Podcasts about new york city public schools

As we continue our series about attaining upward mobility without a college degree, Marjorie Parker, CEO and president of JobsFirstNYC, talks about her work on youth and young adult economic and workforce development in New York City. And Jane Martinez Dowling, chief of student pathways at New York City Public Schools, talks about career education initiatives within the NYC Department of Education.Support of WNYC's coverage of economic mobility and opportunity is provided in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information about how the Gates Foundation supports economic mobility and opportunity, visit usprogram.gatesfoundation.org. 

Weekly shoutout: Check out Lynchpins at the coalition, our ongoing David Lynch tribute series! -- Hi there, Today I am delighted to be arts calling novelist Nancy Kricorian! (https://nancykricorian.net) About our guest: Nancy Kricorian, who was born and raised in the Armenian community of Watertown, Massachusetts, is the author of four novels about post-genocide Armenian diaspora experience, including Zabelle, which was translated into seven languages, was adapted as a play, and has been continuously in print since 1998. Her new novel, The Burning Heart of the World, about Armenians in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War, will be published in April 2025. Her essays and poems have appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books Quarterly, Guernica, Parnassus, Minnesota Review, The Mississippi Review, and other journals. She has taught at Barnard, Columbia, Yale, and New York University, as well as with Teachers & Writers Collaborative in the New York City Public Schools, and has been a mentor with We Are Not Numbers since 2015. She has been the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, a Gold Medal from the Writers Union of Armenia, and the Anahid Literary Award, among other honors. She lives in New York. THE BURNING HEART OF THE WORLD, now available from Red Hen Press! Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Amazon Nancy Kricorian's The Burning Heart of the World tells the story of a Beirut Armenian family before, during, and after the Lebanese Civil War. Returning to the fabular tone of Zabelle, her popular first novel, Kricorian conjures up the lost worlds and intergenerational traumas that haunt a family in permanent exile. Leavened with humor and imbued with the timelessness of a folktale, The Burning Heart of the World is a sweeping saga that takes readers on an epic journey from the mountains of Cilicia to contemporary New York City. > Like colorful miniatures–from a childhood of elders haunted by the Armenian genocide, to girlhood and adolescence amidst war in Beirut, to marriage and children in New York at the time of 9/11—Nancy Kricorian finds just the right scale to bring her heroine's passage to vivid, reverberating life. > — Aram Saroyan > An arrestingly beautiful novel of how families draw us together, but also push us apart. Set amidst the backdrop of displacement and war, The Burning Heart of the World illuminates how we carry history deep into even the most forgotten corners of ourselves. Once you start reading about Vera and her family you won't be able to put this book down. > — Marie Myung-Ok Lee, Author of The Evening Hero Thanks for this amazing conversation, Nancy! All the best! -- Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro. HOW TO SUPPORT ARTS CALLING: PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW, OR SHARING THIS EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! YOUR SUPPORT TRULY MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN. Much love, j artscalling.com

Nancy Kricorian, who was born and raised in the Armenian community of Watertown, Massachusetts, is the author of four novels about post- genocide Armenian diaspora experience, including Zabelle, which was translated into seven languages, was adapted as a play, and has been continuously in print since 1998. Her essays and poems have appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books Quarterly, Guernica, Parnassus, Minnesota Review, The Mississippi Review, and other journals. She has taught at Barnard, Columbia, Yale, and New York University, as well as for Teacher & Writers Collaborative in the New York City Public Schools and for the Palestine Writing Workshop in Birzeit. She has been the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, a Gold Medal from the Writers Union of Armenia, and the Anahid Literary Award. She lives in New York City. 

Federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security searched two Columbia University student residences Thursday night but did not make any arrests or seize any items. Meanwhile, the New York City health department is investigating two unrelated cases of house cats contracting bird flu. Also, we look back five years ago when schools across New York City shut down due to COVID-19. First Deputy Chancellor Dan Weisberg reflects on how the pandemic reshaped education. Plus, New York City Public Schools are celebrating Civics Week, encouraging students to use their voices for change, including speeches from young advocates like 7-year-old Rafael Serras of P.S. 41 in Bayside, Queens.

A new Siena College poll shows nearly half of New York voters have an unfavorable view of Gov. Kathy Hochul. Plus, residents who live near JFK Airport say their neighborhoods are inundated with illegally parked trucks and other commercial vehicles. Also, the latest from a busy campaign weekend for those in the race for New York City mayor. And finally, students in New York City Public Schools share projects that encourage them to use their voices to advocate for changes in their communities.

The Author Events Series presents Andre Robert Lee | A Conversation with the Documentary Filmmaker and Author REGISTER In Conversation with Cherri Gregg André Robert Lee most recently served as the Executive Producer of Notes From America With Kai Wright. The show is broadcast from WNYC, the largest public radio station in America. André was the driving force behind the show's expansion from 80 NPR stations to over 120 stations. André was tasked with reshaping and redesigning the live radio show. He is also a Film Maker, Keynote Speaker, Consultant, Writer, and Educator. André has committed his entire career to building an army of change agents. His process includes Many Things; New York City Public Schools, The Ford Foundation, Miramax Films, Urbanworld, Film Movement, Diana Ross, BET, Universal, PBS, HBO, Sundance, Picturehouse, and Dreamworks. André directed and produced The Prep School Negro and served as producer on the documentary I'm Not Racist...Am I? André created The Election Effects Project for Paramount TV. André told the story of incarcerated youth in Richmond with the award-winning film Virtually Free. Because you love Author Events, please make a donation when you register for this event to ensure that this series continues to inspire Philadelphians. The views expressed by the authors and moderators are strictly their own and do not represent the opinions of the Free Library of Philadelphia or its employees. (recorded 11/6/2024)

Today, I'm joined by the one and only Tyler Moore, AKA “Tidy Dad.” Tyler is a New York City Public School teacher, a husband, and a father of three. He creates content based on his own experience with tidying that he hopes will help others find joy and order in what he calls, “the beautiful mess of life”. Tyler came on to Focus Forward to share his new book, Tidy Up Your Life, which was just released this month! The book is a deep dive into the connection between physical and mental clutter and how our ability to organize, prioritize, and adapt can shape the way we live. Tyler and I also explored how embracing uncertainty and the “messy middle” of change, pivoting when necessary, and experimenting with routines can lead to powerful shifts in both mindset and priorities. He also explained the thinking behind his step-by-step approach to maintaining our homes —starting with organizing, followed by tidying, and then cleaning. In his book, he expands his ideas on this by offering cleaning and tidying options that are thoughtful, simple, and accessible for each area of the house.Tyler was fun to talk with and I hope you enjoy our conversation and learn a lot from him! Here are the show notes from today's episode: Learn More About TylerWebsitewww.thetidydad.comInstagramwww.instagram.com/tidydadTidy Up Your Lifehttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/751698/tidy-up-your-life-by-tyler-moore/From the Beyond BookSmart BlogGetting Organized: Minimizing Clutter In 4 Easy Steps - Beyond BookSmart Bloghttps://www.beyondbooksmart.com/executive-functioning-strategies-blog/getting-organized-minimizing-clutter-in-4-easy-stepsGaining Calm by Organizing: How to Clear Your Space & Mindhttps://www.beyondbooksmart.com/executive-functioning-strategies-blog/meditation-in-organization-how-to-clear-your-space-mind7 Tips for Organizing With ADHD: How to Organize Betterhttps://www.beyondbooksmart.com/executive-functioning-strategies-blog/7-tips-for-organizing-with-adhd-how-to-organize-betterGet in Touchpodcast@beyondbooksmart.comInstagram/Facebook/Tiktok: @beyondbooksmartcoachingwww.beyondbooksmart.com

New York City is cracking down on drivers who cover or obscure their license plates to evade tolls. Plus, the future of New Jersey's affordable housing law is uncertain. And finally, WNYC's Michael Hill and Jessica Gould discuss Mayor Eric Adams' top educational priority: supporting kids with dyslexia in New York City Public Schools.

The processes of secularization and desegregation were among the two most radical transformations of the American public school system in all its history. Many regard the 1962 and 1963 US Supreme Court rulings against school prayer and Bible-reading as the end of religion in public schools. Likewise, the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case is seen as the dawn of school racial equality. Yet, these two major twentieth-century American educational movements are often perceived as having no bearing on one another. Without a Prayer: Religion and Race in New York City Public Schools (New York University Press, 2024) by Dr. Leslie Beth Ribovich redefines secularization and desegregation as intrinsically linked. Using New York City as a window into a national story, the volume argues that these rulings failed to successfully remove religion from public schools, because it was worked into the foundation of the public education structure, especially how public schools treated race and moral formation. Moreover, even public schools that were not legally segregated nonetheless remained racially segregated in part because public schools rooted moral lessons in an invented tradition—Judeo-Christianity—and in whiteness. The book illuminates how both secularization and desegregation took the form of inculcating students into white Christian norms as part of their project of shaping them into citizens. Schools and religious and civic constituents worked together to promote programs such as juvenile delinquency prevention, moral and spiritual values curricula, and racial integration advocacy. At the same time, religiously and racially diverse community members drew on, resisted, and reimagined public school morality. Drawing on research from a number of archival repositories, newspaper and legal databases, and visual and material culture, Without a Prayer shows how religion and racial discrimination were woven into the very fabric of public schools, continuing to inform public education's everyday practices even after the Supreme Court rulings. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

The processes of secularization and desegregation were among the two most radical transformations of the American public school system in all its history. Many regard the 1962 and 1963 US Supreme Court rulings against school prayer and Bible-reading as the end of religion in public schools. Likewise, the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case is seen as the dawn of school racial equality. Yet, these two major twentieth-century American educational movements are often perceived as having no bearing on one another. Without a Prayer: Religion and Race in New York City Public Schools (New York University Press, 2024) by Dr. Leslie Beth Ribovich redefines secularization and desegregation as intrinsically linked. Using New York City as a window into a national story, the volume argues that these rulings failed to successfully remove religion from public schools, because it was worked into the foundation of the public education structure, especially how public schools treated race and moral formation. Moreover, even public schools that were not legally segregated nonetheless remained racially segregated in part because public schools rooted moral lessons in an invented tradition—Judeo-Christianity—and in whiteness. The book illuminates how both secularization and desegregation took the form of inculcating students into white Christian norms as part of their project of shaping them into citizens. Schools and religious and civic constituents worked together to promote programs such as juvenile delinquency prevention, moral and spiritual values curricula, and racial integration advocacy. At the same time, religiously and racially diverse community members drew on, resisted, and reimagined public school morality. Drawing on research from a number of archival repositories, newspaper and legal databases, and visual and material culture, Without a Prayer shows how religion and racial discrimination were woven into the very fabric of public schools, continuing to inform public education's everyday practices even after the Supreme Court rulings. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

The processes of secularization and desegregation were among the two most radical transformations of the American public school system in all its history. Many regard the 1962 and 1963 US Supreme Court rulings against school prayer and Bible-reading as the end of religion in public schools. Likewise, the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case is seen as the dawn of school racial equality. Yet, these two major twentieth-century American educational movements are often perceived as having no bearing on one another. Without a Prayer: Religion and Race in New York City Public Schools (New York University Press, 2024) by Dr. Leslie Beth Ribovich redefines secularization and desegregation as intrinsically linked. Using New York City as a window into a national story, the volume argues that these rulings failed to successfully remove religion from public schools, because it was worked into the foundation of the public education structure, especially how public schools treated race and moral formation. Moreover, even public schools that were not legally segregated nonetheless remained racially segregated in part because public schools rooted moral lessons in an invented tradition—Judeo-Christianity—and in whiteness. The book illuminates how both secularization and desegregation took the form of inculcating students into white Christian norms as part of their project of shaping them into citizens. Schools and religious and civic constituents worked together to promote programs such as juvenile delinquency prevention, moral and spiritual values curricula, and racial integration advocacy. At the same time, religiously and racially diverse community members drew on, resisted, and reimagined public school morality. Drawing on research from a number of archival repositories, newspaper and legal databases, and visual and material culture, Without a Prayer shows how religion and racial discrimination were woven into the very fabric of public schools, continuing to inform public education's everyday practices even after the Supreme Court rulings. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/education

The processes of secularization and desegregation were among the two most radical transformations of the American public school system in all its history. Many regard the 1962 and 1963 US Supreme Court rulings against school prayer and Bible-reading as the end of religion in public schools. Likewise, the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case is seen as the dawn of school racial equality. Yet, these two major twentieth-century American educational movements are often perceived as having no bearing on one another. Without a Prayer: Religion and Race in New York City Public Schools (New York University Press, 2024) by Dr. Leslie Beth Ribovich redefines secularization and desegregation as intrinsically linked. Using New York City as a window into a national story, the volume argues that these rulings failed to successfully remove religion from public schools, because it was worked into the foundation of the public education structure, especially how public schools treated race and moral formation. Moreover, even public schools that were not legally segregated nonetheless remained racially segregated in part because public schools rooted moral lessons in an invented tradition—Judeo-Christianity—and in whiteness. The book illuminates how both secularization and desegregation took the form of inculcating students into white Christian norms as part of their project of shaping them into citizens. Schools and religious and civic constituents worked together to promote programs such as juvenile delinquency prevention, moral and spiritual values curricula, and racial integration advocacy. At the same time, religiously and racially diverse community members drew on, resisted, and reimagined public school morality. Drawing on research from a number of archival repositories, newspaper and legal databases, and visual and material culture, Without a Prayer shows how religion and racial discrimination were woven into the very fabric of public schools, continuing to inform public education's everyday practices even after the Supreme Court rulings. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/law

