Masor School for Jewish Education and Leadership of AJU

06/06/2026

🎓 Mazel tov to Elana Zimmerman on receiving an Honorary Doctorate from AJU’s Masor School for Jewish Education and Leadership!

For decades, Elana has dedicated her life to strengthening Jewish education, building community, and inspiring generations of learners. An AJU alumna herself, she has shaped Jewish life through leadership roles at Jewish organizations across Los Angeles and through 26 years of service as Program Director at Valley Beth Shalom.

From creating transformative educational experiences and guiding communities through moments of challenge, to helping establish de Toledo High School and mentoring countless students and families, Elana’s impact can be felt throughout the Jewish community.

As she prepares to retire after a remarkable career devoted to Jewish learning and peoplehood, we are proud to recognize her extraordinary contributions with this well-deserved honor.

Join us in celebrating Elana and thanking her for a lifetime of leadership, vision, and service. 💙

05/21/2026

Congratulations 2026 graduates of the Masor School for Jewish Education and Leadership! 🎓✨

Together with their families, friends, faculty, and mentors, we honored our BA, MA and EdD graduates this past Sunday. This year’s ceremony was especially meaningful as we celebrated the historic first graduating class of our doctoral program in Early Childhood Education Leadership — a major milestone for the Masor School and for the future of education.

These dedicated educators and leaders are shaping the future of Jewish learning and early childhood education with creativity, compassion, and vision. We are so proud of all they have accomplished here and can’t wait to see the impact they will make in their communities and beyond.

Mazel tov to the Class of 2026!

05/08/2026

Dear Friends, As I complete my first year as President and CEO of American Jewish University, I want to extend my tremendous gratitude to our exceptional staff, lay leaders, alumni, program participants, and donors for their support and leadership.

Today, we’re launching our dynamic, user-friendly website, aju.edu. This is much more than a new website. It is a clear statement of our identity, mission, and impact. We hope you will visit it often and refer it to your friends and family.

We’ve returned to our roots and have refocused our work "singularly focused on the Jewish future."

This year, we’re celebrating two important milestones that demonstrate our impact: the 85th anniversary of the Ziering Brandeis Camp Institute (BCI) and the 40th anniversary of Miller Introduction to Judaism. Thousands of Jewish leaders around the world trace their inspiration and attribute their commitment to the Jewish people to their experiences at BCI. Our Introduction to Judaism program has created thriving Jewish homes and has guided thousands interfaith couples to make meaningful Jewish choices. Stay tuned for opportunities to join us as we reconnect with our alumni and commemorate these milestones.

The website launch also includes the rollout of the 2050 Institute with a podcast, "The Jewish Tomorrow" and a salon series, "The Future of...". The 2050 Institute is a bold and transformative initiative focusing on the next generation of Jewish life in North America.

American Jewish University is reinforcing its founding principles as both a living laboratory and a university of higher learning committed to experiential education that’s deeply rooted in Jewish texts and tradition, rich arts and culture and state-of-the-art innovation. We are strategically connecting our current and planned programs to reinforce our dedication to offering life-long experiences for Jews (and those interested in learning about Judaism and the Jewish people) of all ages and from diverse backgrounds.

Thank you for your continued support,

Jay Sanderson
President & CEO
American Jewish University

05/07/2026

📢 Calling all Alumni — we’re looking for YOU! 🫵
https://r35wq.share.hsforms.com/2X0_FvsyST4SEs2anVMxIGA

We’re building our alumni family and it starts with staying connected. Help us update our alumni network by taking this quick 5-minute survey and making sure we have your latest contact info.

✨ Reconnect with classmates
✨ Stay in the loop on AJU news & events
✨ Be part of our growing alumni community

Please also forward this to fellow alumni—we’d love to reconnect with them too!

Your information will be used solely for AJU communication purposes.

Click the link and help us bring our alumni family back together 💙
🔗 https://r35wq.share.hsforms.com/2X0_FvsyST4SEs2anVMxIGA

04/27/2026

Advance your career in early childhood education this summer with AJU →

Our Summer Extension Classes offer flexible, online options—whether you’re just beginning your ECE journey or looking to deepen your expertise. Choose from fully asynchronous courses (no scheduled Zoom sessions) or a hybrid format with live sessions every other Tuesday.

Courses include Child Growth and Development, Observation & Assessment of Infants and Toddlers, Administration of ECE Programs, and more!

🗓 Summer semester begins June 1
💻 Online, flexible formats
💲 $655 per course + $45 registration fee

Ready to take the next step? Learn more at www.aju.edu/masor-school/extension-courses

If you’d like to learn more about the Masor School or our programs, reach out anytime at 📧 [email protected]

04/15/2026

Join us tomorrow for a Masor School Information Session on Zoom!

Meet our dean and faculty, get an inside look at the program, and have all your questions answered.
🗓 Wednesday, April 15
🕛 12:00 PM & 6:00 PM PST
To RSVP, email Megan Kopstain at [email protected].

