Home Resources The Mosaic of the Jewish People: A Pedagogy of Relational Sense-Making
March 2026

The Mosaic of the Jewish People: A Pedagogy of Relational Sense-Making

Mikhael Reuven Kesher
Director, Israel Education
The Jewish Education Project
To engage in relational sense-making is to explore the patterns of overlap, difference, and tension within the complex mosaic of the Jewish people.
Mikhael Reuven Kesher is a curator of educational experiences and resources, whose professional passion is supporting Jewish educators and learners in building informed, constructive, and committed relationships with am yisrael (the Jewish people) and medinat yisrael (the Jewish state). As a British-born Israeli-by-choice and new American, he cares deeply about strengthening each Jew’s connection to global Jewry. Before joining The Jewish Education Project as Director, Israel Education, Mikhael worked at Harvard Hillel, MIT Hillel, and Hebrew College. He holds Master’s degrees in Philosophy (University of Cambridge), Near Eastern & Judaic Studies (Brandeis University), and Jewish professional leadership (Brandeis University). At home, Mikhael is an avid reader, ḥevruta enthusiast, and devoted abba to two young children.
Share

More PEDAGOGIES RESOURCES

A Practice of Wonder: Cultivating Jewish Belonging Through Awe and Attention

Deborah Niederman

Director of Education
Temple Shalom

To engage in a practice of wonder is to see personal experiences of awe as part of a broader Jewish narrative and a commitment to the collective.

Access Resource

Meaning-Making in the Teaching of Tanakh Storytelling as a Pedagogy for Connection to the Jewish People

Reuven Spolter

Educational Development Coordinator for English Speaking Countries at Herzog Global
Herzog College

To teach Tanakh through storytelling is to transmit shared memory and values, fostering a deeper connection and long-term engagement with tradition.

Access Resource

Pedagogy of Hiddush

Avidan Halivni

Associate Director
Jewish Learning Collaborative

To practice Hiddush is to extract new meaning from ancient sources and mark one’s own place in the ongoing collective conversation.

Access Resource

Primary Sources as a Portal to Jewish Peoplehood

Shuvi Hoffman

Manager of Global Jewish Education
The National Library of Israel

To learn through primary sources is to enter a portal into a different context and move from a spectator to an active participant in the Jewish story.

Access Resource

The Things We Carry: A Pedagogy of Jewish Migration and Adaptation

Dr. Analucia Lopezrevoredo

Founder and Executive Director
Jewtina y Co

To experience The Things We Carry is to engage all five senses to make the lived experiences of Jewish migration personal and embodied.

Access Resource

Drawing Out a New Torah

Jacqueline Nicholls

Freelance Artist and Educator

To draw out a new Torah is to use artistic engagement as a way of thinking that raises voices previously not included in traditional learning.

Access Resource