Welcome to the World of Jewish Story!

If you love Judaism, Story and Teaching, then NewCAJE RISE is the program for you.

We are an inclusive, innovative, interactive, and immersive certification program created to empower Jewish Educators to use story and storytelling to enhance all aspects of their teaching. Each RISE program is geared to a range of grades (Preschool through 1st grade; 2nd through 5th grades; 6th through 12th grades; adults). Each class is designed to give you skills and techniques to use immediately in your classrooms, schools and communities. You will be bringing Jewish culture, history, philosophy, literature and ritual more fully into life through the use of Story and Storytelling.

Come on the journey of learning Stories, techniques and applications to enrich the experience of living Judaism for your students and for yourselves. 

Under the umbrella of NewCAJE, this 16-month certification program involves interaction with accomplished Jewish Storyteller Educators in ZOOM and in-person, Storytelling Intensives, and two NewCAJE conferences. Through projects and the storied curriculum you’ll create, you’ll be inspired to inspire your students in new and profound ways as you bring Stories and Storytelling into your teaching.

Cost for the program is minimal, and returns of enhancing your teaching are very high. Plus, you will receive money toward the cost of the NewCAJE conference registration. 

Come join us!

Storyteller Cherie Karo Schwartz, Founding Director     

Maggidah Batya Podos, Co-Director

Focusing on interactive and experiential storytelling, master storytellers and early child educators, will teach the art of Jewish storytelling for the YL( young learners) classroom with interactive activities focusing on:

• age-appropriate Jewish stories and resources focusing on Jewish values and content. 
• props and puppets
• music and movement
• storytelling techniques for audience participation
• new ways of using picture books
• creating a virtual platform for sharing ideas between classes
• navigating the new-normal (virtual, masks, etc.) through storytelling

YL Cohort will be  invited to additional classes by world class presenters and storytellers with Rise 2 Cohort throughout the year at $18 per class.

 The program will offer guidance and workshops with:

• A coffee and greet prior to the NewCAJE conference as well as sessions during the conference.
• Four 1.5 hour – 2 hour workshops following the NewCAJE conference over the course of a year.
• Support between workshops (for those who are interested) at no additional cost.
• Graduation and concert presented by cohort participants.

Mission of the NewCAJE RISE Young Learners Program:

Provide a safe place for early childhood educators to explore the art of storytelling while gaining the confidence to tell stories both with and without a book in hand.

Goals of the NewCAJE RISE Younger Learners Program:

1) Empower early childhood Jewish educators to make storytelling a part of every classroom.

2) Build a community of early childhood educators that can lean on each other for strength and support while handling the daily challenges of the early childhood classroom through the context of storytelling and story sharing.

3) Train NewCAJE Educators to inspire and teach their students to tell stories.

4) Have Master Teachers and the Cohorts of the NewCAJE Storytelling Initiative bring  storytelling into their synagogues, schools, libraries, museums and communities.

 5) Explore and utilize the many faces of Jewish Storytelling from various genres: sacred, folk, family and original tales, in classroom sharing, puppetry, picture books, improvisation, and in performance. 

6) Recreate the NewCAJE Jewish Storytelling Network as a platform for connection and collaboration.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: To receive certification as a Rise YLStoryteller-Educator

• Attend the four sessions of the RiseYL program
• Attend the upcoming NewCAJE Conference
• Participate in several Storytelling sessions during the NewCAJE Conference
• Fulfill required assignments
• Demonstrate the integration of story and storytelling in your work
• Use your storytelling skills in your school, organization and/or community
• Demonstrate the ability to adapt and tell Jewish stories to early childhood listeners.
• Participate in the online virtual platform by contributing ideas and support.
• Tell a story in the RiseYL Cohort Concert at the conclusion of the program.
• Attend and participate in the Graduation Ceremony
• Upon completion, you will receive certification as a RiseYL Educator/Storyteller
• Come immerse yourself in this exciting new Jewish RiseYL Storytelling program!

Tuition & Registration:

• $300 for the RiseYL course (materials and resources included).
• The first 10 participants will receive a $250 stipend toward the cost of NewCAJE15 in 2024.
• Click here to register for our RISE-YL Cohort!

Tuition payable by date of first class or in installments by special arrangements with

Batya Podos, Co-Director NewCAJE RISE (batsongs@gmail.com)

Check back soon for more information about our 2nd-5th grade RISE Cohort!

This cohort is already in progress and is not accepting new applications at this time. We are planning to offer this age group again in the future. If you have any questions about this program, please contact Batya Potos at batsongs@gmail.com

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: To receive certification as a “Storyteller-Educator”

• Teach or administer/direct grades 6-12
• Attend four learning sessions each year
• Attend the 3-day Intensives prior to each NewCAJE
• Attend NewCAJE Conferences each year of the program
• Attend at least two mentoring sessions
• Participate in several Storytelling sessions during each NewCAJE conference
• Teach a Storytelling session at NewCAJE your second year
• Fulfill required assignments
• Demonstrate the integration of story and storytelling in your work
• Use your storytelling skills in your school, organization and/or community
• Demonstrate the ability to tell Jewish stories from a range of genres
• In the second year, write and submit an article for a NewCAJE journal highlighting your use of story and storytelling in the classroom or school
• Tell a story in the Cohort Concert at NewCAJE the second year
• Attend and participate in the Continuation Ceremony
• Upon completion, you will receive Certification as an Educator/Storyteller (one of the morim sippurim)

To Register for the NewCAJE Conference, please click here!

To Register for a NewCAJE RISE-YL Cohort, please click here!

We strongly encourage you to work early to secure funding from your home communities to help defray conference costs. We will send ideas for how to approach synagogues and organizations. You can consider offering storytelling sessions in return for supporting you in this program. Community involvement is very important.