The processes of secularization and desegregation were among the two most radical transformations of the American public school system in all its history. Many regard the 1962 and 1963 US Supreme Court rulings against school prayer and Bible-reading as the end of religion in public schools. Likewise, the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case is seen as the dawn of school racial equality. Yet, these two major twentieth-century American educational movements are often perceived as having no bearing on one another. Without a Prayer: Religion and Race in New York City Public Schools (New York University Press, 2024) by Dr. Leslie Beth Ribovich redefines secularization and desegregation as intrinsically linked. Using New York City as a window into a national story, the volume argues that these rulings failed to successfully remove religion from public schools, because it was worked into the foundation of the public education structure, especially how public schools treated race and moral formation. Moreover, even public schools that were not legally segregated nonetheless remained racially segregated in part because public schools rooted moral lessons in an invented tradition—Judeo-Christianity—and in whiteness. The book illuminates how both secularization and desegregation took the form of inculcating students into white Christian norms as part of their project of shaping them into citizens. Schools and religious and civic constituents worked together to promote programs such as juvenile delinquency prevention, moral and spiritual values curricula, and racial integration advocacy. At the same time, religiously and racially diverse community members drew on, resisted, and reimagined public school morality. Drawing on research from a number of archival repositories, newspaper and legal databases, and visual and material culture, Without a Prayer shows how religion and racial discrimination were woven into the very fabric of public schools, continuing to inform public education's everyday practices even after the Supreme Court rulings. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

Step into the exciting world of AI in education with an inspiring conversation that breaks down barriers and reimagines learning for the digital age. Join us as my guest and I, Brett Roer, explore how students and educators are navigating the complex landscape of artificial intelligence, turning potential fears into powerful learning opportunities. From innovative classroom applications to personalized learning experiences, this episode explores how AI can be a bridge to more engaging, individualized, and empowering education.Don't miss this eye-opening conversation that will challenge your perception of AI in education and inspire hope for a more innovative, inclusive learning future. Whether you're an educator, parent, student, or technology enthusiast, this episode offers incredible insights into the potential of artificial intelligence to transform how we learn, teach, and grow.IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISCUSS:How high school students are developing nuanced, responsible approaches to AI use in education, challenging existing fears and demonstrating remarkable insights into ethical technology integrationGroundbreaking AI tools that can create personalized learning experiences, adapting content to individual student passions, learning levels, and career goals in real-timePractical, low-risk strategies for educators to start embracing AI, from creating collaborative assignments to using generative tools for community building and creative expressionRESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Connect with Brett on LinkedInLearn more about the Rebel Project Literacy Curriculum, a fully integrated literacy and project based learning curriculum, at  projectup.us or inkwire.co/rplc Get your copy of Rebel Educator: Create Classrooms Where Impact and Imagination MeetLearn more about Rebel Educator, explore our professional development opportunities for educators and students, and check out our project library.Visit us at UP Academy to learn more about our personalized and inclusive learning environment.Connect with Tanya and UP Academy on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram and learn more about her journey here.GUEST BIO:Brett Roer, the Ohio Regional Director for The AI Education Project (aiEDU), advocates passionately for the equitable and safe integration of AI in schools to transform education. aiEDU, in partnership with the Ohio Educational Service Centers Association (OESCA), is focused on the creation of a network of AI educators across the state to equip students for an AI-driven future and elevate Ohio to the forefront of K-12 AI education nationally. Brett has also fostered partnerships for aiEDU to ensure all NYCPS educators have access to virtual professional development on Foundational AI Literacy, and has created AI Student Challenges and moderated student panels for Southern California school districts on acceptable AI use policies.Following 16 years in New York City Public Schools as a school leader, college advisor, and teacher across Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx, Brett has spearheaded initiatives and fostered national partnerships for innovative ed-tech and non-profit educational organizations. Brett's expertise in AI, college and career pathways, educational leadership coaching, and equitable innovation has led to his participation as a panelist and moderator at the ASU+GSV Summit, NYCSchool Tech Summit, EDTECH WEEK NYC, on digital panels for Digital Promise, NationSwell, and Outlier.org, as well as educational and Ed-Tech focused podcasts such as Ed-Tech Insiders.Enjoying the show? Leave us a rating and review and help more people find us!bit.ly/RebelEducatorApplePodcastsWe'd love it if you could take a few minutes to fill out this survey to let us know how we can bring you the best possible content: forms.gle/JcKHf9DHTZnYUmQr6 Interested in being on the Rebel Educator podcast? Fill out this form and we'll reach out to you if we think you'd be a great fit for an upcoming episode. https://forms.gle/CZJXLQDdevPh22ZN7Want to learn more about opening your own UP Academy? Check out the Rebel Educator Accelerator:www.rebeleducator.com/courses/the-acceleratorMORE ABOUT THE REBEL EDUCATOR PODCAST:In each episode of the Rebel Educator podcast, I deconstruct world-class educators, students, and thought leaders in education to extract the tactics, tools, and routines that you can use as teachers and parents. Join me as we discuss how to shift the classroom, the learning environment, the mindset, and the pedagogy, to resist tradition, reignite wonder, and re-imagine the future of education.This podcast is dedicated to all of the educators who work thankless hours to make our next generation the best it can be.  It was designed to begin conversations on how we can redesign education for the future of work and the success of our students.  It is meant for teachers, students, administrators, homeschoolers and anyone who interacts with and teaches youth. We're thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL's comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers' timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

About the Guest(s):Aaron Lanou (he/him) is an educational consultant supporting schools and organizations to reach all kids with inclusive, strengths-based practices. Through the lens of Universal Design for Learning, Aaron coaches teachers and others to teach and support autistic students and all kids with a variety of academic, executive functioning, and social support needs. A member of Carol Gray's Team Social Stories, Aaron also provides Social Stories workshops and collaborates with Carol and the team to continually update and refine the Social Stories philosophy and approach. Aaron was previously a special education teacher in the New York City Public Schools and Executive Director of the Nest Program at NYU, helping to lead the nation's largest inclusion program for autistic students.Episode Summary:In this engaging episode of Think Inclusive, host Tim Villegas sits down with inclusive education consultant Aaron Lanou from New York. They dive deep into the current landscape of inclusive education and the challenges faced by educators striving for more inclusive practices in schools. Aaron shares his insights on the necessary methods, mindsets, and structures that need to be in place to truly integrate inclusive practices in educational settings. With over 20 years in the field, his perspective offers a blend of practical advice and philosophical reflections on the state of education.Tim and Aaron also tackle some of the misconceptions surrounding inclusion, such as the belief that it's solely about placing students with disabilities into general education classrooms. They advocate for a more nuanced approach that emphasizes providing the necessary supports to allow every student to succeed. Celebrating the success stories and dissecting the persistent barriers, they urge educators to remain steadfast in their commitment to inclusive education, drawing on resources, supports, and community to fuel the journey towards more inclusive practices. This episode is packed with valuable insights and actionable strategies for educators and advocates at every level.Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/cMJupjKF1K5R5_Xv6F8M4SX8SBgKey Takeaways:Inclusive Education is Not Just Physical Inclusion: It requires supporting diverse needs with appropriate resources and training.Mindset Matters: Mindset, method, and structure are the three pillars of successful inclusive education—known as "The M&Ms."Barriers for Teachers Exist: Educators face obstacles in mindset shifts, lack of resources, and structural constraints.Resourcefulness is Key: Teachers are encouraged to find creative solutions in advocacy and classroom practice.Interdependence and Collaboration: Seeking supportive networks and resources is crucial for educators working in less inclusive environmentResources:Aaron Lanou: https://www.aaronlanou.com/Papi Por Que: https://papi-porque.com/Thank you to our sponsor, IXL! Learn more: MCIE: https://www.mcie.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The nation's largest school district has a new leader. On Wednesday, Melissa Aviles-Ramos takes the reins from David Banks, who served as chancellor of the New York City Public Schools since the start of Mayor Adams' administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Siberia to St. Kitts: A Teacher's Journey, A Biography by Ira Sumner SimmondsFollowing the tumultuous and unexpected life of Zenaida Katzen, Simmonds' biography weaves disparate threads from Russia, China, Chile, France, and St. Kitts-Nevis into a vibrant tapestry revealing a surprising and exceptional woman. Stepping outside of the spinster-teacher archetype, Katzen's story is one of a complicated, fiercely independent woman whose decades of unwavering dedication and commitment to the education of children across the globe belie an intriguing, unpredictable and, at times, inexplicable personal life.Ira Sumner Simmonds received a BA in French from St. Francis College, Brooklyn, New York, and M.A. and M.Ed. degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY. After a ten-year stint as House Manager at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, he spent the next twenty-five years in New York City Public Schools as a teacher, Assistant Principal and Acting Principal. He currently works as an educational consultant in the NYC Metropolitan area. His hobbies include biking, birding, practicing the guitar, writing short stories and family genealogy.https://www.amazon.com/Siberia-St-Kitts-Teachers-Journey/dp/0999872400/ref=sr_1_1?crid=KFQGCXXACVC9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.N4_fgiXZ946zjJUljzV8T3SUu3OlR9YO2eybu4B8WHet9KwgyDhcAqvsR_im2boxdphUbm140sDxAvkql-ZGU856oXNi6J2FDDpUqgGwHfA.FJNfFhBGO9D73v0BB8jZRf1y-1RZbttSxCzfV9x-aos&dib_tag=se&keywords=From+Siberia+to+St.+Kitts&qid=1723951855&sprefix=from+siberia+to+st.+kitts%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-1https://irasimmonds.com/https://irasimmondsreviews.com/http://www.BookTranceMedia.com   http://www.bluefunkbroadcasting.com/root/twia/9524issbtr.mp3 

Get up and get informed! Here's all the local news you need to start your day: Classes for New York City Public Schools resume Thursday, but a planned smartphone ban in classrooms is on hold. WNYC's Jessica Gould reports. Meanwhile, Carolina Tejeda, a Bronx single mother facing eviction, is still seeking rental assistance after a judge ruled Mayor Adams can block City Council measures to expand housing vouchers for low-income residents. Plus, WNYC's Sean Carlson speaks with New York Governor Kathy Hochul about charges against her former deputy chief of staff, Linda Sun, accused of acting as an agent for the Chinese government, and her plans for the upcoming school year.

Children with emotional disability (also known as emotional disturbance) are significantly more likely than children with other disabilities to:NOT be integrated into regular classroomsExperience a disciplinary removalDrop out of schoolOver the years, multiple social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions have been developed to support children with emotional disabilities. But, New York City Public Schools found that one-size-fits all programs were not sufficient for their student population.So, the district created—and began studying—an educational pilot called the Path Program. At the heart of this program are OT professionals and occupational therapy concepts.The journal article we are reviewing in this 1-hour CE course describes the research-practice partnership that supported this program's development—and the role of trauma-informed care in social-emotional learning interventions.After we review the article, we will welcome Michelle Flemen-Tung, MSEd, the program director for the Path Program. She will share concrete ways we can all improve the support we provide to kids with emotional disabilities.You can find more details on this course here:https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/emotional-disability-and-otHere's the primary research we are discussing:Adapting SEL interventions to meet student needs: A research-practice partnership supporting students with emotional disabilities.Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.In this episode, Rylie Heck speaks with Andrea Mancuso about parental well-being and how that can connect to their children's mental health. Andrea was a School Psychologist for the New York City Public Schools for over 14 years. She served the NYC school system and supported thousands of children and their families during that time. Much of Andrea's work emphasizes awareness and acceptance, proactive self-care and effective communication between parent and child. Throughout her years working with parents, she has found it to be exceptionally important for parents to open up to the possibility of locking arms with trusted professionals to best support their children. Andrea also works hard to empower parents to take care of themselves to the best of their ability. It takes a village; And the village must be healthy to be impactful with the care of vulnerable children. Andrea is a highly skilled consultant and dynamic facilitator. As an Associate Certified Coach (ACC), Andrea is experienced with both development and high-performance coaching. She is certified in Emotional Intelligence (EI) assessment and is currently the host of The V Spot Podcast. Andrea attained Advanced Certification in Mental Health Counseling in 2022, a Master of Science in Education (M.S. Ed.) in Therapeutic Interventions and a Professional Diploma in School Psychology from Fordham University in 2007.GUEST INFORMATION/LINKS:Website: www.iamandreamancuso.comInstagram: @iamandreamancusoYouTube: Intentional Healing & Wellness

Welcome to the NYS AHPERD A-Z Health And PE Podcast. This is one of three episodes where we have invited special guests and students from summer courses I teach at Canisius University.  Students in this class entitled Capstone in Physical Education are graduate teacher candidates on the verge of student teaching either in the fall or this upcoming spring. Today, we have invited special guests from the NYC DOE and nearby area to discuss the teaching profession. Our graduate students have been asked to review some articles speaking to the teaching profession.Our first guest is Mr. Orlando Cordero.  Mr. Orlando Cordero is a dedicated advocate for education, currently serving as the President of the New York City ZONE for the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (NYS AHPERD). In his role as a Physical Education Instructional Coach for the New York City Public Schools' Office of School Wellness Programs, Orlando plays a crucial role in shaping the educational landscape and promoting wellness initiatives.Sharing the stage with Mr. Cordero is Mr. Anthony Carrano. Anthony is an Instructional Lead with the New York City Department of Education, a Physical Education Adjunct Professor at Brooklyn College, a Martial Arts Instructor for the Hoteikan System, and a Climbing Conditioning Coach at Cliffs Climbing Gym. Prior to his current roles, Anthony served as the New York City President for the Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, taught Physical Education and Health to K-12 students and coached High School Track and Field for the Public-School Athletic League. He holds a School District Leader Certificate, a Masters in Kinesiology, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the NSCA and is certified in the Science of Happiness from the Greater Good Science Center. And not to be outdone, our third guest is the one and only Ms. Laura Pizella.  Laura has been an educator for 30 years. Laura has been involved in many different facets of education. She has worked on many committees to improve the learning outcomes of middle school students in the South Bronx. She was part of a program that taught middle school students not only how to read and write better, but also how to contribute to society.. Laura is a huge believer, strong advocate and active at her professional association, New York State Association of health, physical education, recreation, and dance. She has held the position of Southeastern zone president, and is currently on the board of directors.

