Resources

JEA Resource Guide and Manual

JEA Fund for Educational Research and Development

Recent awards of $1,000 each were made to an Israeli JEA member to fund the development of a siddur prototype to be used by children in schools and synagogues affiliated with the Masorati Movement in Israel, and to another JEA member to partially fund a study to evaluate the impact of class trips to Israel upon students in Solomon Schechter Day Schools.

Research grants will be judged chiefly by the following criteria:

1. Projected contribution of project to the field of Jewish education.
2. Replicability or usefulness of project beyond the home community.
3. Likelihood that funding to make this project possible would not be available from other sources.
4. Uniqueness of project.
5. Potential impact of project upon advancing the roles of educators and teachers, and the way in which they are perceived in the Jewish community.
6. The likelihood that the JEA funding will significantly contribute towards the realization of this project.

Applications for funding of projects to be implemented during the 2008-2009 school year are now being accepted. They should be sent in the form of a letter and should describe in detail the project, suggest its importance to the field of Jewish education, state the amount of funding requested and how these funds will be used. All letters must be received by December 1st, 2007 and should be sent to:

Dr. Burton Cohen, Chairman
JEA Research and Development Fund Committee
Jewish Theological Seminary
3080 Broadway
New York, NY 10027

1983-84:		Development of an Integrated Social Studies Curriculum for the Solomon Schechter Day Schools: Joshua Elkin, (617) 491-9190
1984-85:		A Jewish Family Life Curriculum: Gerald Teller, (312) 913 1818 ext. 320 A Study of the Teaching of Liturgy in the State of Israel: Saul Wachs (215) 635-7300 wachsbarb@aol.com
1985-86:		A Graded Approach to Teaching Hebrew Reading: Lifsa Schachter (216) 464-4050 lschachter@CCJS.EDU Preparation of Dramatic Scripts for Jewish Schools: Noach Ravin (301) 299-3967 bracha@mindspring.com
1987-88:		Preparation of an anthology of classic Jewish sources on which to base the creation of an exemplary Jewish community in the Solomon Schechter Day School: Charlotte Glass, (732) 545-6484 CHARHERB@aol.com Development of an Adult Seminar and Family Shabbaton curriculum on the topic of Ahavat Yisroel for Conservative Synagogues: Menachem Herman, (301) 593-7332
1988-89:		Preparation of a prototype video tape to be distributed to the families of synagogue religious school students explaining and demonstrating the religious customs, ceremonies and prayer practices taught in school; Sara Cohen, (610) 667-6534
1991-92:		Pilot research project analyzing how Jewish teenagers read Biblical narratives (part of the research for his doctoral dissertation): Yossi Gordon, (612) 698-8807
1994-95:		Development of integrated spiral Hebrew curriculum materials which correspond to and reinforce the Melton Holiday curriculum: Serene Victor, (617) 964-6844; email: serene@msvictor.org Creation of a curriculum manual for the afternoon religious school which suggests ideas for curricular activities, at appropriate developmental levels, which address the role and contribution of women in Judaism and Jewish history: Esther Weiss.
1996-97:		To assist in the preparation of a Talmud textbook for day schools: Rabbi Harold Bell, (301) 881-1404 ext. 324 To assist in the preparation of a curriculum in Jewish Thought for Hebrew High Schools: Rabbi Judd Kruger Levingston, (212) 877-7747
1997-98:		To assist in the completion of a project to research and encourage the use of computers by Jewish educators in the Greater Boston area: Dr. Daniel Margolis, (617) 965-7350 ext. 222 DJM@BJE.ORG
1998-99:		Funding to create the prototype of a siddur for the use of children in Masorti kehillot and chavurot in Israel: Saralee Shrell: paulschre@netvision.il Funding to begin to undertake research to establish the significance of class trips to Israel by students in the Solomon Schechter Day Schools in North America: Dr. David Breakstone, (011) 972-679-0243 David@ramah.org.il

JEA Listserv

Join over 250 colleagues who are communicating on topics such as: How to teach tefila, what percentage of a synagogue budget is allocated to the Religious School, how can we encourage staff and students to observe the mitzvot of Purim. How do you adapt the Melton History curriculum to a day school setting?

Are you interested in what JEA does locally in the various regions? Did you attend the JEA conference and would like to discuss some of the sessions you attended, now that you're back home? Do you have suggestions for next year's conference? Do you need advice on an issue in your community? Do you have advice to offer? What can we do to support the Masorti'im? Is there an article in Beneinu you would like to comment on? All of this is possible on the JEA listserve. Through e-mail, JEA members can discuss educational issues in general or specifically as they pertain to the Conservative or Masorti movement .

To sign onto the JEA Listserv: Send a message to Listproc@uscj.org (with no subject), the message should read:
Subscribe JEA your name

After you have subscribed, you can then send a message to JEA@uscj.org and it will be distributed to everyone on the list.

For general information, comments and questions about the listserve you may e-mail Michael Schatz at michaelschatz@comcast.net We look forward to hearing from you.

Pension and Life Insurance Benefits

As a member in good standing of the JEA, you are entitled to life insurance and pension retirement benefits through the Joint Retirement Board.*

Through the Joint Retirement Board you can receive life insurance benefits, waiver premium insurance (protects your retirement contributions), and a self-directed pension program.

Eligible individuals may apply for enrollment in the pension plan at any time. You have a choice of high quality investments from three different financial management providers.

The account that you establish belongs entirely to you, the accountholder, and no part of it can revert to your employer. The plan is not contingent upon you remaining at one organization. Contributions to the plan may be made in any of the following manners:

• employer contribution in addition to salary,
• salary reduction agreement or
• a combination of the above.

  To enroll in the plan or for a detailed booklet contact the Joint Retirement Board of Conservative Judaism at (212) 947-2400, email the administrative contact at blanche.mittleman@jrbcj.org or visit www.jrbcj.org

  *In addition to your membership in the JEA you must be an employee of a 501(c)(3) organization, public school or public university in order to take advantage of these services