As Jewish leaders, we often find ourselves being called on to connect contemporary life to ancient tradition. There are many ways to do this, whether it’s through content delivery at a program, teaching a class, or sharing of timeless wisdom from Jewish tradition during a 1-1.

During this session, we will explore the theory of how we do this, and then explore practical takeaways for our everyday work. Together we will learn:

• Discerning the ‘Moves’ in an Effective Jewish Framing
• Jewish Wisdom Building Blocks: A checklist of things you can do to grow your own fluency
• The Roadmap of a ‘Vort’ (i.e. short framing, commentary, or inspiring words)

As Community Builders, we often eschew the traditional “Sage on a Stage” model of transmitting Jewish tradition (for good reason). But this does not negate our responsibility to powerfully share our own perspectives, narratives, and approaches to a living Torah with our community members. We will discuss how to do this in a way that avoids being heavy-handed, and that helps us make the impression we want to leave. Together we will learn:

• The role of the Jewish community builder’s perspective and viewpoint
• Backstaging the Mic Drop: the concrete technique
• How to close an experience meaningfully and well
• 5 Components and 3 styles of an effective Mic Drop

Erica Frankel (Joyful Coach, Toastmaster, Expert Thrifter) is the Executive Director of Assembly.

Over the past 16 years, Erica has founded and grown five new Jewish organizations and initiatives into existence, has touched the lives of over 20,000 Jewish college students, has trained and supported more than 500 rabbis and Jewish educators, and has seeded a thriving Jewish ecosystem in Harlem. She holds an MA in Dance and Sacred Texts from NYU and was a Wexner Field Fellow.

Erica and her husband Rabbi Dimitry Ekshtut (and their two toddlers) annually welcome ~600 unique young adults into their home for Shabbat and holidays, Jewish learning, and service.

Leah Kahn (Maestra Educator, Artist of Gathering, Shabbat Queen) is Assembly’s Vice President of Education.

She previously served as the Senior Director of the Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Experience at Hillel International, where she oversaw the Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF). Over the last decade, Leah has developed a unique pedagogical approach that has been used to train more than 400 rabbis and educators. She is the recipient of the Covenant Foundation’s Pomegranate Prize, an inaugural member of the M2 Pedagogies Research Fellowship, and a Wexner Field Fellow.

Leah is also a certified yoga teacher, lifelong modern dancer, Shabbat enthusiast, and a mean vegan cook. She lives in Berkeley with her husband and two children.

Melissa Werbow (List Maker, Hosting Ninja, Educational Gadfly) is a Community Builder for Assembly’s project IYUN.

When she isn’t with IYUN, Melissa serves as the Education Director at the Hill Havurah in Washington, DC. She is passionate about creating authentic communities and empowering learners to take ownership of their Jewish tradition. She has spent her career straddling the worlds of congregational, adult, and day school education – three arenas that don’t talk to each other nearly enough.

Melissa and Rabbi Mike Werbow are the parents of three mostly delightful children and one very spoiled dog. She is currently obsessing about gluten-free vegetarian cooking, parenting teenagers, and what novel she should read next.