Director of Hebrew School / Youth & Family Education

Summary

Kane Street Synagogue’s Director of Youth & Family Education (Director) is a full-time employee who will lead and inspire the continued success of our thriving Hebrew School (of 200 students and counting!) and teen communities, as well as oversee our flourishing Youth and Family programming. The ideal candidate will have a Masters in Jewish Education–or be an ordained Jewish clergyperson–with at least five to ten years experience in the field of education and/or educational administration, including managerial duties. The Director will report to our Senior Rabbi and work as part of a talented, energetic, and generous team of professionals. Kane Street is an egalitarian Conservative synagogue in Brownstone Brooklyn and we have experienced rapid growth in recent years. We are a warm, multigenerational, engaged congregation of more than 430 member households that values joyful, pluralistic Judaism. Our new Director will be an integral, valued leader within our community, essential to the sustainability of our continued growth.

The goals and values of our Hebrew School

Kane Street Synagogue’s Hebrew School creates a stimulating and welcoming atmosphere that makes Judaism come alive for children from all types of Jewish backgrounds. We encourage open questioning and strive to help students and their families find their own personal meaning in our rich Jewish traditions. We want our kids to love being Jewish and pride ourselves in our Hebrew school nourishing that love.

Our ideal candidate for Director of Youth & Family Education will be:

• A warm, creative, kind, organized and welcoming person with excellent written and verbal communication skills, adept in working with both children and adults
• A strong leader, eager to be a part of a thriving, fast-paced, spirited, and rapidly growing Jewish community
• A skilled manager who is able to multitask, think big, be flexible and collaborate with others
• An inspired, highly accomplished and motivated Jewish educator who will bring knowledge, ruaḥ, and a love for Jewish learning and living, to our Hebrew School and broader synagogue
• Equipped with strong foundational Hebrew literacy (Conversational Hebrew is a plus!)
• Experienced in supervising and training teachers
• Proficient (or a quick study!) in Google Workspace, Shulcloud, and MacOS

Duties and Responsibilities:

Our ideal Director will have a majority of the following responsibilities; portfolio particulars may vary depending on the candidate and whether we determine that we need to expand our program to include Sundays—we’re currently bursting at the seams!

• Develop and implement an engaging, creative, age-appropriate, content-rich, Hebrew School curriculum for pre-K to grade 12 students
• Hire, develop, supervise and inspire our exceptional group of teachers (we have a team of 11 currently, working between 1-4 days/week) and support staff, including a dedicated programming assistant, and teen madrikhim who serve as assistant teachers
• Modify curriculum and classroom structures to enable neurodiverse students to access the Hebrew School content
• Manage and facilitate all communications with Hebrew School parents
• Manage Hebrew School budget and collaborate with the Synagogue’s Executive Director and Finance Committee as needed
• Work closely with our Director of Liturgy & Learning to involve students in Shabbat services
• Promote and publicize the Hebrew School and Youth and Family programs, engaging new and current families alike
• Manage registration and enrollment for the upcoming academic year
• Collaborate with lay leaders and staff members on relevant fundraising efforts
• Collaborate with the Director of Liturgy & Learning and the Rabbi to support B’nei Mitzvah and Post-B’nei Mitzvah programming
• Oversee Youth and Family holiday and Shabbat services throughout the year
• Oversee monthly Shabbat Family Dinners as well as holiday programming for youth and families
• Oversee other age-appropriate Youth and Family programming, including tikkun olam and tzedakah activities for youth and families