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First Summer at Camp Young Judaea West
My experiences attending camp at CYJ West and later on Tel Yehudah exposed me to a whole new side of what it means to be Jewish. Through YJ I found a connection to both a close-knit community and to Israel. YJ also provided me with multiple leadership opportunities and growth experiences. -
My Bat Mitzvah
My bat mitzvah took place at Congregation Beth David in Saratoga, CA. As the oldest grandchild on both sides of the family, this was a big simcha that was attended by many relatives. My bat mitzvah was on Shabbat Parah, which meant that I needed to try to make some sense of the Red Heifer, which continues to make little sense to me to this day. -
Machon in Israel
My first visit to Israel was a transformative experience. The summer was filled with hands-on experiences with Israel and inspirational moments. One of the most impactful memories from that summer was our pre-dawn hike up Masada. -
Elected National Education Programmer of YJ
During my senior yearin high school I served on the national board of Young Judaea as the National Education Programmer. As a peer-led youth movement, my leadership role meant that I ran national conventions and also developed curricular materials for local regions and clubs throughout the country. Being on the national board of YJ was a profoundly empowering and rewarding experience that led me toward my career in Jewish education. -
YJ Year Course in Israel
I spent the year after high school as a participant on Young Judaea's Year Course in Israel program. The year was filled with 3 months of studies in Jerusalem, a month living with a family on a moshav, 2 months of army-related service, 3 months in a development town, and 2 months on a kibbutz. At the end of my year in Israel I came home and promptly announced to my mom that I was planning to make aliyah following college. -
Rabin's Assasination
I returned to Israel for the fall semester of my junior year for a semester abroad at Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva. My semester in Israel led to a significant change in my relationship with Israel. I have vivid memories of the night that Rabin was assasinated. In the weeks following the tragedy, the entire country was in shock. The national dialogue and the hate-filled diatribe that pervaded the country led me to question my perception of Israel and my desire to make aliyah. -
Wexner Graduate Fellowship
I was very fortunate to have been selected as a Wexner Graduate Fellowship. My participation in the fellowship enriched my graudate studies with leadership seminars, amazing connections with colleagues, and a broader view of the Jewish community and what it means to be a Jewish professional. -
Chuppah with Jeremy Price
On this date my life changed forever when I got married to Jeremy Price and changed from Nina Kujawski to Nina Price. Our wedding took place one month after we returned from having lived in Israel for two years, which was the place we met and fell in love. -
Graduation from HUC
My graduation from HUC marked the beginning of a new phase of my career as a Jewish educator. My studies at HUC game me opportunities to explore educational theory and practice, be mentored by amazing professionals, and develop my skills as an educational leader. Following my graduation I began work as the Director of Congregational Learning at Congregation Beth El of the Sudbury River Valley. -
Eitan's Birth
The afternoon on the second day of Rosh HaShanah I went into labor with my first child. Early in the morning of te 3rd of Tishrei I was fortunate to give birth to a healthy baby boy. Eitan was officially named at his brit milah, which, given the date of his birth, took place Yom Kippur. That year, rather than having a study of the Book of Jonah, Eitan's bris became "the best Yom Kippur half-time show" at Congregation Beth El of the Sudbury River Valley. -
Aleeza's Birth
With the ground covered with snow, I gave birth to Aleeza just a few minutes before midnight on January, 10th, 2007. Aleeza was named after my great-grandmother, Lee, who died a few months after Eitan's birth and had been able to attend Eitan's bris. Aleeza's arrival, as her name indicates, brought much cheerfulness into our family. -
Mandel Jerusalem Fellows
During the 2009-2010 academic year my family headed off to Israel so that I could participate in the Mandel Jerusalem Fellows. My year as a Jerusalem Fellow offered me the opportunity to explore constructions of Jewish identity and reflect on my understanding of the ends of Jewish education. I also connected to amazing colleagues from around the world and had the opportunity to study with inspirational teachers. -
Moving to Our New Home in WV
Two summers ago my family moved to Morgantown, WV, and joined a new Jewish community. Our new congregation is Tree of Life Congregation, which happens to be the only congregation in town. It is a small, close-knit community with a religious school of 29 kids. Ever since our move to Morgantown I have been teaching in the Hebrew School and have enjoyed having my own kids as my students. -
Worked at GUCI
