A good conference sends you home with new ideas about your work. A remarkable one can send you home with a new understanding of your own place in the work.

I recently attended the NewCAJE conference in Boston. I had been to two of these conferences in the past but only virtually. I found the virtual conferences invigorating and enriching but lacking the camaraderie of being physically there. Being in person in Boston, I finally found out what it is like to be surrounded by other dedicated Jewish educators. It was an exhilarating experience and an amazing opportunity.

Over the course of four days, I met dozens of people and had impromptu conversations that lasted late into the night. I made new friends and connections and heard many new ideas. I attended fascinating workshops, saw beautiful programs, and discovered new tools for Jewish educators. The emotional connection of being in the room with a speaker or performer who inspires or moves you is extraordinary. Best of all, I got to see several TTS tellers in person, most for the first time!

Perhaps the most gratifying part of the trip, though, was realizing that Teach the Shoah (TTS) already had a meaningful presence in this community. Everywhere I went, people knew about TTS. They were happy to see TTS so strongly represented at the conference. I was even asked why we had no vendor table. Apparently, some people were disappointed that they could not just come by and pick up literature and giveaways to share with their congregations!

The TTS workshops I presented drew far more interest than I could have imagined. They may even have drawn in a few new tellers. And I had the opportunity to discuss collaborations between TTS and other organizations focused on preserving Jewish history.

I learned, I taught, I shared, I explored, and I met with friends, old and new. I helped deepen TTS’s presence within the broader community of Jewish educators. I came home with new ideas and connections to share with TTS. But the most important thing I brought home was a clearer sense of my own place in this work, as a Holocaust educator and as a Jew.