For the final day of the Religious School year, Temple Emanu-El students headed to one of New York City’s many museums to learn about Israel and the importance of Zionism. For this museum visit, they did not head up Fifth Avenue to one of Museum Mile’s many institutions or head downtown to a museum focused on Jewish history or culture. Instead, they ventured to the lobby of the Lowenstein Sanctuary to visit exhibits designed and curated by their sixth-grade classmates.
The exhibits were the result of the sixth graders’ year-long study of Israeli history, society, and culture. Using artificial intelligence tools, library resources, and the guidance of their teachers, students created exhibits that tackled Israel’s most vexing challenges: the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, socioeconomic inequalities, and the place of progressive Judaism in Israel’s judicial system and cultural landscape. Each exhibit proposed a solution to the challenge it tackled.
“It was so special to see our students really embrace project-based learning and the study of Israeli history, culture, and society,” said Mike Witman, Senior Director of Lifelong Learning. “Watching them work on this, I could see them work through and analyze problems in real time.”
The homemade museum exhibit is all part of the Department of Lifelong Learning plan to inject curiosity, joy, and wonder into the school’s curriculum. “Every day is novel for our students,” Witman said. “We try to keep our kids moving throughout the day and not sitting for more than 30 minutes.”
Having finished his third year leading the department, Witman is starting to see a strong sense of community develop among students and families.
“I am witnessing the relationships among our students and families grow. Knowing that our students will have this cohort throughout their entire K–12 educational journey is really beautiful.”
A day after classes ended, Witman paused to reflect with his team on the special moments the Religious School community experienced together over the last nine months: lively Family Shabbat celebrations where students and their families led the community in lighting Shabbat candles; a Chanukah event where students dressed in ancient Greek garb and explored the forces the Maccabees fought against; and a Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration where students learned Israeli dance from Jill and Amnon Damti, internationally renowned Israeli dancers. Witman and his staff designed these experiences with a deeper, long-term goal in mind.
“We want kids to recognize that Judaism can be filled with joy,” Witman said. “This has been a really hard year for Jews across the world. We want to give our students the tools for living a Jewish life and the critical thinking skills to thrive in and outside the classroom.”
For Witman, the most powerful moments of the year happened outside the classroom walls: the gaga games at Family Shabbat, when parents built new friendships while their children faced off in the gaga pit, and the annual “Shul-In,” where students slept on the floor of the I.M. Stettenheim Library and began Shabbat morning with worship services in Greenwald Hall.
“Those are Jewish experiences they will remember forever,” Witman said.
With the school year now formally over, Witman and his team are already at work planning for the 2026–2027 school year. Witman is excited about the International Seminar in Italy for students in grades 10–12 and the Immersive Fellowship in Detroit for students in grades 8–9. Next year, there will also be an additional day of instruction at Emanu-El Downtown’s Religious School Lab. Emanu-One, Temple Emanu-El’s one-on-one online Religious School program, continues to grow.
Before long, Witman and the Department of Lifelong Learning team will once again be walking the hallways of the Religious School taking in a brand new set of homemade exhibits. Another year of students grappling with Israeli history, leading Shabbat blessings, and forging new friendships awaits.
Religious School Registration is now open for the 2026-2027 school year! Returning families have been emailed a personalized link. New families can register here.