Mayor Eric Adams says New York City needs to address gridlock by focusing on an age-old culprit…double parking. Plus, New York City Public School students bid farewell to the school year. And finally, WNYC's Sean Carlson and Jessica Gould discuss the stress parents endure while figuring out what to do with their kids this summer.

In this episode (a repeat of one of our earliest episodes, episode 4), Dr. Kristie Patten takes us to the foundations of what it means to be strengths-based and the impact that it has on the lives of our Autistic clients. Dr. Kristie Patten is Counselor to the President and professor of occupational therapy at NYU and the Principal Investigator of NYU Steinhardt's NEST Project, supporting New York City Public Schools' largest inclusion program in the United States for Autistic students. In this episode Dr. Patten shares why it's really easy to be a bad therapist and really hard to be a good one (plus some concrete steps to take to help get us there!) View show notes and transcript at learnplaythrive.com/podcast

In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Phil Bildner!Phil Bildner is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books for young people including the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Honor-winning middle grade novel, A High Five for Glenn Burke, the Margaret Wise Brown Prize-winning picture book, Marvelous Cornelius, and the Texas Bluebonnet Award-winning picture book Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy. Phil is also the author of A Whole New Ballgame, Rookie of the Year, Tournament of Champions, and Most Valuable Players in the critically acclaimed middle grade Rip & Red series. His other picture books include Martina & Chrissie, Twenty-One Elephants, and The Soccer Fence. His latest is the biography, Glenn Burke, Game Changer.Phil grew up on Long Island, studied political science at Johns Hopkins University, and then attended law school at New York University School of Law. After passing the bar in New York and New Jersey and working for a short time as an associate at a large Manhattan law firm, Phil went back to school and earned a master's degree in early childhood and elementary education at Long Island University.For eleven years, Phil taught in the New York City Public Schools. He taught fifth and sixth grade in the Tremont section of the Bronx in the 1990s and middle school Language Arts and American History in Manhattan in the 2000s.After leaving the classroom to write full time, Phil began chaperoning student-volunteer trips to New Orleans to help in the post-Hurricane Katrina recovery effort. He founded The NOLA Tree, a non-profit youth service organization and served as the co-Executive Director for several years.In 2017, Phil founded The Author Village, an author booking business and speakers bureau. He now represents over eighty book creators for young people, educators, and librarians.Phil also serves on the Board of Directors of Baldwin for the Arts, the non-profit organization founded by Jacqueline Woodson and whose mission is to create a safe and nurturing space for Artists of The Global Majority.These days, Phil lives in Newburgh, New York with his husband in a two-hundred-year-old farmhouse. Most of the time, you'll find him out in the yard playing with his dog named Kat, hanging with his cats named Primrose and Rue, or working on the back porch (aka, his office) overlooking the Hudson River.Buy his latest book here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/glenn-burke-game-changer-the-man-who-invented-the-high-five-phil-bildner/19745586?ean=9780374391225Phil's Websitehttps://philbildner.com/Support the Show.

Justice Patricia M. DiMango serves as one of three judges on Amazon Freevee's Tribunal Justice, created by Judge Judy Sheindlin. Most recently, Justice DiMango was a judge on the Emmy-nominated series, "Hot Bench." Justice DiMango was first appointed to serve as a Judge of the Criminal Courts for the City of New York by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. She became the first Italian-American woman ever appointed to that position. Thereafter, she was elected to the New York State Supreme Court bench in the 2nd and 11th Judicial Districts, and again was the first Italian-American woman elected to that position. Justice DiMango's reputation was that of a stern but fair judge combined with a balance of street smarts and legal knowledge. In the course of her judicial career she gained public recognition for handling high-profile trials, particularly those involving murders of young children, other crimes against children and hate-crime murders. She was also recognized for handling large volumes of serious felony cases from their arraignment through trial. Justice DiMango became further known for her efficiency in closing a vast number of cases in a fair and timely fashion. Her judicial acumens came to the attention of the Chief Judge of the State of New York and selected her to spearhead his initiative to reduce the backlog of felony matters in the Bronx. This initiative garnered front-page coverage in The New York Times. These assignments resulted in her appointment to the position of Administrative Judge of the New York State Supreme Court, Criminal Term, Brooklyn, Kings County. Upon her graduation from college, Justice DiMango was an elementary school teacher in the New York City Public Schools, focusing on special education of children with emotional and cognitive needs. During her teaching years and before law school, she received her Master's Degree. In addition to her Juris Doctorate, Justice DiMango holds a Master's Degree from Columbia University in Developmental Psychology and a Bachelor's Degree cum laude from Brooklyn College in both Psychology and Education.  Thereafter, she went on to receive her law degree from St. John's University where she graduated in the top of her class, and received awards and scholarships in recognition for her other academic achievements. In 2012, she received the Alumna of the Year Award from Brooklyn College and was also the recipient of the prestigious Rapallo Award. In 2013, she was the recipient of the Distinguished Judiciary Award from the Catholic Lawyers Guild and was named "Woman of the Year" by the New York State Supreme Court Officers Association. In 2014, she was named "Woman of the Year" by The New York State Court Officers Association. Additionally, she served as Master of Ceremonies for the NY State Broadcasters Association Awards. In 2015, Justice DiMango was the Grand Marshal of the Brooklyn Columbus Day Parade. She was also recognized as being the "Woman Of The Year" for the Home Reporter and Brooklyn Spectator's "Kings of Kings" event. Justice DiMango was also the honored celebrity speaker at The Greater New York Dental Association National Convention.  In 2016, she was named "Woman of The Year" by the Italian Charities of America. In 2019, Justice DiMango was selected to be the keynote speaker by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle for its "Champions of Justice" event honoring outstanding women in the court system. Justice DiMango has appeared on numerous television programs, including "The View," "Wendy Williams," "Rachael Ray" and "Steve Harvey" and can be heard on many talk radio shows and podcasts. She has also been featured giving legal insight on stories on "Entertainment Tonight," Fox News, "VH1," "Banfield" and "Inside Edition" among others. Upon her graduation from law school, she served five-and-a-half years as an Assistant District Attorney in the Kings County District Attorney's Office. During her tenure there, she was given the extra responsibility of being cross-designated as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. She later worked as a law clerk in both Kings and Queens Counties to Supreme Court Justices Steven Fisher, Reinaldo Rivera and Luigi Marano. During this time, Justice DiMango volunteered as a Small Claims Court Arbitrator. Justice DiMango returned to her passion for education and became an Adjunct Associate Professor of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Legal Research and Writing and Forensic Psychology at St. John's University for approximately 10 years. Thereafter, she was an Adjunct Associate Professor at New York City Technical College teaching Criminal Law and Procedure. More than a dozen of Justice DiMango's court decisions have been published along with her contributions to numerous bar association journals. Justice DiMango was the chairperson on the Board of Directors of the Law and Paralegal Studies Department at New York City Technical College, the chairperson on the Assigned Counsel Advisory Committee for the 2nd, 11th and 13th Judicial Districts and on the Board of Directors for The Cathedral Club of Brooklyn. ON THE KNOWS with Randall Kenneth Jones is a podcast featuring host Randall Kenneth Jones (bestselling author, speaker & creative communications consultant) and Susan C. Bennett (the original voice of Siri). ON THE KNOWS is produced and edited by Kevin Randall Jones. Tribunal Justice Online: Web: www.tribunaljustice.tv ON THE KNOWS Online:    Join us in the Podcast Lounge on Facebook. X (Randy): https://twitter.com/randallkjones  Instagram (Randy): https://www.instagram.com/randallkennethjones/ Facebook (Randy): https://www.facebook.com/mindzoo/ Web:  RandallKennethJones.com X (Susan): https://twitter.com/SiriouslySusan Instagram (Susan): https://www.instagram.com/siriouslysusan/ Facebook (Susan): https://www.facebook.com/siriouslysusan/ Web: SusanCBennett.com LinkedIn (Kevin): https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-randall-jones/  Web: KevinRandallJones.com   www.OnTheKnows.com

It's an EmMajority Report Thursday! It's an EmMajority Report Thursday! She speaks with Rachel Nolan, historian of Latin America at Boston University's Pardee School of Global Studies, to discuss her recent book Until I Find You: Disappeared Children and Coercive Adoptions in Guatemala. Then, she speaks with Raga Makawi, editor at African Arguments, to discuss the ongoing conflict in Sudan. First, Emma discusses President Biden's recent CNN interview with Erin Burnett, where he makes the claim that he'd withhold aid to Israel if a full-scale invasion into Rafah occurs. This led to some predictably normal responses from Prime Minister Netanyahu reposting a video of himself speaking about Israel acting alone if it needs to, and National Security Minister Ben-Gvir tweeting out that Hamas loves Biden. Rachel Nolan then joins the program to discuss her book on the crisis of the disappeared children in Guatemala, and how little media coverage and understanding is attached to this subject. All of this in the backdrop of a severe and violent sectarian conflict within the country, which led to the conditions from which disappearances and the for-profit adoption boom out of Central and South America began to increase and expand. Rachel dives into the number of organizations that have participated in the adoption racket out of Guatemala, the erasure of birth parents stories when it comes to understanding the "adoption triad" (birth parents, adoptee, & adopted parents), the idea of the "white savior" complex and how that intersects with these types of adoptions/dismissals of indigenous communities both domestically in the U.S. and abroad, as well as how, if at all, Trump's family separation policies impacted this industry. Raga Makawi then joins the program to provide some additional context to the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has now surpassed a year of fighting. Raga outlines the central players, including the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese government and military, and how both sides staked their positions in the conflict not only over the past year, but stemming back to the 2018 revolution as well as the 2004 conflict in Darfur. Raga also emphasizes the serious famine concerns in the area as a result of this conflict, who some other external players are geopolitically (Iran, as an example), how economic extraction and plunder from outside forces factor into the conflict itself, and what Western audiences don't understand about the conflict due to lack of media coverage/literacy on the issues germane to the situation. And in the Fun Half, Emma, Matt Binder, Brandon Sutton, & the entire MR Crew react to Likud Knesset member Tali Gottlieb melting down over Biden's pledge to not provide aid to Israel if their forces invade Rafah, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene taking on the "uniparty" by filing the motion to vacate against Speaker Johnson, "social entrepreneur" Chris Pan's cringeworthy BitCoin-themed commencement address/magic show at Ohio State University, Elise Stefanik attempting another witchhunt in a congressional subcommittee hearing, this time directed at the Chancellor of New York City Public Schools, and the inevitable Vivek Ramaswamy-Ann Coulter meeting of the minds on Vivek's "TRUTH" podcast, where...Ann Coulter tells him she couldn't vote for him for President because he's Indian (Vivek appreciated the candor!). Plus, your calls & IM's! Check out Rachel's book here: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674270350 Check out African Arguments here: https://africanarguments.org/ Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Help out the state of Utah by telling them what you see in public bathrooms here!: https://ut-sao-special-prod.web.app/sex_basis_complaint2.html Check out Seder's Seeds here!: https://www.sedersseeds.com/ ALSO, if you have pictures of your Seder's Seeds, send them here!: hello@sedersseeds.com Check out this GoFundMe in support of Mohammed Nasrallah, whose family is trying to leave Gaza for Egypt: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-mohammed-nasserallah-and-family-go-to-egypt Check out this GoFundMe in support of Mohammad Aldaghma's niece in Gaza, who has Down Syndrome: http://tinyurl.com/7zb4hujt Check out the "Repair Gaza" campaign courtesy of the Glia Project here: https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/rebuild_gaza_help_repair_and_rebuild_the_lives_and_work_of_our_glia_team#!/ Check out StrikeAid here!; https://strikeaid.com/ Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: http://majority.fm/app Check out today's sponsors: Earthbreeze: Right now, my listeners can receive 40% off Earth Breeze just by going to https://EarthBreeze.com/majority! That's https://EarthBreeze.com/majority to cut out single-use plastic in your laundry room and claim 40% off your subscription. Shopify: Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/majority, ALL LOWERCASE.  Go to https://Shopify.com/majority now to grow your business–no matter what stage you're in. https://Shopify.com/majority. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

Congress addressed the rise of antisemitism in K-12 schools with a hearing yesterday morning. It marked the first congressional inquiry into antisemitism incidents in educational settings since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which sparked a nationwide increase of such cases. The session specifically examined situations in New York City, Berkeley, California, and Montgomery County, Maryland. Officials, including David Banks of New York City Public Schools, Enikia Ford Morthel of Berkeley Unified School District, and Karla Silvestre of Montgomery County Board of Education, will testify. The hearing was conducted by the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, with representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union also participating.  The hearing followed the cancellation of a separate hearing on antisemitism at George Washington University after recent police actions cleared a related encampment.  The session yesterday aimed to directly confront and understand the growing incidents in these communities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Todd is an elementary Media Arts teacher in New York City Public Schools. He turned his experiences in the media industry into practical opportunities for his students to create the daily "Bee TV" news at his school. His students have even appeared on local news in NYC! Check out some of their work & appearances on their YouTube Channel. Adam also started the Classroom Dynamics podcast to help educators "dive into powerful professional development insights designed to cultivate a vibrant 21st-century classroom environment." In April of 2024, the podcast focuses on STEM & STEAM experts sharing ideas and experiences.Learn more by following the links below or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Connect with Adam:Website: classroomdynamics.wixsite.com/podcastTwitter/X: @classdynamicsChris Woods is the host of the STEM Everyday Podcast... Connect with him:Website: dailystem.comTwitter/X: @dailystemInstagram: @dailystemYouTube: youtubeGet Chris's book Daily STEM on AmazonSupport the show

