H eadlines
J-STEM Grows: Science with a Jewish Twist
L O CAL
JED WEISBERGER | JE STAFF
STEM LEARNING — the
combination of science, tech-
nology, engineering and math-
ematics — is taking hold as the
preferred way to educate chil-
dren for the jobs of the future.

The Department of Labor
recently shared that 65 percent
of the careers that children
today will enter have not yet
even been invented, but those
jobs will be centered in the four
STEM fields.

Kellman Brown Academy
(KBA), a Jewish day school in
Voorhees, N.J., is taking STEM
a step further, integrating Jewish
themes and thinking into its
curriculum as part of its J-STEM
Lab, which will celebrate its
grand opening on Jan. 20.

“We feel STEM think-
ing is Jewish thinking,” KBA
Principal Rachel Zivic said.

“A cornerstone of Judaism is
critical thinking. Additionally,
Judaism consistently adapts and
evolves in creative ways through
changing times. J-STEM is the
integration of Jewish themes
and customs into the frame-
work of STEM.”
KBA’s Community STEM
Lab will feature many of the
same equipment found in any
public school setting — an
augmented reality/virtual real-
From left: Rachel Zivic, Helene Sterling, Eliana Seltzer, Sherri Quintero,
Brittany McIlhenny and Joshua Schaeffer
Photos provided
ity center, robotics, advanced
coding, 3D printing and engi-
neering and circuitry — but
it will be put to use in ways
that work for the entire South
Jersey Jewish community. The
move follows the establishment
of similar labs at Jewish day
schools throughout the region
over the last couple of years.

A flagship partner is Jewish
Interactive, a London-based
company with a goal of pro-
viding “universal access to
high-quality Jewish education
using modern tools.” Jewish
Interactive is piloting some
of its key products with KBA,
including educational games
and its J-STEAM curriculum.

“I started talking to [Jewish
Interactive CEO]
Chana [Kanzen] last year,” Zivic said.

“Jewish Interactive is really revo-
lutionizing Jewish education with
its ideas and technology. They
needed a school to pilot their
products, to see if they work and,
after vetting us, they partnered
with us. We’re really pleased the
way it all worked out.”
Kanzen, who will bring her
London team to KBA for the
grand opening, is equally pleased.

“Jewish Interactive is
thrilled to have partnered with
KBA on creating their J-STEM
lab,” Kanzen said. “This special
community school is so obvi-
ously passionate about provid-
ing the very best educational
experiences they can for their
children, and we have been
proud to be able to support and
guide them in implementation
of this worthwhile endeavor.

“I have no doubt that the
students in KBA will fulfill both
a love of Judaism that is relevant
and meaningful, while gain-
Natalie Leibowitz (first grade)
and Jonah Frantz (kindergarten)
prepare for a virtual reality activity.

Tyler Whitney and Mira Berman
(fourth grade) paint a Jewish
artifact on a 3D printer.

ing core essential skills for the
future workplace. It is a perfect
partnership and one that will be
a model for many other schools
around the world.”
Zivic and KBA will be
co-presenters of
Jewish Interactive products at the 2019
Prizmah Conference of Jewish
Education in March in Atlanta.

Philadelphia’s Franklin
Institute has collaborated with
KBA in the science area in
setting up the J-STEM lab,
while Philadelphia’s PJ Library,
which provides free books for
Jewish children and their fam-
ilies, has also contributed.

Zivic is proud of her assem-
bled KBA STEM Team.

“They are in the lab and
with the kids all the time,”
Zivic said. “We’re all learning
and are flexible with all this. I
couldn’t ask for any more.”
Zivic and her staff are show-
ing how a J-STEM facility can
mix science and Judaism.

“Our children are learning
to read the Torah, but we take
it a step further,” Zivic said. “A
student can design his or her
own unique yad that they will
use in reading, then send it to
our 3D printer and actually put
it together. Technology, Judaism
and learning hand in hand.”
Another exercise was per-
formed at Sukkot, with a virtual
reality sukkah that only one stu-
dent was able to access at a time.

“Each student, by himself or
herself, was able to accomplish
the mitzvah of sitting in the suk-
kah,” Zivic said. “Our kids again
leaned how Judaism works with
all the new technology.” l
jweisberger@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0737
Tu B’Shevat, MLK Day Has Weekend of Events
L O CAL
SELAH MAYA ZIGHELBOIM | JE STAFF
TU B’SHEVAT AND Martin
Luther King Jr. Day both fall
on Jan. 21 this year, resulting
in a three-day weekend full of
volunteer opportunities.

Both holidays have social
justice connotations. In rec-
ognition of the civil rights
leader, MLK Day has always
been a holiday that promotes
4 JANUARY 17, 2019
racial justice. Meanwhile, Tu
B’Shevat, also called the “New
Year of the Trees,” has, in mod-
ern times, become associated
with environmentalism.

For some, the overlap serves
as an opportunity to discuss
the intersection between racial
and environmental justice and
participate in volunteerism.

The MLK Day weekend
is one of Repair the World:
Philadelphia’s biggest programs,
fellow Rel Bogom-Shanon said.

The organization has more
than a dozen activities planned,
including an MLK Weekend
Shabbat Dinner on Jan. 18 at
6 p.m., which will bring in Tu
B’Shevat with a discussion on
racial and environmental justice.

“[People] are more inclined
to volunteer [on MLK Day],”
Bogom-Shanon said. “Our mis-
sion is to have folks make vol-
unteering and direct service a
normative part of their lives.

We love MLK Day because it
JEWISH EXPONENT
gives people that little taste, and
then we can say, ‘Hey, you can
actually do this throughout the
year and create relationships
throughout the year.’”
Repair the World isn’t the
only organization offering hol-
iday-themed Shabbat activities.

At 6 p.m. on Jan. 18,
Congregation Rodeph Shalom
is holding a Friday evening
Shabbat service in honor of
See Holiday, Page 22
Volunteers participate in last
year’s Repair the World MLK Day
programming. Photo provided
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