Good Evening, I am Lisa Lieberman Barzilai, Past President of ARJE.
Our third chapter begins in the late 1990s with the hiring of our first full-time Executive Director and the move to the UAHC offices in New York. (Insert your own personal connection here). This period can be summarized by sharing the Vision statement adapted in 2005 - We aim to serve as leading professional association for R. Jewish ed leaders 0 supporting educators as professionals, and advocating for the profession. NATE will be a source and conduit to Professional Development. and lifelong learning to continually raise the competence and confidence among Ref. Jew. Educators. NATE will model collaboration among Reform Jewish Educators, and between the educators and Jewish professionals and lay leaders. NATE will work towards creating positive partnerships for those seeking positions, and those looking, NATE will advocate for professionals. Educators by serving as representatives in the Reform Movement.
Honoring Jan Katzew
While many individuals in this room helped ensure we achieved that vision, including other recipients of the Jewish Educational Leadership award, Sam Joseph and Stan Schickler, tonight we honor Rabbi Jan Katzew, whose lifetime work has shaped both ARJE and the field of Jewish education.
Jan, you have helped ARJE find and confidently claim its voice. From the earliest days of your work as a congregational educator on Long Island, through your leadership of the URJ Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning, and in the countless mentoring relationships you have cultivated, your leadership has consistently helped to shape and strengthen who we are.
You shared that, in your early days, members of the Chicago and Long Island regions of NATE brought you into the community and helped you feel you belonged. You, in turn, did that for all of us, and for congregational educators across our movement.
When you became Director of Lifelong Jewish Learning, you placed Torah at the center of the Reform Movement and served, in a very real way, as a tireless advocate for both the profession of Jewish education and the professionals who dedicate their lives to it. This commitment was not incidental; it was a guiding imperative of your work. During your tenure, you made it your mission to build, and rebuild strong ties with ARJE so that educators could truly function as a unified movement. You recruited members to write the Chai Curriculum and Mitkadem, to serve as thought partners and trusted sources of feedback as together we reshaped Reform Jewish Education across North America.
More recently, your work at HUC and the iCenter have enabled dozens if not hundreds of ARJE members, Jewish educators, and Jewish leaders to deepen their practice, to hone their craft, and to feel the power of your guidance and care as, a teacher, a scholar, and a guide.
Your ideals and principles have become a foundation for the voice we sought to establish within the Reform Movement and the broader Jewish educational landscape. Through your mentorship of so many, your influence is felt far and wide. Many in this room have benefited directly from your wisdom and guidance; others may not even realize that their own mentors were shaped by you. Your impact on the field, helping educators find their voice, claim their expertise, and earn seats at important tables, has ensured that our perspectives are heard when consequential decisions are made.
It is for this reason that we are thrilled to announce that today we not only give you this distinguished award, but also formally name our new ARJE Mentorship program in your honor. We have raised over $50,000 through your outreach to ensure that your legacy will continue in the next generation of Jewish educators.
On a personal note, I will be forever grateful for the mentorship, guidance, and friendship you have given me over the course of the past 25 years. May you and ARJE continue to go from strength to strength.
It is my great honor to present you with the ARJE Jewish Educational Leadership Award, so deeply and richly deserved, my friend.