Reflections by Morissa Freiberg-Vance, RJE
I deeply believe that strong Jewish education begins with educators who are continously learning. If we want our students to grow, we have to model that growth ourselves. This winter has been filled with meaningful professional development, for me personally, and for our teaching team!
The Tzedek America Impact Fellowship
I am honored to share that I was recently accepted into the Tzedek America Rabbi Emily Feigelson Impact Fellowship. This national fellowship brings together Jewish professionals who are committed to strengthening Jewish identity, leadership, and civic responsibility through social-action based learning. Tzedek America aims to equip Jewish educators with the tools and knowledge to guide middle and high school students through educational social justice experiences.
This opportunity allows me to think deeper about our already-existing teen social action programming, particularly B’Yachad (8th grade) and Mitzvah Corps (11th/12th grade), and how we can expand on these already successful components of our Teen Program.
The fellowship consists of three webinars, culminating with a trip to Los Angeles in June to help staff a Tzedek America program and put our learning into action.
Yamim: Learning with Colleagues Across Columbus
Rabbi Karen and I had the opportunity to participate in Yamim 2026 through M2: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education (IEJE), alongside colleagues from across the Columbus Jewish community. Yamim is a day-long professional development lab that invites Jewish professionals to explore Israel through its clarifying visions and complicated crossroads, and to design meaningful, values-driven learning experiences for their communities.
This program focused on experiential ways of connecting with Zionist thinkers, in relationship to the upcoming Yamim, Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut. It challenged us to think not just about what we teach, but how we create lessons about Israel that students truly feel and remember.
Learning shoulder-to-shoulder with other Columbus educators and synagogue professionals was incredibly meaningful. There is something powerful about stepping out of the day-to-day and being reminded that we are part of a larger network of Jewish professionals working toward the same goal: raising knowledgeable, proud, engaged Jewish young people with a deep love for Israel.
Thank you to JewishColumbus for hosting this amazing training!
Strengthening Our Classrooms: Inclusion & Classroom Management
Closer to home, our teachers recently engaged in professional development with Hanna Fotsch, Director of Community Inclusion at JewishColumbus. Hanna first spent time observing in our classrooms, which allowed the training to be tailored specifically to our students and our teachers.
The workshop focused on practical, research-based classroom management strategies rooted in compassion, structure, and relationship-building.
Teachers reflected honestly on their hardest classroom moments and explored what Hanna called “The Big Three.”
- Action – incorporating movement and micro-breaks to support engagement
- Interaction – structured peer learning and social connection
- Structure – clear routines that set students up for success
What I appreciated most was the emphasis on seeing behavior through a compassionate lens. We discussed validating feelings (without validating harmful behaviors), using restorative and reflective consequences, and remembering that behavior is often a skill deficit, not defiance.
Our teachers left with tangible strategies they could implement immediately in their classrooms, including clear entry tasks, consistent attention signals, restorative conversations, and simple in-the-moment de-escalation tools. Perhaps most importantly, the training reinforced that small, intentional adjustments can reduce stress for teachers while creating calmer, more inclusive classrooms for students.
Professional learning is not an “extra” for us—it is a core value in our program at Beth Tikvah. I feel incredibly grateful to work alongside clergy and teachers who are so committed to growing in their practice. When we invest in our educators, we invest directly in our children.
I look forward to continuing to share how this learning shapes our school!
Morissa R. Freiberg, RJE has served as Director of Education & Lifelong Learning at Congregation Beth Tikvah since 2012.