The Covenant Foundation has long supported social-emotional and spiritual health and wellbeing across multiple populations and settings within the Jewish world. In the early 2000’s, the Foundation began exploring how Jewish wisdom and practice could speak to these needs through projects such as “The Healing Waters Initiative” at Mayyim Hayyim Community Mikveh in Boston; “Partners in Prevention,” an addiction-prevention program based in Jewish learning developed by Beit T’shuvah in Los Angeles; and “Growing Older/Growing Wiser,” a guide developed by Rabbi Rachel Cowan and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality to address the spiritual journeys and challenges of aging.

In 2007, in collaboration with Dr. Jeff Kress, at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Covenant Foundation deepened this inquiry by convening experts in social-emotional learning to discuss how insights from this field of educational research could shape Jewish education classrooms and experiences. Gleanings from this gathering have continued to influence the work of the Covenant Foundation in the decades since.

While always a focus, addressing social-emotional and spiritual wellness, took on new urgency for the Foundation during the past five years in the wake of the Covid pandemic, the events of October 7, 2023, the ensuing war, rise in antisemitism and concerns about the state of our democracy.  As a result of this turmoil, educators, learners of all ages, and families are left feeling overwhelmed and anxious about the future.

The Foundation is deeply grateful to the many Jewish educators who have devoted their considerable talent and energy to this work. By integrating text with the arts, dialogue, Israel education, community building, and other approaches to Jewish education, these Jewish educators continue to enrich the lives of countless students and families.

We hope that you will be inspired by the work shared in this volume of Reports from the Field and reach out to these educators to learn more about their work.

--Joni Blinderman, Executive Director