Moving Traditions: Refreshed Brand and New Offerings Support Educators and Teens Today

As Jewish teens face the dual burden of the trials and tribulations that come with adolescence and rising antisemitism in school and online, Moving Traditions continues to be a source of resilience, pride, and strength. The organization recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and is experiencing unprecedented growth in its programs for Jewish youth and educators, and in the number of organizations with which it partners for impact.

Coinciding with this increased growth and demand, the organization recently introduced a new program structure that, as CEO Shuli Karkowsky says, has tangible benefits for all who use its resources:

We are giving our beloved, growing institution the refresh it needs, with a new Moving Traditions brand hierarchy and a more streamlined way of partnering with us as we continue to scale…Fortunately, at a time when they are needed most, Moving Traditions programs are growing faster than ever before.

Moving Traditions’ commitment to helping Jewish youth thrive through the pursuit of personal wellbeing (shleimut), caring relationships (hesed), and a Jewish and feminist vision of equity and justice (tzedek), remain as steadfast as ever. Now, it’s easier to tap into its expertise, support, and resources thanks to some important changes:

• A simplified program structure that organizes programs into three neat categories:
  • Curricular Programs offer a diverse suite of curriculum and training for synagogues, schools, and camps that help teens explore their Jewish identity in context with their relationships and values (access these offerings by becoming a Moving Traditions partner).
  • Meyer-Gottesman Immersive Teen Experiences provide Jewish high schoolers with peer community and adult mentors who support them in developing identity and belonging through the lenses of Judaism, social justice, and feminism.
  • Community Learning offers accessible resources and events for anyone seeking to understand what Jewish teens need today.
    
• Clear, consistent messaging that reflects Moving Traditions’ leadership in Jewish youth identity development
  
• A new way for synagogues and camps to partner with Moving Traditions to bring Moving Traditions Curricular Programs to their community, with easier access and flexible, tiered pricing
• A fully searchable and filterable curriculum portal that helps audiences use more and more of the organization’s impactful resources.

Immediately following the brand refresh, Moving Traditions saw a major spike in visitors accessing its digital resources and the time users spent on its new website. The new Curriculum Portal saw especially strong outcomes, as more users took advantage of capabilities to filter and search for Moving Traditions curriculum by theme, activity, audience, and more.

I’m excited about having access to all the sessions from different curricular tracks! I’ve never explored the sessions from Shevet, Tzelem, and Rosh Hodesh, so it’ll be interesting to see what’s there. – Partner educator

I am deeply appreciative that Moving Traditions continues to create new programs and evolve current resources to respond to changing realities. Their materials feel extremely timely and up to date in ways that other ‘out of the box’ curriculum often do not. – Partner Educator

Moving Traditions is poised to build on past successes as it continues to expand its reach to educators and teens, with increasingly responsive resources. As just one example, in the 2024-25 school year, Moving Traditions piloted a 10-session Jewish Identity and Israel curriculum for Hebrew High Schools. All participating educators reported that the curriculum helped teens become familiar with the significance of Israel within Judaism, Jewish history, and culture, including the origins of Zionism as a political movement. Nearly all participating teens reported that the session helped them feel like they are part of a Jewish community that supports them as they are. Because of this positive feedback, the program is now offered to all Hebrew High School partners. Some camps used it last summer, nearly 40 partners are implementing the entire track, and more than 250 are selecting sessions a la carte. 

Moving Traditions continues to show that it is responsive to the needs of our communities in the moment. I am excited to embark on the journey of bringing this well-rounded curriculum to our community. – Partner Educator 

To support educators and leaders in a range of settings, Moving Traditions offers different webinars, partner training & support, and customizable practitioner workshops throughout the year. Its upcoming events include Camp Staff Workshops (May 13), Curricular Programs for Campers (May 14), and an event series for prospective partner educators (June 3) on Navigating Identity, Anxiety, and Belonging in a Polarized World.

Learn more about Moving Traditions’ impact and new brand in this video from Shuli Karkowsky. The Jim Joseph Foundation is a supporter of Moving Traditions.