By Craig Rosen

Yesterday I left you with the issue of stereotyping that many of us fall into when talking about boys and girls/men and women. and I promised to pick up where I left off…

Well today at the Symposium we were all challenged to pick apart those stereotypes and to open our minds to new ideas and ways to think in terms of boys and girls. We had some fascinating speakers and some great workshops and most here at the Symposium will be able to bring these insights back home to their communities and implement new ideas.

By Craig Rosen

What a great beginning to a wonderful week as the San Diego sunshine welcomed all to the opening of the Symposium on Gender and Jewish Education.

Hundreds of attendees gathered in the Convention Center to be welcomed by Rabbi Laura Novak Weiner, chair of the Symposium. She marked this as a historic occasion bringing together many of the departments of the URJ for the first time. She introduced Lori Sagarin, the President of NATE who spoke on bridging the auxiliaries of the Reform movement (NATE, Union Youth Division, Union Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning, Men of Reform Judaism, and Women of Reform Judaism) and coming together to learn and study this challenging topic. We also had greetings from Robert Heller, the chairman of the Board of the Union who also spoke of this unique opportunity to bring together so many different people focusing on a similar topic.

Wendy Grinberg, associate director of the Union’s Lifelong Jewish Learning department and organizer of this year’s Symposium on Gender and Jewish Education, recently published an op-ed on the subject in the JTA: Global News Service of the Jewish People.

As I’ve been planning a conference on gender and Jewish education, as well as now expecting a son, I’ve been learning a lot about the gender and education debate both within and outside the Jewish world. I’ve also been paying special attention lately to the different ways that adults relate to boys and girls, the way they are raised, the way they act and the way they learn. (Read More)

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.

Craig will be focusing his blogging on the 2007 Symposium on Gender and Jewish Education

Hello all! I am Craig Rosen and was born and raised in Van Nuys, CA. I have been working as an educator/youth worker for many years all over the Western United States. I have served as the Regional Director for NFTY in the Pacific Southwest council office of the Union, Program Director for the JCC of Seattle and served seven years as the Director of Education for Congregation B’nai B’rith in Santa Barbara, CA.