Tradition Today Summit

“Educating Our Children to Be Ovdei Hashem in a Modern World: Challenges and Opportunities”
Convened with the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education & Administration, Yeshiva University
Sunday, November 9, 2026 – 18 Heshvan 5786
Congregation Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, NJ

RSVP Link (by invitation only)

Together we will consider what we can do as a community to educate the next generation of committed Ovdei Hashem? How can students be guided to engage deeply with Jewish life and learning while navigating the challenges of a rapidly changing world? Questions such as these define the landscape of contemporary Jewish education. This second Tradition Today Summit will explore how we confront these issues in different contexts: from the New York area to so-called “out-of-town” communities; from American gap-year programs in Israel to local schools and synagogues. Classical Jewish sources, Hasidic thought, and ideas from general educational teachings provide valuable perspectives for addressing these concerns. Central issues to be considered include the role of technology in the classroom and students’ lives more broadly, strategies for supporting different types of students, and models for fostering genuine spirituality. The discussion will highlight the range of approaches within Modern Orthodoxy and the broader challenges facing Jewish education today.

Schedule
9:00 Arrival & Registration
9:45 Greetings: R. Etan Tokayer, President, RCA
Introduction to the TRADITION Today Summit: R. Jeffrey Saks, Editor, TRADITION

10:00 Session I: Context Matters
Dr. Ilana Turetsky, Azrieli Graduate School & R. Yehuda Turetsky, Yeshivat Sha’alvim
“Israel and America”
Rabbanit Sara Wolkenfeld, Chief Learning Officer, Sefaria
“Technology – New Opportunities, New Challenges”

12:00 Lunch

1:00 Session II: Beyond the School: The Community’s Role in Education
R. David Block, Head of School, Shalhevet High School, Los Angeles
“School, Home & Community”
Mrs. Rivy Poupko Kletenik, RPK Insight: Coaching & Consulting; frmr. Head of Schools, Seattle and Denver
“Learning from the Big Challenges of Small Jewish Communities”

3:00 Break & Mincha

3:45 Session III: Students’ Inner Spiritual Lives
R. Mark Gottlieb, Chief Education Officer, The Tikvah Fund
“Imitation and Authenticity in the Educational Philosophy of the Piaseczner Rebbe, Rav Wolbe, and Luigi Giussani”
R. Hillel Broder, Head of School, Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy
“The History and Implications of Hasidut in the Modern Orthodox Day School”

5:45 Concluding Thoughts and Future Directions
R. Dr. Shlomo Zuckier, Kaplan Doctoral Fellow, University of Toronto; Consulting Editor; TRADITION

6:00 Dinner

7:30 Evening Keynote Address (open to the public):
Greetings: Rabbi Menachem Penner, Executive Vice-President, RCA
Keynote: R. Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, Yeshiva University: “Historical Realities and Educational Methodologies: Then and Now”
Respondent: Dr. Michael Berger, Dean, Azrieli Graduate School
Audience Discussion

Tradition Today Summit Steering Committee (2025): Michael Berger, Jeffrey Saks & Shlomo Zuckier, Chairs.
Binyamin Blau, David Block, Hillel Broder, Erica Brown, Raizi Chechik, Adam Englander, Maury Grebenau, Tully Harczstark, Rivy Kletenik, Jeff Kobrin, Debra Shaffer Seeman, Laya Solomon, Ilana Turetsky, Yehuda Turetsky, Rebecca Winter.