Quick Wins to Improve Teacher Retention and Student Experience with Dr. Paulie Gavoni and Anika Costa In this episode, you'll hear: Why are so many teachers leaving the field, and what can we do about it? How can we use simulations to help educators be more prepared?  Simple things you can do this week to improve your classroom In this episode, Mathew, Dr. Paulie, and Anika discuss why we see so many teachers struggling in the classroom, ultimately leaving the field, and what can be done about it. Over 90% of teachers are feeling an unhealthy amount of stress, and nearly 50% are walking away from the profession after 3 to 5 years. Paulie and Anika are working hard to identify the root causes and provide real solutions to help teachers create systems, clear expectations, and consistent reinforcement that will lead to quick and impactful wins in the classroom. They have found the major contributors educators face are a lack of support from leadership, feeling unprepared to meet modern challenges, behavior issues in children, and the level of importance placed on testing rather than learning.  Educators are the backbone of our nation and essential to our society. Still, unfortunately, they are being mistreated and not given the best tools and training to ensure they are successful. Over the past several years, there have been changes in education, technology, and how many people are parenting. However, teachers are not being taught new methods and, therefore, do not feel prepared to teach this new generation of children. If you are an educator struggling, you are not alone, and there is nothing wrong with you. There are steps you can take today to improve the situation in your classroom. Still, there also has to be alignment with leadership, administration, and parents if we are going to find long-term success with the issues we are seeing in the education system. Success has to start at the top with administrators, and unfortunately, blame often goes to the bottom and lands on the students. To bring out the best in students, we first have to bring out the best in teachers.  Dr. Paul "Paulie" Gavoni is an esteemed behavior scientist, educator, and leader who has shaped human performance and organizational leadership over nearly three decades. In roles such as COO, Vice President, School Administrator, and School Turnaround Manager, he's unified his innovative approach through a dedication to human behavior science, aiming to enhance student behavior, educator performance, and school leadership across various sectors. Anika Costa is a behavior analyst, professor, and former teacher in New York City Public Schools. Her specialized skill set has allowed her to effectively work with teachers and school leaders in classroom and school improvement efforts across the nation. A seasoned consultant and mentor, she is also passionate about applying principles of organizational behavior management during assessment, training, and coaching initiatives to support measurable performance improvement within the natural environment. Follow the podcast:  Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h)  Listen on iHeart (link: https://ihr.fm/3MEY7FM)  Listen on Spotify (Link: https://spoti.fi/3yMmQCE)    Resources: Paulie's bio and links Anika's LinkedIn Quick Wins! Using Behavior Science to Accelerate and Sustain School Improvement (2nd Edition)   Connect with Mathew Blades:  Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades Instagram - instagram.com/MathewBladesmedia/  Facebook - facebook.com/mathewbladesmedia/  Website - learnfrompeoplewholivedit.com/   Additional Credits: LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson

Episode 144 - March 24th, 2024 - Hmmm….  - DJ Intence - 7 x Im_Waltttt - 1  - Songs Of The Episode - Jhonni Blaze “Fumble”  - Maegan Hall Update (La Vergne, Tenn. Police Department)  - Lionel Messi Is The Most Marketable Athlete Globally  - The Father Of Ethan Crumley Sentencing (James Crumley)  - Brooklyn, NY Veo Kelly Found After the Stabbing & Murder Of Twin Sisters (RIP Samyia Spain)  - Songs Of The Episode - Flo “Walk Like This”  - Eligio NatureBoy Bishop (CarbonNature) Cult Leader Sentenced (Noor Jasmine Cult Review Link YouTube Link )  - Vybz Kartel Wins Appeal  - Financial Tip with @DJIntence  - Earn Your Leisure Bringing Financial Literacy Courses To 10 New York City Public Schools  - Songs Of The Episode - Keanu Goin' Stoopid “No Choice”  - Wise Guy Segment - Story Time: Women Puts The Location of Her Child's Father online that Leads to His Death. Bernardo Romero Story  - Wise Guy Segment - Female Wants To Do SomeThings To Her Male Partner….

$39.5 billion is how much NYC spends to educate our students each year. The New York City Public Schools has an enormous and challenging task: to educate and develop 900,000 students who come from a wide diversity of backgrounds and needs. And it's important to ask: Are we getting the return we need on our dollars? How are our students doing? To answer this and other pressing questions is NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks and Deputy Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer Emma Vadehra.

This conversation explores the challenges and experiences of a parent advocating for her dyslexic children in the public school system. The discussion highlights the struggles faced by students with dyslexia, the importance of early intervention and support, and the impact of school environments on a child's self-esteem and academic progress. This conversation also touches on the difficulties faced by parents in navigating the education system and the need for systemic change to ensure all children have access to appropriate educational resources and support. Naomi Pena shares her journey of opening the South Bronx Literacy Academy, a New York City Public School that supports students struggling with reading. She discusses the training of teachers and the remarkable outcomes they have achieved. Naomi also emphasizes the need to expand the vision and open schools in every borough of New York City and beyond. She addresses the guilt parents may feel when their children struggle with reading and offers advice on setting expectations and persisting in finding solutions. Naomi highlights the importance of teacher training and the efforts of the Literacy Academy Collective to improve literacy education.

In a previous episode we mentioned that the Taubman Approach is for everyone. For example, if you are an older adult that played the piano when you were younger and want to begin to get back into playing the Taubman Approach is the best way to accomplish your dreams!  Today's episode with Nathan Kaplan goes through the ups and downs of learning the Taubman Approach as an Adult Learner. Nathan is a retired public school teacher in the New York City Public School system where he taught music and even played professionally. Nathan came to the Taubman Approach at the age of 65 wanting to play the piano at a higher level. At first, Nathan's experience in learning the work was a difficult one. But,  through the patience and perseverance of both John Bloomfield and his own, his playing has totally been transformed. Nathan is an inspiration! In this episode he shows that through the Taubman Approach the sky is the limit for what can be achieved. We will update the show notes as Nathan's upcoming recital is publicized! The Golandsky Institute's mission is to provide cutting-edge instruction to pianists based on the groundbreaking work of Dorothy Taubman. This knowledge can help them overcome technical and musical challenges, cure and prevent playing-related injuries, and lead them to achieve their highest level of artistic excellence.Please visit our website at: www.golandskyinstitute.org.

Welcome to Episode 120 of the Think UDL podcast: The Double Empathy Problem with Aaron Lanou and Colin Ozeki. Aaron Lanou is an educational consultant supporting schools and organizations to reach all kids with inclusive, strengths-based practices. Through the lens of Universal Design for Learning, he coaches teachers to support autistic students and all kids with a variety of academic, executive functioning, and social support needs. Aaron is also a member of Carol Gray's Team Social Stories and was previously a special education teacher in the New York City Public Schools and Executive Director of ASD Nest at NYU, leading the nation's largest inclusion program for autistic students. Colin Ozeki is currently a special education teacher at Urban Assembly Media Studies High School supporting the autism inclusion program ASD Nest. Growing up as an autistic student, he noticed the significant lack of autistic teachers and role models. Taking this observation into adulthood, Colin stepped up to become the teacher, role model, and inspiration autistic students deserve. He uses his unique position as an autistic teacher to promote neurodivergent inclusion, acceptance, and understanding of different neurotypes across school environments as a living example of success. Today's episode focuses on a mindset and technique that Aaron and Colin introduced to me that is helpful when dealing with the Double Empathy problem, which is essentially what we have when a heterogenous group of neurotypical and neurodivergent, specifically autistic, people communicate with each other. Who do we expect to bend more or less, and how can we best communicate together? Stay tuned for some fantastic insights from Colin and Aaron along with how this all relates to UDL, and thank you for listening to this conversation on the Think UDL podcast.

New York City Public Schools will have a remote day tomorrow due to expected snow. Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams is imposing curfews at 20 emergency migrant shelters across the city for safety purposes, but advocates say the policy will do more harm than good. Plus, a judge rejects claims from California vendors that New York's marijuana licensing program unconstitutionally discriminates against out-of-state residents. Finally, this Black History Month, WNYC's Community Partnerships Desk is visiting Black-owned bookstores in our region. Today we visit the Source of Knowledge bookstore on Broad Street in Newark.

“Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey and  Jamel Gaines of Creative Outlet. In this episode of  “Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey,  join host Joanne Carey as she chats with Special Guest: Jamel Gaines, founder and Director of Creative Outlet.  This year marks a special moment for JGCO's annual program as more than 3,000 New York City Public School students will experience the lessons of Remembering. The Company will travel to Cape Coast and Accra, Ghana giving performances and workshops in Africa. Listen in as we talk about the impact Arts in Education had and continues to have in Jamel's life. The February 15 performance of Remembering is in collaboration with Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, City Council Member Crystal Hudson, and NAACP Brooklyn Chapter, and pays tribute to New York City Board of Education principals and teachers. The February 16 performance is in collaboration with the Delta's Chapter of Brooklyn. The February 17 performance is in collaboration with the Brooklyn Brownstones Organization https://youtu.be/x8JgSjd3S_M?si=HIB-br85c8s4xW0M Tickets are available through the link belowhttps://www.bam.org/dance/2024/remembering Brooklyn Academy of Music on February 15 and 16 at 7:30 PM and February 17th at 2 PM. Jamel Gaines is the Founder and Artistic Director of Creative Outlet.Jamel has dedicated his life to delivering artistic excellence and stirring, soaring performance to audiences everywhere.  With more than 22 years of teaching and choreographing experience, Jamel seeks to inspire, motivate and nurture dancers and artists.  Under his leadership, Creative Outlet has set itself apart as a highly acclaimed performing arts organization with a proven record in training the next generation of professional dancers and artists. Some of Jamel's more recent choreography includes the crowd pleasing presentation live streamed across the internet during Spike Lee's Annual Tribute Concert to Michael Jackson (August 2017) televised choreography and dramatic performance by contestants on So You Think You Can Dance. (2010).  In addition, Mr. Gaines has created and staged over 25 repertory and concert productions.  He has had the distinction of working with such distinguished artists as Jennifer Holiday, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Savion Glover, Malik Yoba, George Fasion, Ornette Coleman, Ossie Davis, Olatunje Babatunde, Max Roach, Cassandra Wilson and Rick James. Founder and Artistic Director, Jamel Gaines has dedicated his life to delivering artistic excellence to artists and audiences. Jamel has appeared on Public Television's American Talent in which he was presented The Teacher Recognition Award, during the Presidential Scholars in the Arts Committee at The Kennedy Center, and has been featured in publications such as Essence Magazine, The New York Times, The Seattle Times and The Daily News.  His work has been staged by the Actors Theater Workshop, The NYC Department of Parks, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, the Paramount Theatre and The Martha Graham School.   Mr. Gaines serves as the director of St. Paul's Eldad Medad Danced Ministry. His work at St. Paul's includes “He Got Up”, the commemoration of the African Holocaust and the acclaimed “Black Nativity” for which he won an Obie Award. Gaines began his dance career in the mid-1990s under the direction of Diane and Adrian Brown, and James Grant and Received his BFA from SUNY Purchase. He credits the development of his unique and nurturing approach to teaching and composing to Kevin Iega Jeff. Follow on Instagram @jamelgainescreativeoutlet  Find out more https://www.creativeoutlet.org/⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Follow Joanne Carey on Instagram @westfieldschoolofdance And follow  “Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey wherever you listen to your podcasts. Tune in. Follow. Like us. And Share. Please leave us review about our podcast  “Dance Talk” ® with Joanne Carey "Where the Dance World Connects, the Conversations Inspire, and Where We Are Keeping Them Real."

Beginning with the 2023-24 school year, New York City Public Schools launched NYC Reads, an initiative to help all students become strong readers. Our guest is Lynette Gustaferro, CEO of Teaching Matters, a partner organization helping the NYC Department of Education reach it's goals. She explains how NYC Reads returns to an prior model of reading instruction that many of us grew up with. For more, visit teachingmatters.org.

The Colors of Sound Podcast Season 2, Episode 8 @ColemanGlobal "What Role Does Mentorship Play in Education?" WDON1204.com is proud to present our latest podcast, The Colors of Sound. Our mission is to create a safe space for community members from around the world to share their personal stories.  Join us for our latest episode where the talented Ms. Shelia Graham speaks on her years as an educator in the New York City Public School system, and explains the need for more community mentors in children's lives.   #TakeBackMonday, #Purpose, #Service, #Community, #People, #InnerCircle, #QuoteOfTheDay, #community-service, #bronx, #smallbusiness, #newyork, #black, #positivevibes, #learning, #workshop, #intergenerational, #podcasting, #LiveBrave, #intergenerationalprogramming, #technology, #LifeLearner, #ColemanGlobal  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wdon1204/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wdon1204/support

The Colors of Sound Podcast, Season 2, Ep7 The Shelia Graham Interview Recorded Summer 2023 Join us for our latest episode where the talented Ms. Shelia Graham speaks on her years as an educator in the New York City Public School system, as well as her lifelong quest to help educate the global community about issues related to being a person that happens to have Albanism. #TakeBackMonday, #Purpose, #Service, #Community, #People, #InnerCircle, #QuoteOfTheDay, #community-service, #bronx, #smallbusiness, #newyork, #black, #positivevibes, #learning, #workshop, #intergenerational, #podcasting, #LiveBrave, #intergenerationalprogramming, #technology, #LifeLearner, #ColemanGlobal  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wdon1204/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wdon1204/support

