manila envelope so we could put a few coins in for Keren Ami – “My People’s Fund.” That is what we used to call the money collected for Tzedakah. We were expected to bring something – the amount didn’t matter – every time we came to temple for school. Most of us did it most of the time.
From
The Education Center |
Summer 2009 |
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/Breathing the Air of Israel at B'nai Israel |
In June I wrote about upping our IQ (Israel Quotient) at B’nai Israel. A task force is in formation to take on this project, and it is being led by Jill and Steve Elbaum. A task force is different from a committee because it has a specific job and a limited time to do it. Members of the task force will be from as many different areas of temple life as possible so that they can offer different ways for us to engage in this exploration form our own unique perspectives. Its purpose is to quickly establish goals, identify constituencies and develop opportunities to enable each of us to deepen our relationship with Israel, each other and the congregation. Over the next three years the task force will help us all explore our connections to Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel), Medinat Yisrael (the state of Israel) and Am Yisrael (the people of Israel). Our goal is to reach parents of Nursery School AND Religious School Students, teenagers (both in BIFTY and not), Adult learners, regular Shabbat worshippers, adult learners, Jewish Journeyers, Rosh Chodesh celebrators, the Men and Women of Reform Judaism (Brotherhood and Sisterhood), religious school students and members who come only occasionally. We are hoping to reach YOU and invite you to actively explore and hopefully deepen your connections to Israel. If you have thoughts or ideas, please call me or send an e-mail to iwise@congregationbnaiisrael.org. I am delighted to inform you that we have received a $16,000 grant from the Legacy Heritage Foundation (see page 10 for more on this) which will help us to do this work. The grant will enable us to send some of our teachers to learn how to bring Israel to America from master teachers and members of the Reform movement in Israel. It will also fund some of those master teachers to come to B’nai Israel to teach our teachers, meet with our task force and teach in our Adult Jewish Learning program. Ahad Ha’am was one of the seminal Zionist thinkers of the late 19th century. He said that we needed to create a Jewish state to serve as a focal point for the Jewish people all over the world, as a center of Jewish culture. I believe that Israel is just waiting for us to connect and make that dream come alive. I believe we can live more Jewishly fulfilling lives in Connecticut by making that connection. I hope you are as excited about this work as I am, and if you are not, I am certain we can help you find the motivation. Please join us! L’shalom, Ira J. Wise, R.J.E.
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A Funny Thing Happened While Checking Out Facebook... |
Much to my oldest son’s horror, I signed up for Facebook a little over a year ago. It started out because as an educator and parent, I felt it was important that I understand how this new medium my son was exploring worked. I had done the same with MySpace a few years ago. I found several of my colleagues and contemporaries and “friended” them. (That means I sent them a message and they added me to their list of friends. No one can see your information unless you permit them to be your Facebook friend.)
That’s me, at the back, in the middle, with Robin Barbara (now Salzberg) on my shoulders. Robin was our Unit Head and now lives on Long Island. Since then, I have been in touch with over twenty people in that photo—former counselors, campers and faculty members. Some of them I never lost touch with, for others it was an online reunion. For all, it was like we just left Oconomowoc, Wisconsin a few weeks ago. I have no financial interest in Facebook. I have a very large professional and communal interest in our children going to our Reform Jewish camps in the Northeast: Eisner and Crane Lake. My son Ethan won’t let me see how many camp friends he has on Facebook. (I am not permitted to “friend” him—that is “Facebook creepy.”) I know there a lot of them, and they are mostly linked to one another. And that is the point. Our camps create and cement links between our kids and Jewish children from all over. Many of those links will last a lifetime. I urge you to send your kids to Eisner or Crane Lake this summer. There will be several opportunities to discuss it this winter with me and with the staff and campers. Please visit our camp page on the temple web site (http://www.congregationbnaiisrael.org/camping.html) to learn more and to find links to Eisner and Crane Lake. Please call me at 336-1858 or e-mail me at iwise@congregationbnaiisrael.org. Camp will build your children’s Jewish identity even higher. It will be lots of fun, with all of the sports, swimming, drama, arts and music you expect from a top quality summer camp. It will help them develop independence and a sense of community. And it will help them find lots of friends. Not just Facebook friends, but the real kind that endures and enriches their lives. L’shalom, Ira J. Wise, R.J.E.
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The something wonderful happened. Ever since that first day, I find or am found by friends I have not seen or heard from in years—sometimes decades. People from college, high school, even elementary school! Then I heard form Uri Lessing. Uri had been a camper in my cabin when I was a counselor at Olin Sang Ruby, the Reform Jewish camp in Wisconsin. He posted a picture of our entire unit from 1981.
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. |
The
phone bills are getting bigger. Audrey and I could not be happier. 
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| 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.
The Book Fair is Back!!! We have books for children of all ages and for adults! On a per-minute basis, books provide a better entertainment value than television, movies or Your purchase will support the Religious School Enrichment Fund, which provides professional development for our teachers, equipment for our school and some scholarship assistance for our neediest students. |
sporting events, and there are no commercials. If you need to get a drink, put the book down and come back when you want, you miss nothing. It’s like Tivo or DVR, and there is no remote to lose! And everyone in the family can read a different book – no arguing over what to watch.
