By Jessie Gindea
Jessie Gindea
Executive Director, Jewish Learning Experience
This fall, the Jewish community in Louisville begins building something sacred together: the Jewish Learning Experience (JLE), a bold new vision for K–12 supplemental Jewish education designed to spark joy, belonging, curiosity, and lifelong connection. Rooted in the belief that Jewish learning should be both intellectually serious and deeply joyful, JLE is designed to help children and families cultivate Jewish identity, belonging, curiosity, and connection in meaningful and lasting ways.
JLE will offer a dynamic structure that includes Sunday learning for kindergarten through second grade and Sunday/Wednesday learning for students third through eighth grade, alongside rich family engagement opportunities. JLE will also be offering extra, optional time to learn and play with the ShinShinim Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. Sundays will become a true community learning experience, with parallel parent learning sessions, family connection opportunities, and ongoing teacher professional development woven into the rhythm of the morning. If families are interested in adding additional Hebrew learning, students can participate through a combination of one-on-one Zoom sessions and small-group work, while the optional enrichment opportunities throughout the week will allow students to deepen friendships and Jewish engagement beyond the classroom.
JLE’s educational vision is being strengthened through guidance and consultation from the Institute for Jewish Enrichment (IJE), a nationally recognized leader in inquiry-based Jewish education with more than a decade of experience developing innovative approaches to Jewish learning. Through ongoing consultation and educator training, JLE faculty are drawing on IJE’s distinctive approach, which integrates Jewish text study, creativity, social-emotional learning, and experiential education. Rather than approaching Judaism as a collection of isolated facts or subjects, students will engage with Jewish learning as part of an ongoing conversation that connects their own lives and questions with the broader story of the Jewish people.
Beginning in the Bar and Bat Mitzvah years, JLE students will engage in a deeply relational and meaningful journey centered on Jewish identity, personal growth, and global Jewish connection. As part of this experience, students will build ongoing relationships with peers in Louisville’s Partnership cities in Israel’s Western Galilee, learning together across cultures and continents during these formative years of Jewish life.
The capstone experience of the JLE journey will take place in eighth grade, when students travel to Israel over spring break for an immersive experience designed to deepen their sense of identity, strengthen their understanding of the global Jewish community, and meet in person with the peers they have come to know throughout their Bar and Bat Mitzvah journeys. Upon returning home, students will bring their experiences back to the Louisville community through meaningful leadership opportunities, including helping to plan and lead community commemorations for Yom HaShoah and Yom HaZikaron, as well as helping to envision and create a vibrant community-wide Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration. For our first trip in March 2027, ninth and tenth graders in the community will be invited to participate as well.
For high school students, JLE is launching a new partnership with American Jewish University that will offer students the opportunity to engage in rich, discussion-based Jewish learning while also earning college credit. Designed to balance depth with the realities of busy teen schedules, the program will include sixteen sessions throughout the school year, creating space for thoughtful learning, meaningful conversation, and community building without overwhelming students with additional academic pressure.
At the center of all of this is a profound commitment to relationships and community. JLE understands that Jewish identity is built not only through curriculum, but through meaningful experiences, caring mentors, strong friendships, and opportunities for families to grow together. Parents will have opportunities for weekly learning, social connection, and shared exploration of Jewish ideas and values alongside their children.
JLE is thrilled to welcome Rachel Goldman as Assistant Director of the Jewish Learning Experience. Rachel is already a beloved and deeply respected presence within the Louisville Jewish community. Through her years of involvement in Jewish education, including her work with LBSY and at Keneseth Israel Congregation for Shabbat programming, Rachel has brought deep warmth, thoughtfulness, creativity, and a real love of Jewish learning to this work. Her understanding of the Louisville Jewish landscape, combined with her commitment to building joyful and meaningful Jewish experiences for families, makes her an essential part of the JLE vision. Our community is incredibly excited to welcome Rachel into this leadership role and to see the impact she will have on shaping the future of Jewish learning in Louisville.
The coming year will include major milestones, including a multi-day Teacher Professional Development Institute in August, the official community launch celebration on Sept. 6, expanded family learning opportunities, collaborative holiday programming across the city, and innovative community-wide celebrations centered around joy, learning, and Jewish connection.
Ultimately, JLE is grounded in a simple but powerful belief: that every learner deserves to feel seen, valued, inspired, and connected to the Jewish people. By combining educational excellence with creativity, relationship-building, and joy, the Jewish Learning Experience aims to help shape a vibrant and connected Jewish future for Louisville families for generations to come.
Jessie Gindea is Executive Director of Jewish Learning Experience.