Jewish Futures 2026: Becoming Tomorrow's Educators

Sam Glassenberg has flown Star Wars spaceships for LucasFilm, led Emmy Award-winning game technology teams at Microsoft, built one of the early success stories of the Israeli videogames industry, and created a new genre of medical videogames.

As CEO of Tel Aviv’s FTX Games, Sam helped establish Israel as a go-to games partner for Hollywood, releasing titles based on films and TV shows including The Hunger Games, Mission: Impossible, Rocky, and Narcos.

Sam later founded Level Ex, the world’s first medical videogame company. Level Ex unleashed videogame technology and neuroscience-based design on medical training, helping millions of medical professionals build mental models of complex systems, practice difficult decisions, and master new techniques. Its videogames were the first to offer AMA Category 1 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit and have been used by leading medical societies, life science companies, NASA, and SpaceX to train clinicians and astronauts.

Sam’s current work spans AI research, genetics, and game development. He also heads Emerging Healthtech Initiatives at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, where he drives AI research and collaboration with the Israeli videogames industry. He speaks internationally on the future of games, medicine, AI, and the crucial role of play in learning.

Shoshana Bloom is an ICF PCC certified coach, facilitator and keynote speaker who specialises in the Four Horsemen of the Stress-pocalypse: Burnout, Overwhelm, Imposter Syndrome, and Procrastination. 

She works globally across the UK, Israel, Europe, North America, Australasia and beyond. She creates spaces that sustain impact over time - and knows how to support you from the very first conversation.

Her approach is warm and direct. She works with people and teams to understand their triggers, traits and tendencies, decipher patterns and create interventions so that they - you - don’t have to burn out. And for those who have already experienced burnout, she helps you to move through and beyond it, with the tools to prevent it coming back. 

She holds additional qualifications in grief, loss, and navigating change and is a certified hypnotherapist. 

She works in-person and online and is mildly obsessed with Mr Rogers, the Jewish origin story of the superhero genre, her favourite cultural decade: the 90s - especially Buffy, and how people deeply misunderstand To-Do lists. 

Dr. Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath, Ed.D., is the Senior Director of Knowledge, Ideas and Learning at The Jewish Education Project. A lifelong Jewish educator and learner, Samantha has lived and worked in Jewish communities in Israel, Washington DC, Cleveland, and New York. Samantha is a recognized expert on Israel education, Jewish teens, antisemitism education, and Jewish peoplehood. She is the author of #antisemitism: Coming of Age During the Resurgence of Hate, a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award in the category of Education and Jewish Identity. She is an alumna of the University of Pittsburgh, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and Gratz College. Samantha lives in Westchester with her husband, two children, and two beloved rescue dogs.

Dr. David Bryfman is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Jewish Education Project. After working in formal and informal Jewish educational institutions in Australia, Israel, and North America, David earned his Ph.D. in Education and Jewish Studies from NYU, focusing on the identity development of Jewish adolescents. David has authored several articles and presented broadly on topics ranging from the Jewish teenage experience, innovation and change in Jewish life, Israel education and more broadly about Jewish education. He is a founder of the annual Jewish Futures conference, helped direct the 2019 study GenZ Now: Understanding and Connecting with Jewish Teens Today, and was the lead researcher of the groundbreaking 2016 study, “Generation Now: Understanding and Engaging Jewish Teenagers Today,” and editor of “Experience and Jewish Education,” a compendium of essays written by and for Jewish experiential educators. David is a member of Cohort Three of Leading Edge's CEO Onboarding Program. He is an alum of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program and the Schusterman Fellowship.