Know someone who would benefit from a Masor School degree? Share this with them!

We look forward to seeing you there!

03/31/2026

As we approach Pesach, I’m struck by a consistent tension in our work: we are asked to build what we cannot yet fully see.

My first months as Dean of the Masor School for Jewish Education and Leadership have been defined by listening and learning; but also by recognizing the extraordinary responsibility we carry. I have seen a community marked by warmth, serious purpose, and a shared belief that Jewish education is the key to shaping the future of Jewish life.

Pesach tells the story of a people who moved forward before outcomes were guaranteed. There was no roadmap, only a commitment to take the next step together. That is not just our history. It is our current reality as educators and leaders.

In our field, we often wrestle with how to define success. Not everything that matters can be easily measured, and not everything that can be measured truly matters. The impact of our work may appear in ways that lack immediate validation: a learner finding their voice, an educator taking a meaningful risk, a community becoming more connected and more alive.

But we cannot let that complexity become an excuse for vagueness. Accountability is essential. The questions we must continue to ask are not abstract:

Are we preparing educators to lead in a rapidly changing Jewish landscape?
Are we creating learning that is both deeply rooted and genuinely relevant?
Are we building systems that sustain Jewish life and learning?
These are not seasonal questions. They define our direction, and our work in the months and years ahead will be guided by how honestly we answer them.

The Haggadah’s charge that each of us see ourselves as if we personally left Egypt demands more than remembrance. It demands ownership. At the Masor School, our purpose is to ensure that Jewish learning is not inherited passively, but claimed actively.

As we gather around our Seder tables, retelling a story that has endured through changing times, I am optimistic about what we are building together, and clear-eyed about the work ahead.

Thank you for your partnership in this sacred responsibility.

I wish you a Pesach of renewal, clarity, and purpose.

Chag Pesach Sameach

Dr. Jay Greenlinger
Dean

03/26/2026

If you care about the future of Jewish education and community, Dr. Jay Greenlinger’s latest op-ed is a must-read.

He explores the profound impact early childhood educators have at the very start of a child and family’s Jewish journey, and makes a compelling case for why it’s time to elevate, support, and invest in this essential profession.

🔗 Read the full op-ed:

“Who is wise? One who learns from every person.” This teaching from Ben Zoma in the Pirkei Avot 4:1 has stayed with me in the weeks since I attended two gatherings dedicated to Jewish early childhood education: the Kehillah and Kavod conference organized by EarlyJ in the Bay Area and the Builder...

03/20/2026

AJU Masor School faculty member Meredith Polsky was featured in the Washington Jewish Week for her leadership in advancing disability inclusion across Jewish communities!

Polsky is the founder and executive director of Matan a national nonprofit organization that aims to reshape Jewish communities through disability inclusion. Her work focuses on equipping Jewish organizations with the tools and training needed to create environments where individuals of all abilities can fully participate and belong.

By expanding this work throughout the broader community, she continues to drive critical, lasting, systemic change in Jewish education and communal spaces.

We’re honored to have her as part of the AJU community and celebrate the impact she’s making.

Read more: https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/gaithersburgs-meredith-polsky-champions-disability-inclusion-in-jewish-spaces/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQFj_tleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETJwYjJqM1A5M2lzd3I2bVFnc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHlOCfjh_-uQUy3-XNwNTCFRxTLOZcU2n2tD6Mstm2b9156mytnF8z9RsVbB1_aem_6HgF9Dz6ij5tl-cvZJlvzA

As the head of a summer camp unit, Meredith Polsky bonded with a camper, “Josh,” who had difficulty making friends and fitting in with his peers.

03/13/2026

AJU advancing Jewish Education at BJE 📚✨

This week, the Builders of Jewish Education conference brought Jewish educators together at Stephen Wise Temple, and the Masor School for Jewish Education and Leadership at AJU was proud to be part of it.

Alumni, faculty, and current students gathered with the broader Jewish educational community to share ideas, learn from one another, and strengthen the future of Jewish education.

Several members of our community led sessions at the conference:

· Chana Blugrind (MAEd '20) – Holy Challah: Loaves and LEarning - Bringing Torah, Holidays, and Tanach Stories to Life

· Yehudis Smith (EdD '26) – Responsive Teaching For Diverse Learning Needs: Sameness is Not Fairness

· Alisha Sela (Current EdD student) – The Kindness Curriculum: Mindfulness in the Classroom

· Alana Levitt (MAEd '20) – Administrator Roundtable

We were also proud to see members of our community in attendance, including Kathy Sharp (Current MAEd student), Carin Schachat (MAEd ’23), Rachel Mitzman (MAEd ’23), and Megan Kopstain, AJU’s Assistant Coordinator of Academic Affairs.

Inspiring to see Masor educators sharing their expertise and continuing to build vibrant Jewish learning communities. 🌟✡️