Think Tank XIII Recap

The 13^th annual summer Think Tank conference drew over 250 leaders and educators from Jewish day schools across the country and beyond. Focused on What Great School Leaders Do Differently, this year’s conference featured outstanding presenters from the Jewish day school community and the broader educational world, along with networking opportunities and interactive panel discussions, with special tracks for educational leaders, general studies principals, and mesivta menahelim.  

The Think Tank conference is the flagship annual event held by the Consortium of Jewish Day Schools (CoJDS). Led by Rabbi Heshy Glass, CoJDS is dedicated to the empowerment, development, and improvement of Jewish day schools worldwide, using traditional Torah values as our guide. Throughout the year, CoJDS hosts events and training for school leaders and educators, publishes limudei Kodesh curricula and standardized assessments used by hundreds of schools, and supports schools with staffing and strategic planning. The Think Tank conference is led each year by Dr. Eli Shapiro. 

The keynote session was led by Dr. Todd Whitaker, author of What Great Principals Do Differently, focusing on the keys to effective school leadership. Dr. Whitaker challenged attendees to lead for their best teachers and to reserve their efforts for the things they could change.  

Rabbi Mendel Greenbaum, of Cheder Menachem and Bais Chaya Mushka in Los Angeles, and Debbie Fox, LCSW, spoke about what great school leaders do to create a safe environment for their students and staff. The session focused on how school leaders can implement the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy developed by Magen Yeladim International, whose pioneering work includes the Safety Kid program and other impactful initiatives in schools and communities worldwide.  

Rabbi Simcha Dessler moderated a Q & A session with HaRav Aharon Lopiansky and HaRav Sholom Kamenetsky, covering topics including helping students develop a healthy work ethic, priorities in Torah studies curriculum planning, the importance of teaching tefillah, and how to ensure that today’s students feel Judaism is meaningful.  

Dr. Josh Gold, the HAFTR principal, spoke about building trust in a school community, sharing research and experience showing that trust is the most important element in healthy organizations, leading to better teacher retention and student academic outcomes. Dr. Lea Goldstein, from Derech HaTorah in Rochester, shared the recipe for great school leaders, highlighting that greatness is not something people are born with but is developed with intention, and offering a practical, relatable framework. And Rabbi Daniel Alter, head of school at Moriah School in Englewood, addressed perhaps the biggest challenge of all: how great school leaders juggle competing responsibilities and maximize their time.  

The second day of the conference focused on the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), a proven framework that helps leadership teams clarify their vision, gain traction, and become a healthy, cohesive team. Used by hundreds of thousands of companies around the world, EOS is now proving to be an effective strategy for schools. Rabbi Mordechai Loiterman, head of school at Eitz Chaim Schools of Toronto, shared an overview of the EOS model and his school’s experience implementing it.  

Concurrent sessions included Ana Mandelbaum, principal of the Zucker Jewish Academy in the Five Towns, on building connection within a school community, and Rabbi Levi Solomon from Emek Hebrew Academy and Tamar Meth from Torah Academy of Boca Raton, addressing how to track students’ progress with curriculum and assessment.  

The CoJDS general studies effort, known as LinkED, offered a special track for general studies principals, with sessions on using data, unlocking excellence, focusing on people and relationships, and creating a positive climate in a yeshiva setting. Presenters included Rebecca Coen (Huntington Academy Community Day School), Lisa Gelberman (Yeshiva Toras Chaim Toras Emes, Miami), Melissa Trulove (Yeshiva Torat Emet, Houston), Brittney Friedman (Hillel Academy, Pittsburgh), Sara Schonfeld (Integrative Spot), Rabbi Shimshon Gewirtz (Missouri Torah Institute), Jen Stark (Eitz Chaim Schools, Toronto), and Dr. Yoel Schwartz (Hebrew Academy of Cleveland).  

Rav Dovid Engel led a special MTC track for menahelim, including a Sunday evening pre-conference in Newark with presentations by Rabbi Yaakov Salomon and HaRav Sholom Kamenetsky, as well as other opportunities to discuss chinuch issues during the conference with Rav Kamenetsky and Rav Lopiansky. A new cohort for mesivta menahelim held a planning session to guide their collaboration and efforts this school year.  

The conference concluded with a panel discussion led by Miriam Gettinger and Brittney Friedman, bringing participants together to reflect on what they’d learned and to share ideas and their vision for the coming school year.  

For more information about CoJDS, please visit our website at cojds.org, email info@cojds.org, or call (516) 368-3333. 

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