During the summer of 2014 I worked as the Camper Care Special Needs Corrdinator at Goldman Union Camp Institute. It was a unique experience to return to working at a Jewish camp after an 18 year hiatus. This time I also came to camp with my kids, which reflects my stage in life as a Jewish parent and my role as one of the "old people" at camp. It was great experience for me to be able to bring my education and special needs backgrounds to the campers at GUCI. -
SPED Teacher at UHS
I began work at University High School in Morgantown, WV, where I focused on teaching students on the autism spectrum. The shift to working in a public school was a big transition from my prior work in the field of Jewish education. Although different from working full time in the Jewish community I found my job as a SPED teacher to be very rewarding and have been able to bring much of what I have learned as a high school teacher to my teaching at Hebrew College. -
Graduated from Farimont State University
I completed my M.Ed. in Multi-Categorical Special Education with an endorsement in autism in Spring 2015. The program involved both coursework and clinical experience in many of the local public schools. Taking courses at Fairmont State and working in the public schools in WV led me to reflect upon my Jewish identity in new ways because I found myself having the experience of being the only Jew in these contexts and addressing questions posed by classmates about Judaism and education. -
Joined Congregation Beth El-Zedeck
When we moved to Indiana we joined Congregation Beth El-Zedeck as well as the Indy JCC. After living in WV for three years and lacking a connection to a vibrant Jewish community, we were excited to once again be part of an active Jewish community. I taught a 4th grade family learning program our first year at BEZ and was able to meet many new families in the Jewish community through teaching. -
SPED Teacher at Riverside Junior High
Upon moving to Indiana I found work as a special education teacher at Riverside Junior High. It turned out that I was one of two Jews on the teaching staff and that my political views tended to be much more liberal than my colleagues. In addition to teaching, while at Riverside I worked with students to form Club RAD - Riverside Accepts Diversity. My work with Club RAD was definitely informed by my Jewish values and experiences working in informal Jewish education. -
Eitan's Bar Mitzvah
Being the mother of a bar mitzvah and a Jewish educator makes for an interesting mix. I was my son's bar mitzvah tutor and worked with him to prepare a Torah study prior to the Shabbat morning service. Seeing Eitan start to take ownership of his Jewish learning and identity was a very powerful moment as a parent. -
Became JFGI Director of Jewish Education Initiatives
During my 2nd year in Indiana I was approached to take on the newly created position of Director of Jewish Education Initiatives at the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis (JFGI). This position was created as part of the process of closing the local BJE and optimizing impact by moving Jewish education under the umbrella of JFGI. I enjoyed 2.5 dynamic years in the position supporting Jewish education through capacity building, community building, and bridge building initiatives. -
Joined Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation
After working at JFGI community politics interfered with my sense of belonging in the congregation we had initially joined. As our kids got older we also sought a synagogue with more dynamic youth programming, so we joined Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation (IHC). While I still identify more strongly with the Reconstructionist movement, ultimately our family joined the synagogue that was more caring and welcoming. -
Aleeza's Bat Mitzvah
Just like each child is different, the same is true for each b'nai mitzvah. Aleeza worked with the cantor to make the service remind her of Camp Havaya. She expressed her Reconstructionism identity by explaining her use of "ruach" instead of "melech" during the service. Aleeza even had some camp friends come from out of state and it was wonderful to see her various cohorts of friends all come together for the bat mitzvah! -
Ending Work at JFGI
In February 2020, JFGI eliminated my position in an effort to "right size" the education budget. The whole incident was pretty traumatic, since I was told that "Indy is not ready for you" and that the success of what I and my Education Team had built over 2.5 years was seen as a threat by other communal institutions. You can read more about my experience in the following eJp article I wrote -https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/saying-kaddish-for-jewish-education-in-indy/. -
Hebrew & Special Education Teacher at Carmel High School
I am currently working at Carmel High School, a public high school of over 5000 students just north of Indianapolis. My position is an odd combination of teaching Hebrew and working with special education. However, that combination fits my background perfectly, and I am enjoying the unique challenge of this specially-designed position!
