ARJE26 Monday Update

by | Feb 6, 2026

B’ruchim HaBa’im, Shalom, and Welcome!

Opening Program and Tefillah

We kicked off the day with a meaningful and uplifting tefilah, exploring new melodies and themes together. Looking for the cards we used? You can grab them here! Along the way, we leaned into a few delightfully sappy puns and words that helped plant the seeds for our learning journey. What will grow over the next few days? Keep that question tucked in the back of your mind as we head into the next 36+ hours of learning, sharing, and growing together.

Minneapolis Update

We are deeply aware of the city we are in, and the complications of this moment.  We are grateful to our Minneapolis colleagues who are teaching us each day what is happening here. Rabbi Jill Avrin from the Jewish Communal Relations Council shared important background and updates on local efforts to advance immigration justice. You can learn more here: Update on Operation Metro Surge.
 
If you’re looking for ways to take action, the RAC has created this helpful resource: https://www.rac.org/2026immigration.

Who’s on YOUR team?

At lunch, we met our  ARJE26 teams–our thought partners, friendly competitors, and conference comrades for the days ahead. What fruit are you? 🍎🍇 Don’t forget to wear your bracelet and get ready for tomorrow night’s dinner and games!
 

Afternoon learning: 

Our afternoon deep dives had something for everyone as we spread out into different “growth zones” and started planting seeds:
  • Hughie Stone Fish and Avram Mandell explored how cross-pollination in relationships and community partnerships helps us Build Bridges to Combat Antisemitism.
  • New technology—like innovative gardening techniques—opens up exciting possibilities. In Reimagining Jewish Learning in the Age of AI, Shira Sender guided us through both the promise and the challenges of AI, from ethics to maintaining personal connection.
  • Educators (like gardeners!) need tools for when things get messy. Beth Lipschutz, MSW, helped us begin building skills to become Confident, Competent, Compassionate, and Resilient Educators.
  • Talking to plants helps—and so does singing! Jay Rapoport shared creative ways to bring music, movement, and art into Creative T’filot, helping prayer grow in joyful and meaningful ways.
  • Caring for others can make it hard to care for ourselves. Rabbi Jen Gubitz led Spiritual Surfing: Strengthening Self and Soul in Surging Waters, offering tools to help us understand our stories and sustain ourselves as we care for others.
  • In a deeply divided world, we need ways to Talk it Out. Jonah Canner introduced Machloket l’shem Shamayim (sacred disagreement) as a Jewish framework for navigating hard conversations and building stronger communities.
After more time connecting with sponsors, we headed out for dinner before gathering for our StorySlam—an evening full of stories, games, desserts, and a jam session that brought lots of fun and energy!
 

The Marketplace is OPEN! 🎉

Please take the time to learn more about our incredible sponsors and vendors. ARJE is so grateful for these amazing organizations—and we love being able to support them right back.