I LOVE all things personality- and finding more about ME and who I am has helped me feel permission to be even MORE me. Human Design has been a deep dive into learning more about my energy and how I best work. In this conversation we dig into how to harness the knowledge of your children's human design to parent them in their own unique way. Intuition, trust and belief in your child are key to connection in parenting. After teaching special education in New York City Public Schools for 15 years, Geralyn took time off when her two children were born.  After becoming a parent, she started questioning the status quo which led her on a journey of self-discovery, healing, and realignment.  After discovering Human Design, she dove deep into learning how she could use this tool to empower herself and others to reach their full potential.  Geralyn is a Human Design reader and coach who helps people come home to their most radically authentic selves.In this episode: How Geralyn learned more about her unique kids and used that knowledge (and intuition) to parent them differentlyHow belief and trust in your kids builds their own self-trust (this is THE best!) What Human Design is and how to helps you to understand yourself moreHow to use Human Design to understand your children and parenting them uniquely Links: You can find more information about Human Design and her offerings by following along on Instagram @geralyn_brennan or going to her website www.geralynbrennan.com---Coaching has changed my own life, and the lives of my clients. More connection, more healing, more harmony, and peace in our most important relationships. It increases confidence in any parenting challenges and helps you be the guide to teach your children the family values that are important to you- in clear ways. If you feel called to integrate this work in a deeper way and become a parenting expert, that's what I'm here for. Download the feelings wheel HEREGet the BOOK HERE: www.coachcrystal.ca/shopJoin the next round of PARENT SCHOOL: www.coachcrystal.ca/groupFind Your Parenting Personality: Quiz HereIG: @the.parenting.coachEmail me at crystal@coachcrystal.caFaith-Based Parenting HERE

In today's conversation, I sit down with Amy Kurzweil, the author of the new graphic memoir, Artificial: A Love Story. Artificial: A Love Story tells the story of three generations of artists whose search for meaning and connection transcends the limits of life. The story begins with the LLM generated chatbot that Amy's father, the futurist Ray Kurzweil, created out of his father's archive, but the story doesn't start and end there. Instead, the story takes us on a journey through new questions that technologies are asking about what it means to be human.  How do we relate to—and hold—our family's past? And how is technology changing what it means to remember the past? And what does it mean to know--and to love--in the age of AI? Amy Kurzweil is a New Yorker cartoonist and the author of two graphic memoirs: Flying Couch, a NYT's Editor's Choice and Kirkus “Best Memoir” of 2016, and Artificial: A Love Story, forthcoming October 2023. She was a 2021 Berlin Prize Fellow with the American Academy in Berlin, a 2019 Shearing Fellow with the Black Mountain Institute, and she's received fellowships from MacDowell, Djerassi, and elsewhere. Her work has been nominated for a Reuben Award and an Ignatz Award for “Technofeelia,” a four-part series with The Believer Magazine. Her writing, comics, and cartoons have also been published in The Verge, The New York Times Book Review, Longreads, Literary Hub, WIRED, and many other places. She's taught writing and comics at Parsons The New School for Design, The Fashion Institute of Technology, Center for Talented Youth, Interlochen Center for the Arts, in New York City Public Schools, and in many other venues, and she currently teaches a monthly cartooning class to a growing community of virtual students all over the world.

Wayne Cabot and Paul Murnane have the morning's top local stories from the WCBS newsroom.

Dr. Bertrand and Dr. Porcher co-host with Damaris Dunn to define and discuss Black Joy! The future Dr. Dunn taught us that Black joy is the politics of refusal. We all can learn how to embody and hold on to our joy! Get into this episode! Damaris is a doctoral candidate in the department of Educational Theory and Practice at the University of Georgia's Mary Frances Early College of Education. Her dissertation provides alternatives and possibilities based on the politics of refusal of Black women K-12 educators. She served students and families as a teacher and Community School Director in New York City Public Schools. She also taught at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture's Junior Scholars Program. Black is the color of joy and the birthright of Black women and girls. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/black-gaze/support

Today, I have a breaking news announcement from Microsoft at ISTE 2023. This was prerecorded for a simultaneous release with today's news so that all of you who are not at ISTE could get this news. It will also be released on my podcast and YouTube channel, although I have embedded the YouTube channel below and included the transcript. Mark Sparvell sat down with me to share these amazing announcements. This show is sponsored by Microsoft. Check out their new AI course. All opinions are my own. Some of these awesome announcements include: Generative AI features built into Reading Progress inside Microsoft Teams are game-changers for teachers. Excellent generative AI features are now being used inside Kahoot and PowerSchool that will help teachers. These are powered by the Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service. A cool collaboration between Microsoft and New York City Public Schools to support their exploration of the development of generative AI tools tailored for their own use. A fantastic Microsoft AI Course is now available for educators at aka.ms/AIforEducators. Check out today's announcement from Microsoft. Full transcript at https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e805 

New York City Public School and the United Federation of Teachers have a tentative contract agreement.  Learn about the  bonuses, percentages,  and dates. This episode will help you intentional plan what to do with your 1 year retro, $3000 ratification bonus, and annual bonus.Contract 2023:  Pay Increases url: https://www.uft.org/your-rights/contracts/contract-2023/contract-2023-pay-increasesFor more on the 30/40/30 Rule listen to Episode 116: What to do with a cash windfall? 30/40/30 Rule30%- Past (debt and loans) 40% - Present- (current needs and wants Emergency Funds) 30% - Future (large purchases, down payment for homes and cars, and retirement)Ms. Black, the host of Staying in the Black, is a single mom, homeowner, and public-school educator in NYC. She owns two properties and is one mortgage away from being totally debt-free. She loves traveling the world with her family and has over $500,000 in her retirement accounts beyond her pension.Learn more about Ms. Black:Website: http://www.stayingintheblk.comInstagram:@stayingintheblk

Welcome to our newest show at Impact Radio USA, "INTERVIEWS and MORE", the show that features past interviews from our guests on "Dr. Paul's Family Talk" radio show. In addition to continuing to promote our guests, this show also gives our listeners another opportunity to hear the great information that our guests have provided. As for the "More", we will cover everything from food, to cars, to Bible verses, to music, and so much "MORE"! NEW SHOWS ARE DROPPED EACH MONDAY AT 10:00 AM ET. On today's segment, we will play the interviews with MARIANNE SCIUCCO and CAROLYN SLOAN. MARIANNE SCIUCCO, a registered nurse, dementia daughter, caregiver, author, podcaster, and the founder of AlzAuthors, will join us to discuss Alzheimer's, Dementia, and other assorted issues that we and our loved ones often face during our lives. FROM HER WEBSITE: "Managed by six daughters who have experienced the loss of a loved one with dementia, AlzAuthors serves the goal of making a difference to your dementia journey. We are also extremely grateful to our growing team of AlzAuthors Managers and Associates – volunteers that contribute their valuable time and talents to our work. AlzAuthors is proud that we have been a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation since 2019. We chose to write about our personal stories to help people along their journey and now, we invite others to join us and become an AlzAuthor. ​We know the pain of being forgotten.We have all witnessed decline.We have provided countless hours of caregiving.We know many others have experienced the same.Now, more than ever, we believe in the power of sharing our stories." alzauthors.com CAROLYN SLOAN, a Musician, Educator, Author. and now Founder and CEO of the new Media and Education company for kids and families, TeachMe TV, will join us to discuss all of her work, including all that she has done - and continues to do - to educate children at optimal levels.  FROM HER WEBSITE: "Carolyn Sloan is a native New Yorker, the daughter of two New York City Public School teachers. She began playing classical piano at age seven and attended the illustrious Performing Arts “Fame” High School in Manhattan. At age 15, Carolyn became a professional singer. Enamored with world of singer/songwriters, she spent much of her early twenties writing and performing her own compositions. Carolyn soon began writing for theater, television and advertising, winning campaigns with jingles for Ford, Glade, Weight Watchers and Tampax. Her theater songs have been critically acclaimed, considered by the New York Times, as “deeply touching and especially moving.” The Village Voice said Ms. Sloan's work is,” noteworthy of the title… hit song.” Carolyn is a graduate of the famed Lehman Engel BMI Musical Theater Workshop, where she studied under such luminary writers as Maury Yeston, Grand Hotel and Titanic, following in the traditions of Broadway Musical names like Ashman and Menken, Beauty and the Beast, and Ahrens and Flaherty Ragtime. Today Ms. Sloan continues to write music and books for children, TV, media and musical theater. She is a music educator at the Berkeley Carroll School and is developing an online- education business designed to meet the demands and challenges of our diverse and fast-paced world. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and son." www.carolynsloan.com   ​​

Ebro in the Morning talks to Malik Yoba and Karine Apollon about New York City's Economic Empowerment Initiatives. Malik Yoba is an entrepreneur and the founder of Yoga Development, a real estate development company that focuses on underserved communities. Karine Apollon is the Chief Diversity Officer for New York City Public Schools. TRY MINDBLOOM: https://www.mindbloom.com/podcast/ebroUSE PROMO CODE "EBRO" In this interview, Yoba and Apollon discuss the importance of economic empowerment for black and brown businesses, and how New York City is taking steps to close the wealth gap. They also talk about the challenges that black and brown businesses face, and what can be done to overcome them. This is an important conversation about how we can create a more equitable economy for all New Yorkers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sherman, Connecticut, Adobe Audition, Editing, Zero Editing, Unvarnished Daryl and Lisa, New York City Public School, PS 321, MS 51, Alana Fishberg, Brooklyn Tech High School, Matt Viscardi, Jacob Friedman, James Grayson, Eli Shiffman, Ben Muchnick, Charlie Nachsin, Brant Sistrom, Soren Boddy, Taking Risks, Red Flags, Find My Phone, Sunrise on Rockaway Beach, Milo's Swimming, Swimmies, Good Swimmers and Poor Swimmers, Six Flags in New Jersey, Port Authority, New York City Subway, Sunburn, Log Flume, Newark Penn Station, New York Penn Station, Invitation to Participate on Milo Time  

