Step into a powerful day of learning. Join fellow K–12 educators, school leaders, and administrators for a full-day professional development symposium designed to deepen understanding of Jewish identity, examine modern antisemitism, and equip participants with tools to foster more inclusive learning environments.
Participants will have the opportunity to earn Act 48 credits for attending this conference.
This program is hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Jewish Community Relations Council in collaboration with Brandeis University, Boundless Israel, Gratz College and the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.
Advance registration is required by Tuesday, Oct. 20.
EVENT DETAILS
Date & Time:
Thursday, Oct. 29
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Location:
Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History
101 South Independence Mall East
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Additional Information:
- The event is free of charge and breakfast, snacks, and lunch will be provided. Kosher catering provided by Deluxe Kosher Catering under the supervision of the Keystone-K.
- Parking is available at a discounted rate.
- For security purposes, advance registration is required by Tuesday, Oct. 20.
- Government IDs are subject to verification and bags are subject to search.
- By attending this event, you agree to the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Terms and Conditions.
- For event related questions, email events@jewishphilly.org or call 215.832.0534.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The day includes presentations, hands-on workshops, case studies and peer collaboration. Educators will also have the opportunity to connect with colleagues across the Philadelphia area.
Participants will:
- Deepen understanding of Jewish identity, history and diversity.
- Examine how antisemitism shows up in today’s classrooms and institutions.
- Learn practical tools for responding to antisemitic incidents.
- Engage with expert resources for school support.
Session Offerings
In Antisemitism, an American Tradition Pamela S. Nadell recounts the powerful story of antisemitism in America and how it has shaped the lives of Jews for almost four centuries. In this “urgent and provocative work on the history of hostility to American Jews” (Kirkus) Nadell writes: “Colonists not only carried rucksacks to America. They carried ideas about Jewish enmity and degeneracy that dwell at the core of Western civilization.”
Recounting this fraught history, Antisemitism, an American Tradition explores how Jews stood up against this hate, battling back though the law, associations, alliances, and sometimes with their fists. The Wall Street Journal lists this momentous work among its best reviewed books (October 2025). Antisemitism, an American Tradition sounds the alarm on this hatred which plagues America and the world today.
Presented by: Pamela Nadell, PhD, Professor and Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women’s & Gender History; Director, Jewish Studies Program, American University
Professor Pamela Nadell holds the Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women’s and Gender History at American University. Her new book, Antisemitism, an American Tradition (W.W. Norton, October 2025), won the National Jewish Award in American Jewish Studies. The Wall Street Journal named it to its October list of “books to read.” Hadassah Magazine and Religion News Service named it to lists of the best books of 2025.
Nadell’s last book, America’s Jewish Women: A History from Colonial Times to Today, (W.W. Norton, 2019), won the National Jewish Book Award’s Everett Family Foundation “Book of the Year” and was translated into Hebrew A past president of the Association for Jewish Studies, Nadell is a member of the Advisory Board planning the rebuild of Pittsburgh’s The Tree of Life. However, to her chagrin, she may best be known for testifying before Congress in the hearing with the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania.
This presentation examines how Jew-hatred has transformed over time, and the ways in which it is expressed today. Jew-hatred is not static and continues to morph and mutate. This lecture traces the many transformations of Jew-hatred from a hatred that was focused on religious tradition, beliefs, and practices; to a hatred that was racialized resulting in the murder of 6 million Jews; to the current fomentation of hate toward the political collective identity of the Jewish people expressed in the nationalist movement for Jewish self-determination.
Presented by: Rachel Fish, PhD, President & Co-Founder, Boundless Israel; Brandeis University
Dr. Rachel Fish is a scholar of modern Israel, Zionist thought, and antisemitism whose research and teaching examine the intersection of Jewish history and contemporary Jewish life. She is the incoming CEO of the Israel Institute which enhances knowledge about Israel by ensuring university students in the United States and globally have access to substantive, academically rigorous scholarship about Israel. Fish serves as Director of Brandeis University’s President’s Initiative on Antisemitism and is Associate Research Professor at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University.
