(Courtesy of Herzog College) Malki Sinensky, who teaches at Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and Rabbi Bryan Kinzbrunner, who teaches at RPRY in Highland Park, recently returned from a three-week educational tour of Israel. They are participants in an ongoing 16-month online teacher training program called “Rimonim” (pomegranates) organized by Herzog College, Israel’s leading religious Zionist teacher training college, through their international arm, Herzog Global.
Sinensky started teaching as a second career soon after COVID because she loves Jewish history and Tanach. She signed up for the Rimonim program for the Tanach-related courses, and to help her become a better teacher of Kodesh studies. The curriculum was intense: four asynchronous classes per semester, and a summer semester in Israel.
“I was grateful to be accepted to the program, which was slated to begin right after the chagim,” she said. “Of course, on October 7 everything changed, but the organizers were determined to continue with the program despite the war. The online classes were interesting. The teachers were engaging and they interacted with us whenever we had questions. Not only did I learn new methodologies on studying Kodesh, but I learned specific pedagogical methods that I could use at school. I began incorporating gamification into my classes, and utilizing tools like Google Slides and PowerPoint, Kahoot and other quizzes. I could feel a new energy in my personal teaching experience, and my students noticed it, too.
“The Israel semester experience was far more than I could have imagined. The educators who were accepted to the program were diverse, intelligent and literally from around the world—from Belarus, Singapore, South Africa, Australia, England and every corner of the United States. Each and every one of them brought an interesting and unique perspective towards their understanding of Jewish education.
“Despite our differences, we were able to share, to disagree, to laugh and to cry together, all in the name of improving how we teach our holy students. At the end, we formed what I hope is a bond that will last for a long time. We are still diverse, but I believe one of the most important tools we gained was that our diversity can be our strength.”
Kinzbrunner became a teacher as a second career, bringing his experiences of chaplaincy and personal coaching to his teaching. “I joined the Rimonim program to learn new educational methodologies and pedagogy skills for connecting to today’s students,” he said. “The online courses were extremely practical, exploring the process of teaching and developing skills for effective education. The idea is not only to impart knowledge but also to impact our students’ lives and Jewish identities.
“The summer semester in Israel was a fascinating journey. During these crazy times, it was inspiring to meet Israelis who are carrying on with their lives despite what the country is going through. Everywhere we went, we saw posters of soldiers who have been killed and the same posters of the October 7 hostages that we are familiar with from our own communities. It was a reminder of the resilience of the Jewish people, and it became part of the zeitgeist of our learning experiences.
“The most valuable part of the semester was meeting other teachers—most of them more experienced in the classroom than I—and exchanging ideas with them. I enjoyed the touring around Jerusalem and those parts of Israel that were safe to visit. It was amazing to stand on Mount Tabor and look down into the Jezreel Valley where the battles of the book of Shoftim took place, and to hear our tour guide, Rabbi Alan Haber, bring that history to life for us.”
On the group visit to Herzog College, Kinzbrunner was fascinated to see that silver Torah decorations from the now-defunct Kehillat Yisrael in Newark, New Jersey, that were donated to Yeshivat Har Etzion were prominently displayed in the college/yeshiva library, together with an extensive collection of ancient and modern Jewish books.
Despite concerns about possible rocket attacks, Sinensky, Kinzbrunner and some of their Rimonim colleagues extended their visit to continue learning Tanach at the Herzog College “Yemei Iyun B’Tanakh” Bible study festival. They also participated in the Jewish Educators’ Day, hearing guest lectures by Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schecter and Dr. Deena Rabinovich from Yeshiva University, and from many of Israel’s top Tanach lecturers, in Hebrew and English.
Kinzbrunner said: “As someone who has for years wanted to attend the Yemei Iyun B’Tanakh, I was very excited that the timing of the Rimonim program would allow me to finally get the opportunity. It did not disappoint. The caliber of the presentations on Tanach and at the Jewish Educators’ Day was inspirational and thought-provoking.”
Gathering and planting seeds became an ongoing metaphor in the conversation between the Rimonim teachers during their two-week program. Heading home, one of the teachers wrote: “We have cultivated much earth and planted many seeds – now I’m looking forward to helping them grow.”
Rabbi Bryan Kinzbrunner has written an online journal of his experiences in Israel that you can read on his Facebook page.
