Resources for Educators

JFGI Education offers a variety of resources to support students and educators throughout Indiana.

 

The Indianapolis Jewish community provides educational resources to the greater community to open lines of communication, build bridges of understanding, and enrich the curriculum and overall school experience.

This webpage highlights resources for administrators, teachers, and students. Please reach out to us so we can help support your efforts to provide accurate education related to Judaism, Jewish history, Israel, antisemitism, and community building.

Professional Development

We recognize that the best teachers are continuous learners.  To support teachers' ongoing growth, JFGI provides a variety of professional development opportunities.  Many of our professional development seminars are focused on Holocaust education and anti-bias training.  Certain professional development seminars are geared toward Jewish teachers, but everyone is welcome to attend.  

Informed by our community's recent demographic study and strategic planning process, JFGI is committed to promoting Jewish educational programming that aims to reach both current and not yet connected members of the Jewish community.  All of JFGI's Education Grants support our strategic focus on Jewish Learning and Experience and our commitment to serve as a resource and facilitator in providing an array of meaningful Jewish educational and learning initiatives, both formal and informal, collaborating with others to address multi-generational needs.  


TOne of the ways JFGI aims to make progress in the strategic focus area of Jewish Learning & Experience is through partnering with community organizations to strengthen the overall landscape of Jewish education in our community and broaden who is connecting with our community through learning. In order to build support for educational innovation, JFGI offers two grant opportunities: JFGI Education Innovation Grants & JFGI Education Collaboration Grants.

JFGI Education Grants for the 2019-2020 academic year have already been awarded. Applications for 2020-2021 will be available in January 2020.




JFGI recognizes that to provide youth in our community with quality Jewish education, we need to support the growth of our educational leaders, teachers, and informal educators. To that end, we have allocated a limited amount of funds to provide teachers with grants to help cover the cost of professional development opportunities outside of those provided by JFGI.

To be eligible, individual educators and faculty groups must work in Jewish educational settings affiliated with the JEdI (Jewish Educators of Indy) Council for a minimum of three hours per week.

Apply for an Educator Growth Grant




ince 2018, the Jewish community in greater Indianapolis has honored an excellent Jewish educator through the Grinspoon Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. This national program recognizes outstanding individuals who are making a difference in communities throughout North America through their work in the field of Jewish education.

Since the program’s start in 2000, hundreds of Jewish educators in a variety of Jewish educational settings have been celebrated for their exceptional teaching. The Indianapolis Jewish community is pleased to participate in this prestigious program and have our finest teachers among those recognized on a national level.

Nominations Open January 2020

Holocaust Education Resources

Teaching about the Holocaust and genocide can seem daunting, especially when considering  the importance of having historically accurate information that fits the tone of the topic. The seriousness of the events combined with the emotional impact it can have on students makes the correct choice of resources even more important.  For this reason, JFGI provides resources to educators to support the important work of teaching students about the Holocaust.  The resources provided include:

  • Holocaust Speakers Bureau
  • Holocaust & Genocide Education Trunk Program
  • Field Trips & Experiences
  • Library Materials
  • Online Resources


Presentations & Field Trips

 

Bring a Guest Speaker to Your Class

Speakers share their personal stories, in-depth knowledge, and answer students' questions. Topics addressed by JFGI Education staff and community volunteer speakers include: 

  • Holocaust Speakers' Bureau - sharing family experience from the Holocaust
  • Holocaust & Contemporary Genocide Presentations
  • Judaism & Jewish Life
  • ​Israel:  Life, Culture, & History
  • Student to Student:  Jewish teens presenting about what it means to be Jewish

Bring Your Class to Us for a Field Trip

Field trips enrich your students' learning experience.  All field trips are offered to the community free of charge.  Your school only needs to cover transportation and student lunches (if you choose to include that as part of the visit).  Field trip opportunities include:

  • Special exhibits and learning opportunities related to Holocaust education
  • A visit to the Albert & Sara Reuben Holocaust Memorial Garden
  • Learning about Judaism through a visit to a local synagogue
  • A trip to the Jewish Community Library