We believe that people learn best when the totality of their lives is brought to their learning in kehillot, communities that embody the words of Ruth, “Your people are my people,” (1:16). We strive to understand the joys and challenges of all of our stakeholders and the myriad contexts that shape their lives, with compassion, warmth, and in learning spaces infused with deep engagement and rigor.

“Rooted in Each Other” 
Explanation of our artwork and process:

Intentional learning communities occur when learners are treated holistically and when each individual can bring their fullest self forward. In this piece, the trees represent both the educators and the learners in those communities. They grow and develop together, they communicate through complex social networks to identify individual and collective needs, and they take care of each other. The trees are surrounded by their stakeholders: the sun, the earth, and the sky; those stakeholders have a profound impact on how the forest develops, adapts, and grows. The whole structure – every tree, representing both the learners and educators – is supported by a complex root system. The roots represent a history as rich as the nutrient-dense earth, a hidden, stabilizing context, and provides them with a foundation for growth. Sometimes, roots are impenetrably strong, tangled up and knotted, or held close and precious, but they are always steadying and valuable. Around the edges, the blank border represents the naked page beneath. This border reminds us that there is eternal space to spread, endless room to grow, and that the growing is best done communally, with the myriad of individual experiences that ultimately, bring us together.