By Craig Rosen

There’s much excitement building around the Symposium on Gender in Jewish Education.

For the past 8 months I’ve sat on conference calls as I was asked to represent NATE (National Association of Temple Educators) on the planning committee for the Symposium. It was an honor working with my colleagues to plan the 2 day seminar.

We are gearing up for what I believe to be an invaluable opportunity to hear from some respected individuals in the field on this topic. This Symposium will also provide an opportunity to connect with old friends and most certainly to meet new people from around the country,

Our two features speakers are Dr. William Pollack and Dr. Gail Reimer.

Dr. William Pollack is the Director of the Centers for Men and Young Men and the Director of Continuing Education (Psychology) at McLean Hospital; and is Assistant Clinical Professor (Psychology) in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. An internationally recognized authority on boys and men, Dr. Pollack is Founder & Director of the REAL BOYS® Educational Programs. His Real Boys Workbook (Random House/Villard, 2001) has been seen as "the definitive guide to understanding and interacting with boys of all ages."

We’ll also have a chance to hear from Dr. Gail Reimer who is the founding director of the Jewish Women’s Archive, a pioneering organization nationally recognized as an innovative and vital contributor to a more expansive and inclusive vision of Jewish life, past, present and future. Her published work includes two anthologies of Jewish women’s writings – Reading Ruth: Women Reclaim a Sacred Story and Beginning Anew: A Woman’s Companion to the High Holy Days. A former president of the Board of The Rashi School, the Boston area’s Reform Jewish Day School, she currently serves on the advisory board of Nashim , a journal of Jewish women's studies and gender issues.

Other speakers and workshops include:

Naomi Ackerman, an actress and writer presenting the workshop—Acting Out Gender Issues:
Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell, Ph.D. speaking on —Pirkei Imahot: Women’s Wisdom and the Transformation of Jewish Learning
Rabbi Michael S. Friedman, presenting the workshop—Regarding Our Neighbors: What We Can Learn from Our Christian Neighbors
Rabbi Michael Holzman, speaking on—“I am not Religious” and other Male Myths that Need Exploding
Jerry Kaye and Susan Alexander from the Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute, presenting—Is It Time to Bring Back the M’chitzah?
Rabbi Elliot Rose Kukla and Gregg Drinkwater, from the organization, Mosaic: The National Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, talking about—Room to Grow: LGBT Affirming Jewish Classrooms
Rabbi Craig Marantz, presenting the workshop—“Lech L’cha... Veh’yeh B’rachah: Go forth… and Be a Blessing:” Exploring the Spiritual Life of Abraham and the Development of Jewish Identity
Deborah Meyer, Founder and Executive Director, Moving Traditions who is presenting the topic—“Got Real Big Brains but I’m Lookin’ at Your Beep:” Empowering Teens to Read Culture and Stay Healthy and Jewish
Rabbi Dan Moskowitz, discussing—Why Men Don’t Ask for Directions: The Intricacies of a Jewish Men’s Discussion Group
Cathy Rolland, Early Childhood Director, Union for Reform Judaism, speaking on—Involving Mothers and Fathers, Our Students’ Key Role Models
Dr. Judith Rosenbaum, Director of Education, Jewish Women’s Archive presenting the workshop entitled—Listen to Her Voice: Incorporating Jewish Women’s History into Jewish Education

I’m not sure which workshops I’ll be assigned to yet, but I know that there is a lot to learn from these speakers. I’m thrilled that over 200 individuals have already signed up to participate in this Symposium and I expect to learn along with many of my colleagues in the field of Jewish Education. I understand we’ll also be joined by those in the field of Informal Jewish Education, the Men of Reform Judaism, the Women of Reform Judaism, and lay people from congregations throughout the country. This unique opportunity to bring together the different groups of our movement in one Symposium will also prove to be a historic occasion.

My understanding is that it’s not too late to register, so if you haven’t done so already, plan on joining us! If you’re unable to attend, I’ll try my best to share some highlights from some of our workshops throughout the day. I’ll also share some feedback from some of the participants and give you insight as to what we are all taking home from this Symposium.