CASJE (Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education) today announced two new Advisory Board members, Dr. Meredith Woocher, Director of Learning at the Covenant Foundation and Dr. Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath, Senior Director of Knowledge, Ideas and Learning at The Jewish Education Project.
CASJE’s mission is to improve the quality of evidence-based knowledge that guides Jewish education practice and policy. Its work is steered by an Advisory Board that brings together scholars and leaders in Jewish and general education to steward research projects from inception to fruition, and ultimately toward engagement with the field.
Dr. Meredith Woocher is Director of Learning at The Covenant Foundation, where she leads work related to evaluation, knowledge management, and sharing insights with the field. Dr. Woocher has nearly 20 years of experience conducting evaluation, research, and planning projects for a wide range of Jewish communal and educational institutions. Dr. Woocher has published reports and articles on such topics as adult Jewish learning, adolescent development and Jewish teens, the role of evaluation in Jewish education, and mapping the Jewish education landscape.
Dr. Woocher holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University, and a B.A. in American Studies from Yale University. She is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship. She lives in Rockville, Maryland with her husband and son.
Dr. Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath is the Managing Director of Identity, Ideas, and Adolescents at The Jewish Education Project. As a recognized expert in Israel education, Jewish peoplehood, teens, and antisemitism, Samantha is a sought-after speaker and thought leader. Samantha is an alumna of the University of Pittsburgh (BA), the Jewish Theological Seminary (MA), and Gratz College (EdD). Her 2022 book, #antisemitism: Coming of Age During the Resurgence of Hate, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award in the category of Identity + Jewish Education. An award-winning educator, Samantha has lived and taught in New York, Israel, Cleveland, and Washington DC. She is currently at work on her next book.
CASJE’s Advisory Board includes co-chairs Dr. Susan Kardos (Abraham Joshua Heschel School) and Dr. Benjamin M. Jacobs (GW); members Dr. Henry Braun (Boston College), Dr. Rena Dorph (Lawrence Hall of Science), Dr. Sharon Feiman-Nemser (Brandeis University), Dr. Michael Feuer (GW), Dr. Ellen Goldring (Vanderbilt University), Dr. Gage Gorsky (Stanford University), Dr. Heather Hill (Harvard University), Dr. Ari Kelman (Stanford University), Adam Weisberg (Urban Adamah), and Dr. Tali Zelkowicz (Wexner Foundation); and emeritus co-chairs Dr. Lee Shulman (Stanford University), and Rabbi Mitch Malkus, Ed.D. (Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School).