ISJL Southern & Jewish 2026

Rachel Gollay - Keshet
How do our Jewish texts, teachings, and traditions motivate our work for justice in the world? What do we mean when we talk about “Jewish social justice,” and what’s our role in faith-based advocacy as Jews in the South? In this hands-on session, we will dive into Keshet's 7 Jewish Values for Taking Action, with LGBTQ+ rights as our focus. We will workshop ways to incorporate and communicate the values that resonate most with us so we can bring them back home to our communities. At the end of the session, we will share an opportunity to put our Jewish values into practice by crafting and sending impactful messages to our elected representatives in support of equality and safety for all.

Note: Keshet's work is 501c3-friendly and nonpartisan.

Drawing from the archives of the Dallas Jewish Historical Society (DJHS), we will examine how Jewish merchants built thriving businesses, contributed to community development, and navigated the challenges of identity, assimilation, and social change. Through personal stories, photographs, and historical documents, the conversation brings to life the entrepreneurial spirit and civic leadership of Dallas’s Jewish “merchant princes.” You will leave this session understanding how to engage with your local historical societies and bring primary source-based programming to your communities. 

Music is one of the most powerful tools for engaging young children and their families. In this session, we’ll explore how intention, music, movement, stories, and simple props can create experiences that are engaging, welcoming, and adaptable across a wide range of settings and skill levels. Whether you’re a musician or not, you’ll leave with practical tools for keeping attention, supporting transitions, and creating meaningful moments of connection. Tkiya’s approach to programming flows with attention span and provides access points for different learning styles. We’ll model how these techniques can be applied in multiple settings.

This is a very challenging time for teens to speak openly about their Jewish identity. Educators, too, are balancing their own connections to Judaism while supporting the complex identities of the students they lead. This interactive session equips educators with the emotional tools and practical frameworks to help students navigate today’s social pressures and build a resilient, positive Jewish identity.

For most of Jewish history, Torah was studied by people who spent their days making things: farmers, tailors, carpenters, merchants, builders, cooks, and artisans. 

The ISJL's 2026 A. Mitchell and Morrise Meyer Bell Rabbinical Intern, Rachel Sturges, is not only a current rabbinical student but also a former instrument builder. She will share insights into Torah visible only when we try to make something ourselves. 

What does it mean that the Torah's first image of G-d is not king, judge, or warrior, but Creator? Why is the first person explicitly filled with the spirit of G-d not a prophet, but the artisan Bezalel? What can craftsmanship teach us about humility, creativity, failure, and repair? Drawing on Torah, Jewish thought, and personal experience at the workbench, this interactive session invites participants to explore a surprising idea: making things is not merely practical work: it is one of Judaism's deepest spiritual disciplines. No woodworking experience required. If you've ever raised a child, cooked a meal, taught a class, planted a garden, built a community, or tried to repair something broken, this conversation is for you.