Transformimg Jewish Lives
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Children categories
by Jackie Klein
My time at the GA was one of the most influential conferences I have attended. All conventions prior were held at a regional level or with people that I already knew. As a Lainer-Masa fellow I was able to attend a pre-GA Shabbat, and got to see Jewish pluralism at its best. Throughout Shabbat we continued the education and Israel advocacy training that we started while studying there. It was a good opportunity to rehash, review, and resume many of the conversations that we had in Israel.
On the last day of the conference we were able to facilitate a discussion with experienced Jewish educators during Leora Isaacs and Bill Robinson's session. It was a bit nerve-wracking at first, but it showed us that we can succeed in this field and dialogue with those who were many years our senior. That hour was the professional highlight of the conference for me.
While the sessions and lectures were interesting and important, the conference was truly made by the informal conversations had late into the night and while walking in the halls. Upon returning from the GA, I felt newly energized and ready to make some major improvements in the Jewish education internships I hold. My thoughts changed into actions immediately upon my return. Plain and simple: the GA provided me with the energy needed to actively make a difference in Jewish education in my own community.
News from NAACCHHS is a publication by and for the members of the North American Association of Community andd Congregational Hebrew High Schools, with the generous support of the Legacy Heritage Fund Limited, and JESNA. For more information, contact Devorah Silverman at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Background
The Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education™ are designed to recognize teachers in communities across North America who have made a commitment to the field of Jewish education. The Awards honor outstanding classroom-based teachers in formal Jewish educational settings (early childhood through grade 12). Awards Winners are chosen through their central agency for Jewish education or, where no central agency exists, through their federation. The Awards were first established by the Grinspoon Foundation in 2000 and joined by The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life in 2002.
Eligibility
Nominees for the Awards must:
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Demonstrate exceptional achievement and serve as a role model in Jewish education
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Have a minimum of 3 years experience in the field
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Teach at least 6 hours per week in Jewish education with a minimum of 4 hours per week in a Jewish day school or other formal Jewish educational settings and 2 hours in another Jewish educational capacity (educators can fulfill the hour requirement in more than one institution)
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Be classroom-based Jewish educators in one of the following categories:
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early childhood educator
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day school teacher, grades K-12
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congregational school teacher, grades K-12
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Local communities may add additional criteria for eligibility; they may also include their own similar criteria from a pre-existing local award. Nominations of previous Grinspoon Awards and Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards recipients will not be considered.
Procedures
Nominations from local communities (excepting the Greater New York and Los Angeles Metropolitan areas) are limited to one (1) outstanding educator. Consideration of nominees will proceed on a first-come, first-reviewed basis to a maximum of 55 Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards winners.
Teachers may be nominated ONLY by their principal or school administrator. Nominations are then submitted to the local Central Agency for Jewish Education or, where no Central Agency exists, to the local Federation. Once the local community has selected their nominee(s) their final applications should be forwarded via email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it where a National Awards Panel will confirm selection of the final recipients. While this Committee may seek additional information about a candidate before confirming his/her nomination, the judgment of each local selection committee is the most important criterion. Please note: JESNA will not compare candidates to one another.
Awards Benefits
The 2011 Awards offers national recognition and opportunities for professional development to its recipients, each of whom will be awarded a minimum of $2,000. There are several important and exciting changes to the Awards Program from years past.
The Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards professional development stipend in 2011 is $1,000. Each Winner must use this stipend for his or her own professional development within two years of receiving the Award.The remaining $1,000 is for use at the recipient's discretion.
In addition, the Awards winners, both past and present, will be invited to engage in a new, North American Community of Practice (CoP) established through the generosity of the funders that replaces the national Awards Seminar and ceremony. The CoP will provide ongoing opportunities for Awards winners to participate in high-quality, ongoing of professional development through webinars with a cadre of outstanding educational professionals. These events will help Awards winners to network, to expand knowledge and skills, and to share expertise.
The Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards bring national recognition to local communities and their outstanding educators. JESNA will share guidance, ideas, and best practices with local communities to strengthen local awards ceremonies in the absence of the national ceremony.
2012 Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award Application Materials
Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards Instruction Sheet (54 kB)
Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards Application, Part A (84 kB)
Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards Application, Part B (84.5 kB)
Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards Application, Part C (66 kB)
Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards Application, Part D (136.5 kB)
Click the document below to see the communities that participate in the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards.
Map of Participating Communities