Record conference draws over 450 educators

More than 450 Jewish educators gathered at Mount Scopus Memorial College in Melbourne on August 16 and 17 for the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) Educators’ Conference, the largest of its kind outside Israel and North America and the biggest in the event’s two-decade history.

The conference brought together 25 international and 45 local presenters, delivering more than 100 sessions covering the practical, pedagogical and philosophical dimensions of Jewish education.

Sessions ranged from puppetry and play, Hebrew language teaching and techniques for teaching Jewish texts, to Jewish history, theology, educational leadership and how Israel education must evolve in the wake of October 7.

Participants included early childhood, primary and secondary school educators, alongside informal and experiential educators from across Australia.

ZFA chief executive officer Alon Cassuto said investing in Jewish educators had rarely been more important.

“The quality of Jewish education ultimately rests on the people who bring it to life,” he said.

“At a time when young Jews are confronting difficult questions about Israel, antisemitism, their Jewish identity and their place in the world, the role of our educators is more important than ever.

“Conferences such as this give us an invaluable opportunity to step outside the demands of the school day, exchange ideas, challenge our thinking, learn from one another and return to our classrooms renewed.”

ZFA president Jeremy Leibler said the events of recent years had reinforced both the success of Australian Jewish education and the need to consider how it must evolve.

“Amid the trauma of October 7 and the horror of Bondi, one thing has given me enormous optimism: the generation of young Jews who stepped forward,” he said.

“Our schools should be places where difficult questions are welcomed, where nuance is valued, and where young Jews develop the confidence not simply to defend their identity, but to understand it deeply.”

The conference was coordinated by ZFA education chairperson and conference director Dr Miriam Munz and delivered in partnership with UnitED, an initiative of Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism.

Cassuto paid tribute to Munz’s leadership in establishing the conference as an internationally recognised event.

“Miriam’s vision, energy and commitment have put this conference on the international Jewish education map,” he said.

Leibler told educators at the conference the deepest defence of Jewish life was forming Jews who are literate, confident, curious, connected and able to carry their identity into the world without fear or apology.