Our Jewish Futures Podcast - Universalism and Jewish Education: Lessons from the Ministry

Jewish or not, teens are teens. As Jewish educators, if we want to be serious about the future of teen Jewish education, we should be actively engaging with our colleagues from other faith traditions doing this same work. For the first episode of Our Jewish Futures, Dr. Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath speaks with Kenda Creasy Dean, an ordained United Methodist pastor and the Mary D. Synnott Professor of Youth, Church and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary. Kenda shares her journey as a teen educator, and what inspires her passion for what she calls the privilege of connecting with young people at critical junctions in their life’s journey.

About The Guest

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Kenda Creasy Dean is the co-founder of Ministry Incubators and comes to the organization after 30 years of doing ministry that wasn’t in a job description. She teaches practical theology, youth ministry, and social innovation at Princeton Theological Seminary. An ordained United Methodist pastor, Kenda is on the leadership team of Kingston United Methodist Church and serves on its advisory team. A graduate of Miami University (Ohio), Wesley Theological Seminary, and Princeton Theological Seminary, Kenda served as a pastor in suburban Washington, DC and as a campus minister at the University of Maryland before coming to Princeton. Kenda also is the author of several books. She and her husband Kevin live in Princeton, NJ and have two grown children, Brendan and Shannon, and an inexplicably noisy cat.

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.