The Jewish Education Project will host its annual conference, Jewish Futures 2026: ‘Becoming Tomorrow’s Educators,’ at Temple Emanu-El in New York City on Monday.
The event will convene Jewish educators and thought leaders to examine how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are changing how young people learn, connect, and process information, as well as how the role of educators must evolve alongside these shifts.
Participants at the conference will take part in an interactive exercise called “Tzomet Games: Shaping the Jewish Future,” where teams will evaluate potential scenarios for Jewish life in 2050.
The program is designed to help participants identify upcoming challenges, experiment with new methods of learning, and determine which foundational elements of Jewish education remain essential regardless of technological advancement.
The Jewish Education Project stressed that educators must take an active role in responding to modern technological developments.
Jewish education cannot react to changes in technology
“We are living through extraordinary changes in how young people encounter information and make meaning,” said Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath, Senior Director of Knowledge, Ideas and Learning at The Jewish Education Project.
“Jewish education cannot simply react to those changes after they happen. Our responsibility is to help educators understand what is coming, experiment with new possibilities, and also identify the deeply human elements of education that technology can never replace. Jewish Futures is about giving educators the opportunity to help shape that future rather than simply adjust to it.”
The conference will feature a keynote address by technology entrepreneur Sam Glassenberg, called “The Jewish Neuron at Play: What Games and AI Can Teach Us about Learning, Identity, and Our Kids’ Future.” Glassenberg, who leads Emerging Healthtech Initiatives at Sheba Medical Center in Israel and previously served as CEO of FTX Games and founder of Level Ex, will examine what educators can learn from systems built to capture attention.
Drawing on game design, neuroscience, and AI, he will explore how games instruct through challenge, feedback, and reward, and how emerging AI tools offer new ways to examine Jewish history and identity, ranging from analyzing the Cairo Geniza to mapping the Jewish genome.
The event will conclude with an interactive session titled “Educators Assemble!” led by Shoshana Bloom, an ICF PCC-certified coach and speaker who specializes in addressing burnout, overwhelm, imposter syndrome, and procrastination.
Bloom will guide participants in identifying their individual strengths, examining how those traits complement fellow educators, and converting the conference’s discussions about future challenges into actionable steps.