Dr. Jonah Hassenfeld

As the Director of Teaching and Learning at Schechter Boston, Dr. Jonah Hassenfeld oversees the entire educational vision and program of the school, and teaches adult Israel education courses to parents, as well as an 8th grade Talmud class.

In his work, Hassenfeld strives to build an educational program that empowers young American Jews to become the authors of their own Jewish journeys by offering them multiple pathways to Jewish life at school. Alongside Jewish studies colleagues, he worked on the redesign of the school’s Hebrew program, including the establishment of tracks for transfer students, native speakers, and students with language-based learning differences.

Hassenfeld regularly leads discussion groups for parents, students, and teachers that focus on challenging topics including Israel, Jewish life and broader political and educational topics. Through text study, personal reflection, and guided conversation, Hassenfeld works to foster a culture of respectful disagreement and shared meaning-making within the school community.

To this end, Hassenfeld’s work has increasingly centered on Israel education. He redesigned Schechter’s Israel studies approach, created an Israel studies seminar course as part of 8^th grade social studies, and teaches an Israel 101 course to parents and faculty, which he has also presented at other communal institutions.

This past spring, Hassenfeld delivered a seminar to a cohort of fellows at the Mandel Educational Leadership Institute, spanning leaders from day schools, camps, synagogues, and supplementary schools. The session focused on building curricula rooted in historical thinking, primary source inquiry, and dialogic pedagogy, especially around complex or divisive topics.

“Dr. Hassenfeld consistently shows his incredible gift for drawing students in and engaging them with connection, compassion, and intention,” writes Lisa D. Popik Coll, former Board Chair at Prizmah, who nominated Jonah for the Award.

“His students know to question everything, and to question the questions themselves. They come away from his classes with their own thoughts and ideas, their own relationship to the subject, and a toolbox of approaches that can be applied to further educational experiences.”

Upon hearing that he received the Award, Jonah shared, “I am humbled to be selected for a Covenant Award. I am grateful to the Foundation, to Lisa Coll for nominating me, and to the colleagues, families, and students at Schechter Boston who make me better every day.”

“Jewish education has rarely felt more urgent or more difficult, and my students at Schechter are the source of my hope. Watching them wrestle with hard questions about Torah, Israel, and the world they will inherit makes me confident that tomorrow will be better. This award matters as a recognition of the essential work all teachers do.”