ISJL Southern & Jewish 2026: Full Schedule

4:00pm EDT

The Magic and Music of High Holiday T’fillah for Families

Sunday June 21, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT

In this fraught and fractured time, how can we nourish the souls of our adults and kiddos alike? The High Holidays is an incredible opportunity to spark hope, resilience, and sacred support for our families. We’ll explore frameworks, tools, and repertoire to help make your family t’fillot (prayer) accessible, meaningful, and spiritually resonant—just what our people need.

Presenters

Eliana Light

Educator, Musician, and 2025 Covenant Foundation Family Education, The Light Lab

Eliana is working towards a world of One-ness, guided and inspired by Jewish heritage. She focuses on translating liturgy, prayer practice, and g?d-concepts in ways that are deep and accessible for all people at any age. Eliana’s music, gatherings, and teaching reflect a spirit... Read More →

Sunday June 21, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Graham C

Learning Block

Audience Clergy, Education Directors, Lay Leaders

5:15pm EDT

Mincha (Afternoon Prayer)

Sunday June 21, 2026 5:15pm - 5:30pm EDT

Graham C

We’ll gather for afternoon prayers, with the opportunity for Mourners’ Kaddish. Full liturgy transliteration provided.

Presenters

Rabbi Salem Pearce

Director of Sprituality, ISJL

Ordained in 2018 by Hebrew College, Rabbi Pearce's career has exemplified values of justice, compassion, and service to all. Most recently serving as the Executive Director of Carolina Jews for Justice, Rabbi Pearce has also worked for T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, and... Read More →

Resource Partners

Goldring Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL)

Sunday June 21, 2026 5:15pm - 5:30pm EDT
Graham C

Tefilah (Services)

7:45pm EDT

B'yachad In Community: Jews By Choice

Sunday June 21, 2026 7:45pm - 8:35pm EDT

Graham C

Connect with new and old friends. This is your time to talk about topics that are important to you or to relax and play some board games. Pick one group to join for the entire time or switch off in the middle!

Presenters

Rabbi Salem Pearce

Director of Sprituality, ISJL

Sunday June 21, 2026 7:45pm - 8:35pm EDT
Graham C

Community Time

8:45pm EDT

Ma'ariv (Evening Prayer)

Sunday June 21, 2026 8:45pm - 9:00pm EDT

Graham C

We’ll gather for evening prayers, with the opportunity for Mourners’ Kaddish. Full liturgy transliteration provided.

Presenters

Rabbi Salem Pearce

Director of Sprituality, ISJL

Resource Partners

Goldring Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL)

Sunday June 21, 2026 8:45pm - 9:00pm EDT
Graham C

Tefilah (Services)

10:45am EDT

Multigenerational Caretaking: Resilience Through Sharing Stories

Monday June 22, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am EDT

Graham C

Many of us are taking care of children, parents, other family members, or some combination of people we love. Join us to take a look at the challenges of being a Jewish parent (based on the latest BeWell research) and caretaker for others. We’ll learn how storytelling builds resilience and brainstorm ways to support our own wellness.

Presenters

Vickie Shuchart

Communications & Marketing Manager, ISJL

Vickie Shuchart is the Communications & Marketing Manager at the ISJL, where she oversees email, social media, website, and press outreach. A Mobile, Alabama native now based in St. Louis, she'll tell you she wishes the ISJL had existed when she was growing up in the South... Read More →

Beth Lipschutz, MSW

Director of Education & Training, BeWell

Beth Lipschutz is the Director of Education & Training at BeWell, the mental health and wellness initiative of Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) in partnership with the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies (The Network). She creates and facilitates different mental wellness... Read More →

Resource Partners

Goldring Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL)

BeWell

BeWell draws on Jewish wisdom and community, together with evidence-based and clinically-informed practices, to promote wellbeing, decrease stigma, and increase resilience. In partnership with the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, BeWell equips and catalyzes the Jewish community... Read More →

Monday June 22, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am EDT
Graham C

Learning Block

Audience Clergy, Community Members, Cultural Programmers, Education Directors, Jewish Professionals, Lay Leaders, Teachers

1:30pm EDT

Shalom Y'all in Focus: A Contemporary Lens on Southern Jewish Snapshots

Monday June 22, 2026 1:30pm - 3:45pm EDT

Graham C

Whether it is at summer camp, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, or in our coffee table books, southern Jews recognize the iconic images from the Shalom Y’all collection. Join the ISJL Culture division as we revisit this defining series, now several decades later. Award-winning photographer, Bill Aron, and curator, Vicki Reikes Fox, will join us via Zoom to discuss the original project, and then we'll reflect on the evolution of the southern Jewish landscape and consider what snapshots of life we might add or recreate today. You can expect to walk away from this engaging double session with fresh programming ideas and resources for exploring southern Jewish identity through image.