In celebration of Israel's 75th birthday, guest host Dov Wilker, AJC's Atlanta director, sits down with retired Major League Baseball catcher Ryan Lavarnway, who played for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic and the Olympics. Lavarnway reflected on the Jewish pride he felt representing Israel on the international stage, how he has dealt with the antisemitism in his career, and the importance of building connections between the Jewish state and the Diaspora. *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC.  __ Episode Lineup:  (0:40) Ryan Lavarnway ___ Show Notes: Watch: Catch the full video conversation with Ryan Lavarnway, recorded live on Yom Ha'atzmaut as part of AJC's Advocacy Anywhere  Test your knowledge: Quiz: How much do you really know about Israel? When was Israel founded? Who was the first Israeli to win a Nobel Prize? Which country was the first to recognize the State of Israel? Start the quiz! Listen: Israel at 75: 7 Things You Should Know About Israel: Listen to these seven episodes of AJC's People of the Pod featuring leading Israeli and American scholars, experts, and influencers that will help you learn more about the complexities, triumphs, and challenges facing Israel today. Julianna Margulies on Holocaust Education and Fighting Antisemitism: Emmy Award-winning actress Julianna Margulies recently partnered with the New York's Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, to help create the Holocaust Educator School Partnership. To date, the partnership has trained two university fellows to teach the history of the Holocaust to 1,700 middle and high school students in New York City Public Schools. In a poignant interview, Margulies shares her motivations for expanding the program, personal experiences of how antisemitism has affected her family, and reflections on her first visit to Israel and Yad Vashem. Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us. __ Transcript of Interview with Ryan Lavarnway: Manya Brachear Pashman: Sometimes it just makes more sense for my AJC colleagues to guest host. When it comes to sports, I always try to hand the mic to AJC Atlanta Director Dov Wilker. This week, in honor of Israel's 75th birthday, Dov sat down for a live conversation in front of a virtual audience with Major League Baseball Catcher Ryan Lavarnway, who played for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic and the Olympics. Ryan talked to Dov about the pride he felt representing Israel on the international stage and the importance of building connections between the Jewish state and the Diaspora. I might not know a lot about baseball, but as someone about to visit Israel for the first time, Ryan's recollections and reflections brought tears to my eyes. Here's an instant replay.  Dov Wilker: Let's get it started in the beginning, Ryan, how did you get into baseball? And does your Judaism intertwine with that, or is that a separate story? Ryan Lavarnway: So, I started playing baseball when I was five years old. And my dad always played baseball, he was always doing pickup games on the weekends playing high-pitch softball, but the story of why I got started was my kindergarten teacher told my parents that I was not good at sharing, and that I should get involved in a team sport. So they signed me up about as early as I could sign up, when I was five years old. And I took to it really quick and the rest is history. Dov Wilker: You know, that's good advice for my seven year old who is also not very good at sharing. So I appreciate that.  And what about the role of Judaism in your life? Was Judaism something that was important to you from an early age? Or has that sort of become more important to you as you got older? Ryan Lavarnway: No, it really wasn't. My mom is Jewish, and she always loved Christmas. They had a white Christmas tree in her house with blue ornaments. And my dad would describe himself as a disenchanted Catholic. So growing up, we celebrated holidays from all religions. But there was no religion involved. We celebrated just to have a nice meal together, to have a reason to give presents and celebrate or light the candles. We went through the motions. Sometimes I joke that we celebrated Hallmark holidays.  And it wasn't until really until high school that I started to grow into my own as an adult and start to search for more. And in high school, I ended up going to temple for the first time with a high school teammate's mother who had MS and couldn't drive herself. So we kind of needed each other because I needed someone to go with, and she needed someone to drive her. And that was really my first experience. As an adult, when I started searching for more meaning behind –Why do we celebrate these holidays? And what do they mean? And where's the community that I want to be a part of? Dov Wilker: What state did you go to high school in? Ryan Lavarnway: I grew up in California, LA County, in the valley. My wife likes to make fun of me every time I talk about home, she references that SNL skit The Californians– she's like, Oh, you, you were on the one oh one and the four oh five.  So I grew up in Southern California. A lot of Jewish players on my youth league teams, on my little league teams, you know, Bar Mitzvah season for me, you know, when you're 13, 15, in that season of your life, I had a ton of friends that were Jewish, we had a great community here. But my family, again, we were more of the Hallmark holidays. Dov Wilker: So when you were in high school, when sort of you started getting more into your Judaism, but also, you know, as you were playing, did you ever experience antisemitism on the field when you were younger, or even when you were older? Ryan Lavarnway: When I was younger, not so much. And I think the reason that I was able to kind of dodge those bullets was because my dad was Catholic, and my mom was Jewish. So as we studied the Holocaust in school, I felt, you know, and to me, I'm almost embarrassed looking back, but this is my truth.  I would step away and I would say, Well, I'm half Catholic, so the people that were hurt and the people that were, killed in and, and antisemitism is against, that wasn't me. But then I could also step on the other side and be like, Well, I wasn't the evil villain, either. It wasn't my people that were causing all this pain. And that helps me avoid feeling, and feeling hurt by the antisemitism as a kid. But what that also did was, it kept me from feeling the benefits of the community.  And it wasn't until later, and we can get into this, when I played for Team Israel and I fully embraced being Jewish–and publicly–that I started facing antisemitism for the first time and really internalizing it and feeling it personally. But then that was also the first time, with that came, the feeling, the sense of community and feeling like I'm your brother, and you're my brother, you're my sister, and like we're all in this together. So I feel like they go hand in hand. Dov Wilker: So let's dive into that, the Team Israel stuff a little bit. Your first experience with the team came about in 2017, 2016.  Ryan Lavarnway: 16, yeah. Dov Wilker: 16. So how did that all start? I mean, you're a Major League Baseball player, you're a world series champion, and you get a phone call from some guy who was like, hey, like, we've got this team we want to create it? Or, was it, the World Baseball Classic is gonna be a big thing and you want to find a way to be a part of it and you're a great catcher, but you might not be picked for team USA. How does this all work? Ryan Lavarnway: So, yeah, I got a phone call from some guy that I'd never heard of. Peter Kurtz. I don't know if it initially came through my agent or how he first got ahold of me. But I got a call in 2012. And I had just made it into the big leagues as a rookie the year before. I had like half a year of service time, still trying to prove myself and establish myself as a major leaguer. And he said, Hey, we have this Team Israel. And we play baseball, surprise, you never heard of us. Which I think was everyone's reaction. But you qualify for the team, because your mom's Jewish. So what do you think?  And I was like, Well, what's the WBC because 10 years ago, it wasn't very popular yet, it's still growing. He's like, Well, we have to qualify to get into the tournament, because we only have one field in our whole country. And we're ranked 64th in the world. But we think we can do it. What do you think? The qualifier's in September, can you be there?  And I was like, Well, it sounds like an amazing opportunity. Let's do it. But if I get called up again, this year, I'll be in the big leagues, so I can't be there. So September 2012, came in when I was in the big leagues. I wasn't able to go, but I had the seed planted in my mind of this, this is a possibility. This is a thing. So four years later, they just missed qualifying in 2012, they had a lead in the last inning.  And my now best friend from this team, Josh Zeid, ended up blowing the lead.  Flash forward four years later, 2016, I get another call, Hey, we're going to try to qualify again. We just missed it last time, we think we're really going to make it this time. Can you be there? And this time, my answer was, well, I'm probably going to be in the big leagues. But if for whatever reason I'm not, heck yeah, let's do it. And then the skies parted. It was the first year in six years, I wasn't in the big leagues in September. And I was available. And I went and played. And what I remember, showing up, when I first got there was Josh Zeid spoke very passionately to the group about how blowing that lead four years earlier, is still eating him up inside. And it was the lowest of lows for his career and everything he had done pitching in the big leagues. That was the moment he wanted to change. And his impassioned speech really spoke to the rest of us about oh, man, this is maybe more important than we thought. Dov Wilker: So I want to jump back to something that you said, which I find very profound. This random person calls you and says, Hey, your mother's Jewish, you qualified to be on the team. How do you respond to that? Right? You started off by saying that you got more into your Judaism when you were in high school and but, how do you feel, what is that? And by the way, have you ever been to Israel before? Was there any sort of connection to Israel, as all of this is sort of taking place? Ryan Lavarnway: I had not ever been to Israel. When he first called me in 2012, my wife and I were engaged to be married. By the time 2016 came around, we had been married. My wife was raised Jewish, she had a bat mitzvah, she had been on Birthright. We had a Jewish wedding. I was more involved in the Jewish community locally in Denver, and had really embraced, on a personal level, that I'm a Jewish man, and I want to raise a Jewish family. I want to be involved in the Jewish community in Denver. I still had yet to say that publicly.  Because playing for the Boston Red Sox, our media training, at least 10 years ago, this was before athletes branding themselves and having their own brand was really acceptable. Especially in baseball, baseball is one of the last sports to embrace that.  So the Boston Red Sox media training involved: if anything is even potentially controversial—just keep it to yourself. The Red Sox is the brand, don't tarnish it. And Boston itself as a city is a little closed minded, I would say. I think people that know Boston could agree with this, that they're not the most forward thinking city.  Dov Wilker: No offense to anyone in Boston that's listening. Ryan Lavarnway: No, I love the city of Boston. Trust me, I love Boston. It's one of my favorite places. I still feel at home there. I've got my Red Sox World Series ring on the table right here.  But like, I know, some of my black teammates didn't feel comfortable, and black visiting players don't feel super comfortable there. So it's just it's just the way Boston is a little bit. So I just kept to myself.  When I announced I was going to play for Team Israel, was the first time that I really feel that it was public. And I feel maybe in a way that's the first time I dove all the way into the deep end of embracing it. Because you have to say to the world, right? If you are privately Jewish, in a sense, you could say that maybe it's–you're hiding it a little bit. Or it's just you're just not announcing it. So I finally announced it to the world. I finally experienced antisemitism for the first time in a way that I really internalized and personalized and I was really embraced by the Jewish community and it was really wonderful in that way. Dov Wilker: Two things --one is, AJC has a campaign that we created called Jewish and Proud. And it's something that we've been sort of pursuing as a result of the rise of antisemitism in our society. So I couldn't agree with you more. I think that that's so important. It's why, in fact, one of the reasons that I wear my kippa— one of the reasons is that I've got a hair problem in the back. But the second reason is that I feel it's an important identifier, because I'm very proud to be Jewish. And I want people to be able to know that. But I'm one of the things you just said was that, it's when you started to experience antisemitism, really publicly. So could you share a little bit about that? What was that like, or what type of experiences you might have had? Ryan Lavarnway: Yeah, so there was a couple of experiences that were more subtle. And it was more of people questioning, like, Oh, I didn't realize you were Jewish, or like, I didn't know that about you. And I felt like, I felt like they felt permission to express their questioning, or they felt like they had the right to have an opinion. Which ultimately, what's the difference? I'm the same exact person you've known for years. And now you think you have a different opinion about me.  And just the fact that they even made a face or had a slight different tone when they talked to me. It made me feel like well, why? Why did something change? Why did anything have to change?  There were more obvious experiences. Baseball is a very Christian sport, at least on the professional level. I think that we have 12 Jewish major leaguers this year, and that's a record. Out of 780  players in the major leagues, 12 are Jewish, so it's very much a minority. So every Sunday, a chaplain comes in and holds baseball chapel, in the dugout or in the clubhouse, for both teams, and they do it in English and in Spanish. So it's a really established institution within baseball. And it's great for those players. But it's not my thing. And I kind of established, ‘that's not my thing,' was my go to response when I was invited, because they tried to include everybody. And one time I remember I was in Gwinnett, Georgia, the AAA team for the Braves. Dov Wilker: Yeah. So it's up the street from where I live right now. Ryan Lavarnway: Yeah. And I was invited to baseball chapel. And I said, Well, it's not my thing. And the chaplain really pushed back,  like, why wouldn't you go? And I was like, Well, I'm Jewish. So you know, I don't need to go to baseball chapel. We have our own thing on the weekend. And, he said, Well, I've dealt with heathens like you before. And I don't remember what happened with the rest of the conversation.  But it left me feeling really awful, that he would call me that. And I honestly didn't even know what heathen meant. So I went and I looked it up in the dictionary on my phone. And I think technically, by the definition, heathen just means non-believer. But the way he said it made me feel like he was talking down to me, like I was less than and, for a supposed man of God, I didn't think that was very ethical, or I didn't really like the way he handled it.  So small experiences like that. And then there was one other time I was in AAA, I don't remember what team I was with. But one of my teammates in the outfield was expressing some other backwards opinions about some other groups that he thought maybe I might relate to—which I didn't. And he also went on to add –also, if we're going to be friends, I'm gonna have to tell you, you're wrong at some point. Because you don't believe in Jesus Christ. And I was like, okay, guy, well, then we're just not going to be friends after this.  So there have been experiences, some of them have been more subtle, some of them have been more obvious. In my experiences, I feel like antisemitism falls into two major categories. It's either ignorance, or it comes from hate. And I approach them in two separate ways. I think if it stems from ignorance, I try to educate them. It shouldn't have to be my job and anybody that is a Jewish person, it shouldn't have to be your job either. But if we don't do it, who will? And I think it goes the same way with anybody that is the receptor of any sort of ignorant hate, you know, whether it's black people, or gay people, anybody that experiences that, it shouldn't have to be your job to educate people. But again, if you don't, who will? So when someone makes a joke that might be hurtful or someone comes from a place of not understanding why it might be hurtful, I try to educate them, like this is where the history of that joke or the history of that ignorance comes from.  