Educators do not have to navigate challenging conversations about Jewish identity, antisemitism, and inclusion on their own. Join Gulienne Rollins, Education Manager at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Jewish Community Relations Council, and Andrew Goretsky, Senior Regional Director of ADL Philadelphia, for an interactive session highlighting the local organizations, programs, trainings, and educational resources available to support schools and educators across the Greater Philadelphia region. Participants will learn where to turn for expert guidance, classroom resources, professional development opportunities, incident response support, and community partnerships. Whether you are looking to strengthen Jewish inclusion, respond effectively to antisemitic incidents, or build a more welcoming school environment, this session will provide practical connections and actionable next steps.
Presented by:
Andrew Goretsky, EdD, Senior Regional Director, ADL Philadelphia
Gulienne Rollins, Education Manager, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Senior Regional Director, Andrew Goretsky, Ed.D. joined ADL in January 2022. He comes to ADL by way of Higher Education. Andrew has been serving in Student Affairs and doing DEI and anti-bias work throughout his career. Most recently he was dean of students at Arcadia University in Glenside, PA. While in that role he served on the University’s Anti-Black Racism Committee, Anti-Bias Policy Review Committee, and Freedom of Expression Committee. Andrew received his bachelor’s degree from SUNY Buffalo in Industrial Engineering, his master’s degree in student Personnel Administration from New York University and his doctorate in Higher Education Administration from George Washington University. His research area is student engagement and mobile technology.
Gulienne Rollins is the Education Manager for the Jewish Community Relations Council at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, where she works with local K–12 schools and university campuses to address rising antisemitism and build relationships with educators and administrators. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Communications and African & African Diaspora Studies from Boston College.Dr. Rachel Fish is a scholar of modern Israel, Zionist thought, and antisemitism whose research and teaching examine the intersection of Jewish history and contemporary Jewish life. She is the incoming CEO of the Israel Institute which enhances knowledge about Israel by ensuring university students in the United States and globally have access to substantive, academically rigorous scholarship about Israel. Fish serves as Director of Brandeis University’s President’s Initiative on Antisemitism and is Associate Research Professor at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University.
This course explores 4,000 years of Jewish history, from the biblical period through the rabbinic, medieval and modern eras. Together, we will examine the experiences, traditions and developments that have shaped Jewish life across generations and around the world. We will also explore the rich diversity of Jewish communities and their many ethnic and cultural expressions. Finally, we will consider the central role of the Land of Israel in Jewish identity and its enduring significance to Jewish communities throughout history, wherever Jews have lived.
Presented by: Rabbi Ron Fish, Associate Director, Brandeis University President’s Initiative on Antisemitism
Rabbi Ron Fish is Associate Director of the Brandeis University President’s Initiative on Antisemitism, where he focuses on interfaith clergy engagement, antisemitism education and helping K–12 educators understand the complexity of Jewish identity and the history and enduring reality of antisemitism. A rabbi with 25 years of congregational experience, he previously served as Director of Partnerships and Engagement for the Anti-Defamation League’s East Division and as Interim Regional Director of ADL’s New England Region.
Course information coming soon!
Presented by Yirmiyahu Danzig, OpenDor Media / Unpacked
Yirmiyahu Danzig is a content creator and digital educator for OpenDor Media’s Unpacked for Educators, who specializes in Jewish diversity, history, and identity. His roots in the Land of Israel and the Caribbean inform his social media activism, where he uses English, Hebrew, and Arabic to reach diverse audiences. Danzig was formerly the Director of Content and Education for the Herut Movement in the World Zionist Organization and the former Outreach Coordinator for StandWithUs San Diego. He served as a squad commander in a counterterrorism unit of the Israeli Border Police. He has a B.A. in Political Science, Homeland Security, and Public Diplomacy from the IDC Herzliya. Yirmiyahu is one of the strongest pro-Israel influencers.
In this interactive workshop, Jason Holtzman of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and Majid Alsayegh of the Dialogue Institute will help K-12 educators better understand and address antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias. Drawing on their personal identities and lived experiences, they will explore common stereotypes and tropes, discuss how misinformation spreads—particularly through social media—and introduce practical dialogue skills and classroom strategies that foster respectful conversations, challenge bias, and create more inclusive learning environments.
