Our Jewish Futures Podcast: Rethinking History Education

What will the history classroom of the future look like? Through what lens should educators teach about Judaism and other world religions? Historian and educator Rebecca Brenner Graham thinks about these questions a lot. On this episode of Our Jewish Futures, Rebecca shares her ideas about the role of the “3 B’s”- Belief, Behavior, and Belonging- in history education and why she believes it is important to have her students question existing historical narratives.  

About The Guest 

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Rebecca Brenner Graham earned her PhD in history from American University in 2021. She currently teaches history at the Madeira School, which is an all-girls boarding school in Northern Virginia. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Pieces of History, Jewish Women's Archive, and on the American Girls Podcast, as well as other sites. Rebecca grew up attending Temple Habonim in Barrington, Rhode Island, worked at Camp Young Judaea in Amherst, New Hampshire, and currently feels at home in Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, DC.

About The Host

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Dr. Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath is a lifelong Jewish educator and learner. As an expert on Jewish teens, Generation Z, experiential education, Israel, and questions of Jewish identity, Samantha comes equipped with the right questions to help learners find the answers that resonate with them. She is on a lifelong mission to inspire conversations that move Jewish journeys forward and is passionate about connecting with learners and communities around the world.

Samantha currently serves as the Senior Director of Knowledge, Ideas, and Learning at the Jewish Education Project, teaches at Gratz College, and is constantly brainstorming about the Jewish past, present, and future. She is an alumna of the University of Pittsburgh (BA), the Jewish Theological Seminary (MA), Gratz College (EdD), and the Pardes Experiential Educators Program. Samantha lives in Westchester, NY with her husband and two beloved rescue dogs. She's the author of the forthcoming book #antisemitism: Coming of Age During the Resurgence of Hate, and is currently at work on her next book.  

This episode was hosted and produced by Dr. Samantha Vinokor Meinrath, The Jewish Education Project's Senior Director, Knowledge, Ideas and Learning.  This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media.  If you enjoyed the show please leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released.

To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York.