Presenters

Shira Muroff

Director of Programs, ISJL

Shira Muroff is the ISJL's Director of Programs. She is a California native and a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with a degree in Human Development. A Jacksonian since 2016, Shira first joined the ISJL as an Education Fellow from 2016-2018. After the fellowship... Read More →

Ana Berman

Programs & Education Coordinator, ISJL

Ana Berman is the ISJL's Programs & Education Coordinator. Originally from New York, she graduated from Macalester College with a degree in History and Religious Studies. Ana joined the ISJL in 2023 as a public history intern and then as the 2023-2024 Education and Culture Program... Read More →

Resource Partners

Goldring Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL)

Monday June 22, 2026 1:30pm - 3:45pm EDT
Graham C

Learning Block, A Deep Dive B'yachad

Audience Clergy, Community Members, Cultural Programmers, Education Directors, Jewish Professionals, Lay Leaders, Teachers

4:15pm EDT

CreativiTEENs: Art as a Tool in Teen Education

Monday June 22, 2026 4:15pm - 5:15pm EDT

Graham C

Art is for everyone: the in-the-margins doodler, the legacy quilter, the fine painter, and YOU! Shed the anxieties about being a perfect artist and instead learn how to plan an art-based program for teens that provides them with agency, space to be creative, tangible skills, and meaningful connections to Jewish content. Discuss the values of process and product, how to build a supply list that doesn’t break the budget, and low-cost, high-impact project ideas that will add dimension to your Judaic learning for middle and high schoolers. Participants will see these principles in action with a doable craft they can take home.

Presenters

Rachel Glazer, M.A.Ed.

Assistant Director of Youth Education & Engagement, Temple Beth El

Rachel Glazer (she/her) is the Assistant Director of Youth Education and Engagement at Temple Beth El in Charlotte, NC, supporting a Religious School of 345 students, 40 teachers, and 60 madrichim (teen helpers). Rachel has worked with all age groups to build curiosity, creativity... Read More →

Monday June 22, 2026 4:15pm - 5:15pm EDT
Graham C

Learning Block

Audience Clergy, Community Members, Education Directors, Jewish Professionals, Lay Leaders, Teachers

9:30pm EDT

Ma'ariv (Evening Prayer)

Monday June 22, 2026 9:30pm - 10:00pm EDT

Graham C

We’ll gather for evening prayers, with the opportunity for Mourners’ Kaddish. Full liturgy transliteration provided.

Presenters

Rabbi Salem Pearce

Director of Sprituality, ISJL

Resource Partners

Goldring Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL)

Monday June 22, 2026 9:30pm - 10:00pm EDT
Graham C

Tefilah (Services)

7:30am EDT

Shacharit (Morning Prayer)

Tuesday June 23, 2026 7:30am - 8:00am EDT

Graham C

We’ll gather for morning prayers, with the opportunity for Mourners’ Kaddish. Full liturgy transliteration provided.

Presenters

Rabbi Salem Pearce

Director of Sprituality, ISJL

Resource Partners

Goldring Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL)

Tuesday June 23, 2026 7:30am - 8:00am EDT
Graham C

Tefilah (Services)

9:00am EDT

7 Jewish Values for Taking Action

Tuesday June 23, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT

Graham C

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.

Presenters

Rachel Gollay

Southwest Community Mobilization Manager, Keshet

Rachel Gollay (she/they) is Keshet's Southwest Community Mobilization Manager. She is a community organizer and songwriter based in Fort Worth, Texas.

Their experience in organizing spans across LGBTQ+ advocacy, mutual aid, harm reduction, and reproductive justice. From providing direct support to folks directly impacted, to building out advocacy campaigns, Rachel believes strongly in our interconnected power to effect change and... Read More →

Resource Partners

Keshet

Keshet envisions a world in which all LGBTQ+ Jews and our families can live with full equality, justice, and dignity. By strengthening Jewish communities and equipping Jewish organizations with the skills and knowledge they need to make all LGBTQ+ Jews feel welcome, we work to ensure... Read More →

Tuesday June 23, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Graham C

Learning Block

Audience Clergy, Community Members, Cultural Programmers, Education Directors, Jewish Professionals, Lay Leaders, Teachers

4:00pm EDT

5:15pm EDT

7:45pm EDT

8:45pm EDT

10:45am EDT

1:30pm EDT

4:15pm EDT

9:30pm EDT

7:30am EDT

9:00am EDT

Get help with the event