ATLANTA , Ga. – Twelve Jewish educators from Connecticut were among more than 700 Jewish day school administrators and educators in attendance at the third annual North American Jewish Day School Conference held in Atlanta, Ga. Jan. 15 – 17.
More than 300 schools and professional organizations were represented at the conference, which was jointly planned by RAVSAK: The Jewish Community Day School Network, the Institute for University-School Partnership at Yeshiva University (YU), the Schechter Day School Network, PARDeS: The Progressive Association of Reform Day Schools, and PEJE, the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education.
“This conference allows people to solidify those communities in which they see themselves belonging, and at the same time expand the very notion of what a community can be by creating a safe environment for learning and collaboration within networks and without,” said Dr. Scott Goldberg, director of the YU School Partnership.
This year’s conference focused on “Current Landscapes—Changing Horizons,” and featured several keynote speeches, a special tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and nearly 60 sessions and workshops. Each organization also convened its schools for intensive sessions focused on particular issues affecting their own schools and communities.
New this year were the ELI Talks, a TED-talk like format featuring dynamic, innovative speakers discussing the shared ideals and commitments of the Jewish people.  Conference sessions addressed topics such as 21st century skills, the Jewish day school value proposition, re-imagining and sustaining day schools, and innovations in Jewish education.
Those attending from Connecticut included: Rabbi Daniel Loew and Rabbi Shimmy Trencher of the Hebrew High School of New England (HHNE) in West Hartford; Rabbi Elliot Goldberg and Dr. Karen Trager of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford (SSDS) in West Hartford; Rabbi Amanda Brodie from Ezra Academy in Woodbridge;
Dr. Joy Anderson from Criterion Ventures in Haddam; Nora Anderson, Sue Einhorn, and David Messer from the Carmel Academy in Greenwich; Galya Greenberg of the MaToK Bible Project; Pearl Kane of PLK Consulting Group in Westport;  and Yonatan Yussman of the
Jewish High School of CT in Bridgeport. Also in attendance was former SSDS and HHNE student Eli Bilmes, who is a YUTeach Fellow at the Denver Academy of Torah.