Presented by:
Majid Alsayegh, Board Chair, Dialogue Institute at Temple University; Co-Director, Office of Religious and Ethnic Interests (Title VI)
Jason Holtzman, Chief, Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Dave Krueger, The Dialogue Institute
Mr. Alsayegh was born and raised in Mosul, Iraq, and immigrated to the US in 1975. He is the founder of Alta Management, LLC, a project management firm, which has overseen management of large complex projects, including those that assisted clients with criminal justice reform. Mr. Alsayegh is currently the co-director of the Office of Religious and Ethnic Interests (Title VI) at the University of Pennsylvania. He also chairs the Board of the Dialogue Institute, a nonprofit that teaches leadership, dialogue skills and critical thinking. He serves on the national Muslim Jewish Advisory Council, a bipartisan group of business, political and religious leaders who have worked together to address hate crimes and protect religious freedom. Mr. Alsayegh also serves on the board of Abrahamic House in Washington, D.C. and is a co-founder and chairman emeritus of Intercultural Journeys, a Philadelphia based nonprofit that connects diverse communities through music and the arts. He is the former chair of the board of Delaware Valley University. Mr. Alsayegh has a civil engineering degree from the South Dakota School of Mines and an MS degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied at the Center for Energy and the Environment.
Jason Holtzman serves as Chief of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, where he builds relationships across diverse communities and advances dialogue, advocacy and understanding on issues affecting the Jewish community and the broader region. Before joining the Jewish Federation in 2019, Jason served as a Regional Israel Education Director for Hillel International’s Israel Action Program.
Through its signature curriculum, Stories that Shaped a Nation, and its newest exhibition, The First Salute, The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History provides educators with tools rooted in Experiential Learning. An exhibit and its artifacts open new windows for learners. Each object tells its own story, fits into a larger story, and is an entry point for deep learning.
Presented by:
Bryan Kessler, Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History
Dan Osborn, EdD, Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History / Project Mosaics
Bryan J. Kessler has more than 15 years of experience as an educator, professor, administrator and curriculum designer, with expertise in tolerance, historical understanding, social justice, and Holocaust and genocide studies. He has also worked in the curatorial departments of the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Jewish Heritage and holds degrees from Rutgers University, the University of Virginia and Seton Hall University, where he is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership.
Dan Osborn, EdD, is the Executive Director of Project Mosaics, an education nonprofit whose mission is to expand the representation of Jewish history, identity, and culture in schools so students can learn about global Jewish diversity. He also serves as the Curriculum Developer for the Weitzman’s Stories That Shaped a Nation: Jewish Lives in America curriculum. Dan is a history educator, education researcher, and nonprofit professional focused on multicultural and global approaches to teaching and learning, while specializing in producing digital teaching resources and providing teacher professional development.
This session offers practical frameworks for teaching Israel with context, nuance, and intellectual honesty. It will address Israeli history and society, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the recent Israeli election.
Presented by Bar Guzi, PhD, Head of Educational Opportunities, Boundless Israel
Bar Guzi is the Head of Educational Opportunities at Boundless and a Visiting Research Scholar with the Brandeis University President’s Initiative on Antisemitism. He earned his Ph.D. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis and has extensive teaching experience across college, high school, and adult learning settings.
During this session, attorneys from the Brandeis Center will educate middle and high school public school educators and educational leaders on best practices for complying with schools’ legal obligation to support Jewish students and fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students. The session will cover Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; examples of harassment of and discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students covered by Title VI; schools’ obligations to record, report, and respond to student complaints of bias and harassment; best practices and procedures for doing so; and information about how to protect students from harassment and discrimination without violating the First Amendment.
Presented by Denise Katz-Prober, Founder and Chairman, Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law
Prior to joining the Brandeis Center as the Director of Legal Initiatives, Ms. Katz-Prober was a trial attorney at the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, where she served as a criminal prosecutor and defended the District of Columbia and its employees in civil lawsuits in D.C.’s state and federal district courts. Ms. Katz-Prober has also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where she prosecuted domestic violence offenses. Before law school, she worked for a research organization focused on counterterrorism and extremist groups. Ms. Katz-Prober graduated from Brandeis University and received her J.D., cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School.
ABOUT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL
The Jewish Community Relations Council is the advocacy arm of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, leading the organization’s Center to Combat Antisemitism. The group is composed of civic-minded individuals and local Jewish agency leaders, who engage in public affairs, Israel education and issues that are important to the Jewish community. For more information, click here.