How Jewish Day Schools Are Using AI to Reimagine Teaching for the High-Tech Era
Picture this: a podcast "interview" with the prophet Elijah, Hebrew prayers taught through AI-generated songs, and Jewish studies lessons recorded and translated for multilingual learners. That's a normal week at several Jewish day schools leaning into AI with intention.
The goal isn't flashy tech. It's better teaching, faster preparation, and clearer access for every student. As one educator put it, teachers finally have time to try the "next ten things" they've always wanted to do - because AI takes hours off the prep load.
What's Working in Classrooms Right Now
At the Jewish Community Day School outside Boston, students prep for assessments with AI-powered games and study kits. Many use NotebookLM to build study guides, flash cards, and practice quizzes, and chatbots to rehearse for Mishnah tests. "Creating a bot with a personality brings some extra fun and engagement to the routine of studying for a quiz," said Rabbi David Winship, a Judaic studies teacher.
In California's Silicon Valley, Gideon Hausner built an "AI Tinkery" in a lobby - part lab, part ethics studio. Students compare AI images to real photos, tackle manual CS puzzles, and post their biggest questions on a whiteboard. "We needed to integrate AI into our school's culture and values, not just teach it as a tech subject," said Smita Kolhatkar, the school's assistant head of innovation. "That includes bringing it into the Jewish space, into Hebrew and into ethical discussions."
Guardrails: Human at the First Mile and the Last Mile
"Human-AI-human - the human sandwich," said Rabbi Tzvi Hametz of Berman Hebrew Academy in Maryland. His rule: students start with their own thinking and end with their own thinking, and they show where AI helped in between. It's the same logic math teachers use when they ask to see the work, not just the answer.
To discourage copy/paste essays, JCDS built a custom chatbot that slips a string of gibberish into its responses - a simple nudge that makes students rewrite in their own voice. But educators caution against obsessing over plagiarism while taking shortcuts with AI themselves. "Students will smell the hypocrisy," Hametz said.
Access and Inclusion at Scale
The Jewish Leadership Academy in Miami designed classrooms with Zoom-era hybrid learning in mind. Every class is recorded, and an AI tool called Flint translates lessons into multiple languages - invaluable in a community where many students speak Spanish or Hebrew at home. "In two years, I don't think I would hire a teacher who can't leverage AI in the classroom," said head of school Rabbi Gil Perl.
Teachers there aren't worried about being replaced. They're shifting focus. As educational consultant Sarah Rubinson Levy argues, the role moves from delivering content to building grit, perseverance, critical thinking, and healthy habits for learning. AI, she says, is the catalyst to rethink what education is, should be, and can be.
Rooted in Values
Educators stress that AI should deepen connection to Judaism, not distract from it. "If you can do this in such a way that can bring people closer to God," said Olivia Friedman of the Jewish Leadership Academy, "then why wouldn't you use it?"
The Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC) is doubling down on this values-first approach. Its upcoming Innovators Retreat in Atlanta will host sessions on using AI within chavruta learning and on balancing AI with human interaction. "We will engage in interactive, hands-on sessions to explore how Jewish education evolves its methods-but not its mission-of fostering wisdom, identity, and humanity through thoughtful teaching, even in the AI era," said JEIC's managing director, Sharon Freundel.
Quick Start Playbook for Education Leaders
- Run small pilots: one unit per department using AI for lesson prep, practice, or feedback. Keep the scope tight and measure outcomes.
- Adopt the "human-AI-human" workflow: student idea → AI draft/support → student revision with citations of tools used.
- Make integrity teachable: require process notes and reflection on where AI helped. Reward voice, not just polish.
- Build an AI literacy corner: compare AI vs. human artifacts, discuss bias, and practice source-checking and image verification.
- Use multilingual supports: record, transcribe, and translate core lessons so more students can access the content.
- Invest in PD: short workshops on prompts, lesson planning, and formative assessment. Share exemplars inside your faculty.
- Set guardrails: student data privacy, approved tools, and "green/yellow/red" use cases by assignment type.
- Track impact: time saved for teachers, changes in student engagement, and evidence of deeper understanding.
Tools Mentioned and Next Steps
Try a low-stakes use case with NotebookLM for study guides and quizzes. If your faculty wants structured upskilling by role, explore curated options here: AI courses by job.
Bottom line: AI is becoming a baseline skill for teachers. Schools that lean in with clear guardrails, strong pedagogy, and Jewish values are giving their students access, agency, and a better way to learn.
This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with the Jewish Education Innovation Challenge, a bold initiative to improve the quality of Jewish education in day schools across North America.
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