And then in general people, they don't want to be ignorant and they don't want to be hurtful. So most of the time they back off. The other time is when it comes from hate. And I don't know if you can necessarily change people's hearts. I take one of my cues from Hank Greenberg, who was one of the more famous baseball players in history. He was a big, strong, intimidating person, he would stand up to it. And he took the approach, at least from the stories that I've heard, of, you deal with a bully, you stand up to them, and you maybe intimidate them back, and then they'll back down. And I think that's one way or the other way is, if it stems from a place of hate so much that you're in danger, then that's when you kind of try to avoid it, or you reach out to authorities in some regard.  Dov Wilker: Ryan, I appreciate you sharing that. Unfortunately, for me, it's not surprising to hear what you shared. And I'm sure for many in our audience, they wouldn't have expected it. And yet, it also might not be a surprise. It's also one of the reasons AJC created a tool. It's an online glossary called Translate Hate, for those experiences to be able to explain to people what the root of the antisemitism that they might be sharing comes from. I absolutely agree with you about the two types of antisemitism that you've experienced. I'm curious if you ever, did you ever talk to the other 11 Jewish players in the majors about their experiences? Or that you sort of just assume that they had similar ones? And did you ever experience it from the fans? Ryan Lavarnway: No, in general, a lot of most of the fans have been really supportive, or don't bring it up at all. So fan wise, it's been really, really positive. And as far as talking to other players about it, when we're with Team Israel is when I interact with the other Jewish players the most. And we're really just enjoying the experience and really positive. So any experience I speak of is really personal. And you'd have to kind of talk to them about theirs. Dov Wilker: Yeah, no, I appreciate that. So let's talk a little bit more about what it was like to represent Team Israel. What was it like? I mean, here you are, you've sort of done very cool things in the majors, you got to be a part of this team, this unique gathering of the diaspora Jews essentially to represent the Jewish homeland. Here we are again, on Yom Ha'atzmaut, Independence Day, talking about that. Was the team received well by the other countries in the World Baseball Classic? These are other ballplayers that, you know or were you sort of shunned aside a little bit? Ryan Lavarnway: So the first thing is, when I first started to play for Team Israel, I can be totally honest about this. I signed up because it was a great baseball opportunity. Playing in the World Baseball Classic was, I had never played international baseball before. So it seemed like a cool thing to do. And it would add to my baseball resume. Representing a people, a culture, and a country, it didn't even enter my mind. I didn't know what it would mean to me. So I signed up for a baseball opportunity. We played in Brooklyn in a qualifier.  And it started to hit me when I stepped on the field with Israel across my chest. And we stepped onto the line for the national anthems before the game. And we took off our hats and we put on kippas. And it was the first time that a sports team had ever done that, or at least a baseball team had ever done that. It was really interesting. And I looked into the stands and there was–Brooklyn's a home game for for Israel, right, there was a bunch of Jews in Brooklyn, and there was a few yeshiva schools with kids with the tallit and the kippa. And it hit me that these kids have never had a team like this, where they can relate to every player on the field.  And everything that I know about representation and how the more things you can relate to in leaders, or the more things you can relate to in role models, the more meaningful and impactful it will be for you as a young person. It really hit me that I wanted to be the person for them. I wanted to be their role model. And then it hit me again when we got to Israel, because after we qualified for the tournament, they brought us to Israel and filmed a documentary about it. They did a great job. I don't get five cents if you download it on Amazon but check it out because they did a great job.  Going to Israel really, really it hit home for me. We got to Israel and we had a practice on the only field in the country. And I have this sense of meaning that's growing and my heart is expanding another size like the Grinch on Christmas, when his heart grows two sizes. And after our practice, we have a press conference with the Israeli media. And they let us have it. They were initially not excited to have us represent them. They pushed back really hard. Who are you to represent us? We don't even play baseball, you guys are outsiders. Who do you think you are? And we were all like, Oh, my God, like, we thought we would be at this press conference, and it was going to be a love fest where they were so happy that we made it into the tournament. And that was very much not the case.  So that gave us pause a little bit. But we also appreciated that they didn't just accept us because we were winners. They wanted us to prove it, like prove that you mean it and prove that you're gonna represent us well. So we went to Seoul, South Korea was the first round. And we started to win. And we counted out before we started, I don't know if you remember the article that ESPN posted. They called us the Jamaican bobsled team of baseball, has-beens, wannabes, never-weres, that perfectly fulfill the role of “team that has no business being there, and somehow found a way to win minus, they haven't won yet.” That was what the article said.  And that was maybe the best thing that ever happened to us because we got a very, very solid collective chip on our shoulders. And we had a lot of players that felt like maybe they had been overlooked in their careers or hadn't got the opportunity or hadn't performed to their potential. So we had a lot of players that already had a chip on their shoulder. And now as a group, we had one. So we went out there, and we started to win. And we beat Korea, and we beat Taiwan, and we beat the Netherlands. And everybody's now freaking out. We're a Cinderella story. And the other teams were great. The other teams, you know, you qualified for Israel, whatever.  We move on to Tokyo. And as we advance to the second round, now the Israeli media is like, we're so happy you're representing us. Thank you for being respectful and giving positive energy on the worldwide stage and for playing so great. And now we have this positive thing. So the Israel media finally embraced us, as we continued to send the message that we want it to grow the game within Israel, not just win, and not just say, wham bam, Thank you, ma'am, we're out of here. But we all had the intention to be around for a while.  And then we beat Cuba. And the Cuban media was pissed. And I think they were probably embarrassed that they lost. And that was the first time that another country's media had been like, well, you guys are all American. You guys are America. American's B-team. And that was the first time we really got pushed back. But realistically, nobody on Team Israel would have made America's B-team or America's C-team or America's D-team or E-team or F-team. Like us we were a collection of has-beens, never-weres and wannabes that qualified for Israel. And then most of that team from 2017 signed up for the Olympics and we established Israeli citizenship and went back to Israel a second time.  And every time that we've been to Israel, we make the commitment to grow the game we go, and we host clinics for the youth. Most of the prize money for the team has gone to building new fields or funding international tournament travel for the youth. And participation in baseball in Israel has doubled since the first time I wore an Israeli uniform. Dov Wilker: There's so much that was said. I'm so grateful that you shared all of that. Ryan Lavarnway: I have no idea if I answered your question.  Dov Wilker: I'm not even sure what my question was anymore. So it's the perfect answer. By being members of the Israeli team at the Olympics, did the Israeli Olympic Committee do anything to share about the massacre of the 72 Olympics? Was that at all a part of sort of, in general, was there sort of learning, teaching, touring that that Israel did, that the the institutions there to help you all sort of have a better understanding if you'd never been there before, sort of different challenges and things like that on the global scale?  Ryan Lavarnway: Yeah, there absolutely was. So we all had to go to Israel a second time to establish our citizenship, which I think was the right thing to do. You know, you can't just mail us a passport overnight, right? So we went to Israel again, we went to all the fields, we coached kids. We went to Independence Hall, we did all the things.  What we also did was we had to go to their athletic Institute to be put through a battery of testing. They wanted to make sure we were healthy, and that we weren't going to die on the field. And I don't know if you remember the old Gatorade commercials, where they had a tube hooked up to your mouth and the EKG machine, all the wires coming off and you're running on a treadmill. We did that.  And we're running on this treadmill. We're dripping sweat, we're panting. Our hearts are beating and we're all like, do you understand baseball? Like, we don't have to do this. But they put us through all the crazy testing. It was really awesome. And while we were at the Institute, we got to meet some of the Judo athletes, some of the windsurfer athletes and we went straight from there to the Israel Olympic Experience, which is like a museum for Olympics in Israel. It's not a very big museum. Dov Wilker: They've got some gold medals... Ryan Lavarnway: I believe, and don't quote me, because I'm not sure on the facts. But I believe they had 13 medals, before Tokyo and four gold, I want to say. Judo and windsurfing I believe, I might be wrong.  But going through that Olympic experience, it really gave us context for understanding the history of Israeli athletics. And the tragedy that happened in the 70s.  Dov Wilker: I'm glad to hear that. I'm curious: in Israel, what was it like for you the first time, the second time? Did your opinions change when you became an Israeli citizen? I'm not going to ask for your political analysis of the current situation there, I don't think that'd be fair. How has that experience changed for you and your family? You're married. Did anybody join you in Israel? Ryan Lavarnway: So the first time I went, my parents were nervous. Because if you watch the American news cycle, you would think that Israel feels like a dangerous place. And they were like, Are you sure you want to go, especially right now. So I went into it a little nervous. not knowing what to expect, and you land on the ground. And I was like, I've never felt more safe in my life. This place is beautiful. It's amazing. We spent, the first time I went, we spent four days in Tel Aviv first, beautiful city, right on the water, we stayed in this beautiful beachfront hotel. And then we went to Jerusalem, and going to Jerusalem. And this is going to be a pained metaphor, so please forgive me. But in the same way, the first time that I stepped into the old Yankee Stadium, or Wrigley or Fenway Park, you can just tell it's different.  You can just smell the significance in the air, you just know, like, I am among history, so many important things have happened here. And I get to experience this in the modern world. And it just feels, like your heart beats different, the air smells different. So going to Jerusalem was that for me, and especially getting to the Western Wall, I swear to God, I felt God for the first time. And it was just this transformational experience. I think I cried. I think they caught it on video for the documentary, which is cool for me to live through and get to see again, because that was a really, really meaningful moment in my life. But going there, for the first time, yeah, my wife came with me. This was before we had our daughter, years before we had our daughter. But it was really, really meaningful and transformational for me to go for the first time.  When I went back the second time, I got to experience it all again. You know, you don't have that transformational experience, because you've already changed as a person, and you're changed forever. So it was really cool to go back again. And then they handed me my passport. And I have this goatee so I kind of felt like Jason Bourne, where I have two passports now, like, which I am going to use. Except they both have the same name. It's very, very, very cool. Dov Wilker: So I'm gonna go for some rapid fire questions… Ryan Lavarnway: Oh wait, I have one more. I think it's a good answer. And I don't like to express my political opinions. But what I'd like to tell people is, if you either voted– in America, if you're an American citizen, you either voted for our current president, or you voted for the last president, you didn't vote for both. And either currently or four years ago, you were unhappy with the decisions that the government was making. I don't think that made you feel less proud to be an American.  And I would encourage you to use the same opinion, when you think of Israel. Whether you agree with what the current current government is doing or not, does not have to color your opinion of whether you agree with the concept of Israel. When I think of Israel, I believe in what Israel is about, and it being a safe haven for the Jewish people worldwide, whether I agree with what the current government is doing or not. And I think it's very easy to judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions. And that goes the same with a country that you personally identify with also, so I just wanted to throw that in there. Dov Wilker: I so appreciate you saying that. I was speaking to a group of high school students recently. And I shared with them that, you know, we're talking about the current situation, and I said, you know, Israel welcomed in Ukrainians as citizens, not as refugees. If you read Israel's Declaration of Independence, it refers to the survivors of the Holocaust and those who were expelled from other lands. And so the in-gathering of the safe haven for the Jewish people is so important for us to be able to continue to remember the role that Israel plays in our lives. We're, you know, we're fortunate to live in the United States today. But we see that people need Israel more and more depending on where they live, not everybody is as fortunate and there are many people who have moved to Israel because of the antisemitism that they themselves might have experienced here. So I think it's a really powerful statement for you to make and something that I hope, I'm guessing that if you shared it here, you share it with all of your audiences, but if not, I hope that that's something you continue to share with your audiences.  All right, well, it's no easy transition to my rapid fire, so I'm just gonna do it. Ryan Lavarnway: Just rip off the bandaid. Dov Wilker: There you go. Favorite Israeli snack? Ryan Lavarnway: Shawarma. Dov Wilker: Oh. Snack? You have a very different appetite than I do, my friend. Ryan Lavarnway: I have a very big appetite.  Dov Wilker: Favorite city in Israel? Ryan Lavarnway: Jerusalem.  Dov Wilker: Favorite baseball memory. Ryan Lavarnway: Two answers: World Series win, or my debut with Cincinnati.  Dov Wilker: Okay. Most challenging part of being a catcher. Ryan Lavarnway: Hitting in the ninth inning. Dov Wilker: You know, you talked about the small numbers, the mighty numbers of Jews in Major League Baseball today. Is there an association between the Jewish ballplayers in the major leagues and other professional sports? Is there any reason, maybe it's based on a city that you live in? Or it's sort of an overall, I know like, there's the Jewish Coaches Association, something like that? Is there anything like the Jewish professional ballplayers association, that gets you together, perhaps to be able to encourage others like you to play for the Israeli teams in other sports that they're professionals in. Ryan Lavarnway: Not that I've experienced yet, but that might be a cool idea to start. I'd be up for it. If you want to talk off of this broadcast. Dov Wilker: It's my new side project at work. Ted, thank you for the approval.  And I guess my final question for you, Ryan, is, we're here today, Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's 75th birthday. What type of closing message do you have about the importance of Israel, you already talked about the safe haven for the Jewish people, but sort of the future of American Jewry. Any parting words of wisdom that you'd like to share? Ryan Lavarnway: My biggest thing is, participate, and be proud. And you need to be public, because the only way that we can get the benefit of the community and strengthen numbers is if we support each other, and we're aware of who each other are. I've received so much benefit in my life from embracing the community and stepping out into the public. And it's really changed my life. And it's changed how I view myself as a man. And it's changed the direction that I want to raise my family. And it's been such a positive change. And I've had such a positive embrace from the community. And I want others to experience that. And I never would have experienced it if I didn't go out of my way to participate in Team Israel. So I encourage anybody watching, go out, get involved, anything in your community, a team you can get involved in. It's been so positive for me, and I hope it can be so positive for you as well. Dov Wilker: Well, Ryan, on behalf of American Jewish Committee, thank you very much for joining us for this wonderful conversation.  

