OUR STORY
In 1910, educator Dr. Samson Benderly helped launch what became the Board of Jewish Education after discovering that thousands of Jewish children in New York, mostly immigrants, were receiving little or no Jewish education. The response was swift: bring educators together, strengthen teaching, and build a foundation to carry Jewish values and heritage forward. From those earliest days, UJA-Federation of New York has been our steadfast partner in this work. As Jewish life expanded beyond the classroom, we evolved, too - reimagined as The Jewish Education Project to meet learners wherever Jewish life happens.
Today, educators and community leaders turn to us for guidance and our bold vision. In any crisis, we have a team ready to help educators respond with practical training and relevant, trusted resources. Since October 7th, we’ve supported educators and parents navigating grief and rampant antisemitism with timely, grounded tools and expert advice.
We’re also building what’s next - fostering lifelong connections to Israel for over 18,000 North American teens through RootOne’s teen Israel travel program. We're creating school communities free of antisemitism through the Center for Jewish-Inclusive Learning. And we're Reimagining Israel Education, giving educators concrete strategies to teach Israel effectively.