Emmy Award-winning actress Julianna Margulies recently partnered with the New York's Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, to help create the Holocaust Educator School Partnership. To date, the partnership has trained two university fellows to teach the history of the Holocaust to 1,700 middle and high school students in New York City Public Schools. In a poignant interview, Margulies shares her motivations for expanding the program, personal experiences of how antisemitism has affected her family, and reflections on her first visit to Israel and Yad Vashem. *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC.  ___ Episode Lineup:  (0:40) Julianna Margulies ___ Show Notes: Learn more about: The Museum of Jewish Heritage's exhibit The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do The Holocaust Educator School Partnership Vote: Vote for The Forgotten Exodus at The Webby Awards: AJC.org/Webby Test your knowledge:  Test your knowledge of antisemitism in America: Stopping antisemitism starts with understanding how dangerous it is. Take our quiz and learn how antisemitism impacts American Jewish life. Read: Breaking Down and Fighting Holocaust Trivialization: Holocaust trivialization is not always obvious; a casual observer might miss it without an understanding of the terms, symbols, and relevant history. Here is what you need to know. Listen: Surviving the Unimaginable: A Child's Story of the Holocaust: In this powerful episode, we sit down with Sam Harris, who is one of the youngest survivors of the Holocaust. As a young child, Sam watched in horror as his family was taken to Treblinka and murdered, but he and his two older sisters were able to beat the odds. Listen as Sam recounts the unimaginable struggles he faced during one of the darkest periods in human history and how his experience motivated him to play a central role in the founding of the Illinois Holocaust Museum. What to Know About Israel's Judicial Reform Effort and Protests: Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed pause on a series of contentious judicial reforms that have triggered mass protests, condemnation from wide swaths of Israeli society, and expressions of concern from American leaders and Jewish organizations. Guest host Belle Yoeli, AJC's Chief Advocacy Officer, sits down with AJC's Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson to discuss what this means for the future of the Middle East's only democracy.   Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod   You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org   If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us. __   Interview Transcript - Julianna Marguiles: Manya Brachear Pashman: Last year, Emmy Award winning actress Julianna Margulies hosted a Holocaust memorial special called “The Hate We Can't Forget", which featured the stories of four Holocaust survivors. In that documentary, Julianna sounded the alarm that Holocaust education across the country was severely lacking. After filming, Julianna partnered with the Museum of Jewish Heritage: a Living Memorial to the Holocaust here in New York, to help create the Holocaust Educator School Partnership, or HESP. Julianna is with us now to explain what that is and what she hopes it will accomplish.  Julianna, welcome to People of the Pod.  Julianna Margulies: Thank you so much for having me.  Manya Brachear Pashman: So please tell our audience: what is the Holocaust Educator School Partnership or HESP? Julianna Margulies: HESP's an easier way to say it, actually Jack Kliger, who is the CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, he calls he calls them the Hespians. So HESP is a program that I started with the Museum of Jewish Heritage after I hosted that CBS documentary on the Holocaust, when I realized how little education there was in our country.  And with the rise of antisemitism and Holocaust deniers, I just felt, I felt despair, to be honest with you. I just thought it's ignorance, because people are not educated. And when you do not learn history, history repeats itself. And so after I hosted it I thought to myself, what can I do? I'm just one little person. I'm not a humongous star, but I have a bit of a platform. And I thought well, let me try and use my voice and the small platform that I have to make change.  So luckily, I knew Jack Kliger. And I said, I hosted this Holocaust Remembrance documentary for CBS and MTV, and they paid me. I didn't even think I was gonna get paid to be honest with you, because it was, of course, a labor of love to do it. And I felt weird taking money for it. And so I took the hefty check that they gave me, and I said, let's figure out how to educate our children. Because these are seeds that you have to plant early. So that when these people become adults, this idea that conspiracy theories and the rest of it, they won't penetrate, because you already have that education and the knowledge inside of you to say, that's crazy, no.  And also, it wasn't just about antisemitism. For me it was about–and this is how we're approaching it with HESP. It's about genocide. It's about racism. It's about homogenizing human beings. It is about putting people in a category who are different than you and saying you don't belong. So it really spans the spectrum of the entire world and all the people in it.  For me, antisemitism is incredibly frightening because family members of mine were Holocaust survivors. I'm a Jew. I'm raising my son Jewish. And I just felt like I had a call to action after I hosted that documentary and watching the documentary, I learned a lot. But really, I think it's about hate. And as we like to say at HESP, never again. Manya Brachear Pashman: It's scary, right? Raising Jewish children is scary, as a mom, I mean, it's wonderful and rewarding and rich, but scary. Julianna Margulies: Well, it wasn't to me at all until I did this documentary and my girlfriend who lives right around the corner from me and her son goes to St. Ann's. She said, Well, how does your son get to school? I said, it takes the subway. We live downtown and he goes to school uptown. Her son goes to school in Brooklyn and she said, Oh, I won't let them on the subway. And I said, Why? And she said, Because he loves to wear his Star of David around his neck, and I'm afraid.  And I just couldn't believe I was hearing those words. It's 2023. We live in New York City. And many people have asked me why I've started this program in New York City. Because isn't New York City the center of the Jews. They talk about that. The fact of the matter is, we're in the second semester of this program that I started, and it is shocking how many seventh, eighth and high school students do not know anything about the Holocaust.  In fact, two weeks ago, one of my interns was teaching the hour course on the Holocaust and the history of the Holocaust, and an eighth grade boy up in the Bronx asked if there were any Jews still alive, after 6 million were killed. So that's where we're at.  Manya Brachear Pashman: So it's an hour long course. But there's more to it than that. Can you kind of walk us through the components of this, this partnership? Julianna Margulies: Yes. So, we take college and graduate students who apply to the program in our first semester, it was just starting out, and we had to do, and it is a paid internship, where they take an eight-day crash course at the Museum of Jewish Heritage on teaching the Holocaust, through one of our professional Holocaust professors there, they then go to schools that we contact, and give, from seventh to eighth grade all the way through high school, one-hour classes, on what the Holocaust was, what it did to the Jewish race, and how it was part of what World War II is about?  Manya Brachear Pashman: Do they step into the classroom and take the place of a teacher for a period basically?  Julianna Margulies: So they come into the classroom, there, we talk to the principal first and the teachers and it's usually in a history period, it depends on the school's curriculum, and they step into the classroom. And they give this hour lesson and children get to ask questions. On occasion, although they are dying out now, we are able to bring in a Holocaust survivor.  My idea now is, because the Holocaust survivors are dying out is, I would like to bring in the children and the grandchildren and the great-grandchildren of Holocaust survivors to tell the stories of their ancestors so that the stories don't get lost, and they don't die out. Because as we're seeing antisemitism isn't dying out. Manya Brachear Pashman: So does it go beyond the classroom, or does it stop there? Julianna Margulies: It does. So because it's affiliated with the Museum of Jewish Heritage, we desperately feel that no child money should never be an issue when it comes to education. So we then after the class, a lot of scheduling is involved, but they're so on it at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.  But then we supply buses and bring the children to the museum, which is beautiful, it's downtown and all the exhibits are quite something right now. It's this incredible, The Hate We Know. And it shows the very beginning of before World War II happened and then you get to see this journey that they took all the way after. After the Holocaust and after World War II is over.  So they get to go and experience what we were teaching in their class and they get to ask questions. And it's been really heartening because we had an eighth grade class. I forget if it was the Bronx or in Brooklyn, they were so taken by the class that was taught.  They chose, for their eighth grade project, an entire exhibition based on the Holocaust and what Jews went through and it was absolutely just gut-wrenchingly beautiful. They made me so proud. They sent me all the pictures of it, I was away working. So I couldn't go. But these kids were beaming.  And they felt like they were doing something. I think the idea for me of what HESP is, and any kind of Holocaust education, I think because there's such darkness surrounding it. And I can understand why parents would be nervous to let a seventh and eighth grader learn about it, I understand the fear. But what I'm trying to implement into the program, is this idea of heroes. Who are these heroes that stood up in the face of evil, Jews and non Jews alike.  And right now, in our country, I actually feel it's more important that the non Jews are standing up for the Jews, the way that I marched for Black Lives Matter, the way that we all marched for women, you know, this is a universal problem. And we all need to stand behind it.  And if all the communities that are so oppressed joined together, power in numbers, and let's look at it more as shining a light on something that will make you feel heroic, to stand up to evil. Manya Brachear Pashman: How many kids has the program reached so far? Julianna Margulies: I'll tell you what's been really amazing to watch. So the first semester, we were small. And we had our two interns who did an incredible job, and they reached over 1700 children, and I always look at any kind of philanthropy, the way I look at acting, which is if I'm on stage, and I reach just one person in the audience, then I've done my job. And that's how I feel about this program. So knowing that they've reached 1700 children, maybe half of them didn't care or weren't listening or weren't moved. But there certainly were a handful that were. And what it also did was, when I went to the museum to congratulate our interns, when they graduated, we publicized it and took some pictures. And our next semester, we had 20 applicants.  And in fact, I was just talking with —AJC's been really helpful. They're helping me expand it throughout the country. But it was Laura Shaw Frank, who said, What I love about this, and she's a holocaust historian, she said is that it's young people teaching young people, because they respond, kids respond to young teachers. And so to have these 20, 21, 22 year old interns walking into a classroom, full of, you know, 9th graders, 10th graders, 11th graders, and talking at their level, is actually incredibly helpful.  Manya Brachear Pashman: I learned something from the documentary. AJC has this wonderful resource called Translate Hate. It's a glossary that's online and it teaches people about antisemitic tropes and terms that have been around Yes, since the dawn of time. And new ones too. It's constantly updated. And I learned a new term in that documentary called Godwin's Law. And I hope that we add it to Translate Hate later this year. And Godwin's Law is: the longer an online conversation goes on, the likelihood of a comparison to Nazis or Adolf Hitler rises 100%. I thought that was so interesting. And so social media does play such a significant role in school children's lives. TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, probably a few have been invented that I don't know about yet. What role do you believe social media companies should be playing in reining in this antisemitic rhetoric, if any role at all? Julianna Margulies:  Well, I think that I think they need to be responsible for misinformation, and hate speech. I'm all for the First Amendment. But where do you draw the line? Where do you draw the line here? I mean, children are sponges. And you plant one little seed, and it can be a good seed or a bad seed. And it's also you know, social media is toxic.  I know I'm not a big social media person. I had to join Instagram when I wrote my memoir, because Random House said, Wait, you're not on social media. So I joined the lesser of all evils, because I figured the only people following me on Instagram are people who like me, right? So I'm not gonna get a lot of hate mail there.  Manya Brachear Pashman:  Think again, Julianna.  Julianna Margulies: I know, I know, I actually realized–don't read the comments. But I do believe that it is their job to filter out the hate and the misinformation, I really do. I do not think they should be allowed to. I'm going to peddle these incredibly damaging, and life threatening conspiracy theories. It's not helping anyone, it's making people more angry. I know how I feel just scrolling through Instagram. You know, I as an adult, who is not into any of it, and who feels very secure in who I am. And in my position in life with my family, and who I am as a person to my friends, and my child and my husband, I start feeling insecure. So if I, a confident woman in her 50s is feeling insecure, scrolling through Instagram, I can't imagine what it's doing to children. Manya Brachear Pashman: I love the way that you put it in the film, that just a little bit of Holocaust knowledge can actually be dangerous, that it's because it's just enough for someone to invoke it for political reasons or to make a point, but not enough to take responsibility and to try to prevent it from ever happening again.  Was it important that this partnership that you are funding, be robust, be in depth, be more than just an hour long course?  Julianna Margulies: Absolutely. I mean, obviously, it's very difficult to teach everything in an hour. So the idea is that those who hear about it and learn about it from that course, will further their interest in it, and that the schools will eventually realize this is something we need to teach. This should be a mandatory class in our history program, the same way we learn about how America was founded, you know, like this is just as important, especially because it's just not that long ago. You know, this, this is quite recent.  If you look at the big scale of our world, and how many years it's existed. This is not that long ago. And I, I do believe that institutions, Holocaust museums, all over this country, are doing a tremendous job in showing what it was like, I mean, you know, we're, we're, we're doing an exhibition in October because it's the 80th anniversary of the Danish rescue. And at MGH they're doing an incredible job. I'm on the advisory board now. They're doing the Danish rescue, and it's for children and families. It's not, there's no age, it's age appropriate for everyone. And it's showing the heroes that saved 7200 Jews, and- Manya Brachear Pashman:   If you could tell our listeners a little bit about what that Danish rescue is, what you're referring to. Julianna Margulies: So the Danish rescue. You know, it's interesting. I just read this book that Richard Kluger wrote, it's coming out in August, called “Hamlet's Children,” and it's all about the Danish rescue. And very few people know about it. I didn't before I read the book.  So Denmark was in a very tricky place in World War II. They had made a treaty with Germany and they were in a place where they were Nazi occupied, but they had made a deal with King Christian had made a deal that the Nazis could not harm their Jews because they were their Danish brothers and sisters, and they were not to be touched. Now, here's a country that is under Nazi occupation. And they hated it. And they sort of were grinning and bearing it.  And then towards the end, when the Nazis realized they were losing the war, when America came in, and England came into the war, and they realized that this was going to be a losing battle.  The Danes realized that their Danish Jewish brothers and sisters were in trouble. And boatload by boatload at midnight, they rescued 7200 Jews to Sweden, which was neutral.  I think what's so important about that story, and I think for people who have gone to Yad Vashem, in Jerusalem, where I just was this past December, to see all these points of light, what would have been had 6 million Jews not been murdered? Where would the life, where would the tree have gone? How far would it have grown?  And the 7,200 Jews that were saved, their families have lived on. And it's to show- it's about the tree of life, which was being chopped down before it could even begin.  And it's such a heroic story of how they did it. We even have the actual boat that we've refurbished. That's actually in Mystic, Connecticut, because we couldn't get it to New York yet, but we will eventually.  It is such a sort of miraculous story. And it wasn't just adults who saved these, these Jews. Everybody in Denmark rose to the occasion. And when you go to Yad Vashem, I mean, I, I had just finished reading the book and I walked down the path of the righteous at Yad Vashem, and I saw a plaque.  So for those of you listening who don't know what the path of the righteous is, it's the path of all the heroes, the non Jews that stood up to the Nazis and protected the Jews from the Nazis. And there was this beautiful plaque to the Danish rescue, and I just, you can't help but weep. I mean, it's— where are those heroes? And so that's the light I want to shine on HESP and our Hespians is that these are heroes, let's be heroes.  What's amazing to me, is in my business, you know, I'm an actress and all the big movies are about heroes. So why aren't we turning that into- Okay, so that's what makes money, right? Heroes. So let's make this about being a hero. Not about being an antisemite, or whatever labels they have for people who love the Jewish people, who are Jews. Let's turn this into a moment of heroism, and change the narrative so that our children grow up wanting to be heroes.  Manya Brachear Pashman: I want to hear more about this trip to Israel. I've encountered many Holocaust survivors who don't talk about their experience until they make a trip to Israel. And then they feel empowered, obligated to tell their horrific story. I'm curious what you witnessed, what you experienced in Israel, both at Yad Vashem, but also in the greater country at large.  Julianna Margulies: Yeah, it was a magical experience. And we really crammed a lot in 10 days, because we wanted to make sure and when are we going to be back here? Let's do it. Right. So we actually hired a professor to take us around for 10 days. And really, we went to Tel Aviv, we went to the Negev, we went to Jerusalem. We even actually took a day trip to Jordan and went to Petra, which was mind boggling. We went to Masada. I mean, we did it all. We met with political consultants to try and understand the politics. And we went everywhere and learned about so much. And first of all, I think the thing that struck me the most– my sister was born in Jerusalem. In 1960, my big sister, and she, they left when she was one and I had never been to Israel, because we moved here. My parents moved back to New York. But I always felt this Oh, my sister was born in Jerusalem, I have to go.  And we actually had meant to go for my son's Bar Mitzvah. But COVID happened and there was lockdown. So that didn't happen. Then the next year, we were gonna go and it was, Omicron. And so this year, it actually I'm glad I waited till he was 15. Because I actually think he got a lot more out of it. But one of the things that hit me the hardest was how young the country is. Manya Brachear Pashman:   75. Julianna Margulies: It is so young. Because I grew up in England for a great part of my life, and every time I'd come back home, I think how young our country is, like, God, it's so young here. You know, I love America. But some of the ideas, it's like, how can we move past this in, there's still this sort of, it's very young, we live in a young country, Israel is very young. But it's founded on such a strength of community and belonging.  And I remember just landing in Tel Aviv, and I looked at my husband, we're walking through the airport. Now we are with our people, it's like, I've never felt like I belong more. Most people don't think I'm Jewish. Most people think I'm Greek or Italian because of my name. But I didn't grow up Jewish. You know, my mother, they're both 100% Jewish, but my mother's family tried to keep their Jewishness quiet. Because her grandmother, who had fled from Prussia, persecuted for being a Jew didn't want to cause any reason for someone to harm her. So they didn't celebrate Passover and Yom Kippur and Hanukkah. They just stayed very quiet. And they didn't talk about it.  They spoke Yiddish and they had Jewish food but they didn't advertise their Jewishness, because that caused tremendous pain in their family. And so for me once I became an adult, I wasn't Bat Mitzvahed. And I married a Jewish man who said, I want to raise our son Jewish, and I want a Jewish wedding. And I said, Great, I'm in, let's do it. That's fine. Okay. But as I've sort of grown into the role of my life, as not just the actress and the independent woman, but also as part of a unit, part of a family.  We do Shabbat on Fridays, even if it's just to light the candles, and to say goodbye to the workweek, and to say hello to our friends and family. Putting down phones. It's the tradition of Judaism. Because I'm not a religious person, I've always felt any kind of religion is a little bit sexist.  And even though I played a Hasidic Jew in a movie years ago, called “The Price Above Rubies,” and I went to Boro Park and and I did some research on the women there because .. I guess I was confused as to why you would love this life, because to me, it felt suffocating, incredibly sexist, and demoralizing to be a Hasidic wife.  And then to see their pride and joy in their work, and how they felt about themselves. Iit was quite eye opening. You know, I was judging, I was definitely judgy about it. And I learned a really good lesson, you know. But I have found tremendous joy in the traditions of our Jewish heritage.  And our son knows, Friday nights, he can invite any friend over, but we're gonna, before the pizza comes, we're going to just do our blessings, light the candles, and kiss each other. There's something about tradition that is so lost in today's world, that gives a sense of meaning. And, and a route to the family.  Manya Brachear Pashman: This has been a fascinating conversation.  Julianna Margulies: Thank you.  Manya Brachear Pashman: I know that it could go on for hours longer. But thank you so much for joining us. Julianna Margulies: Thank you for doing this podcast. I really love it.  Manya Brachear Pashman: I really hope this program expands across the country. Julianna Margulies: Thank you so much for having me.