Professional Development for Educators
JIMENA provides research-based professional development and training that equips educators with the knowledge, resources, and practical tools to teach Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish history and heritage, confront antisemitism, and foster inclusive learning environments that reflect the diversity of Jewish and Middle Eastern experiences.
Bring JIMENA to Your School or Institution
Tell us about your educators and your goals, and we will design a training that fits your schedule. You can also email us at info@jimena.org.
Request a TrainingFor Every Educator
Professional Development and Training
Practical, research based training that helps educators teach Sephardic and Mizrahi history, address antisemitism and antizionism, and build school cultures where every Jewish student belongs.
For more than 20 years, JIMENA has led hundreds of trainings for classrooms, school and district staff, university departments, and Jewish educational institutions. Our facilitators bring together scholarship, classroom experience, and the firsthand stories of Jews from the Middle East and North Africa, so educators leave with both understanding and tools they can use the next day.
Our education initiatives and materials have been vetted and endorsed by the California Department of Education, the California State Board of Education, and the U.S. Department of Education.
In addition to learning about the horrors of the Holocaust, students should learn about global histories of antisemitism. This should include histories of antisemitism experienced by Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews … and their stories of exclusion, persecution, and expulsion.
U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, 2023
Read the full U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism (U.S. Department of Justice).
What We Cover
Training topics
Choose one topic or combine several. Every training is tailored to your audience, grade levels, and goals.
1. Sephardic and Mizrahi History, Then and Now
More than 2,500 years of Jewish life across the Middle East and North Africa, the displacement of more than 850,000 Jews from Arab countries and Iran in the twentieth century, and the vibrant Sephardic and Mizrahi communities in the United States today.
2. Understanding Antisemitism and Antizionism
How antisemitism has taken shape across history and how it appears today, including when it is expressed through antizionism. Educators learn to recognize it, respond in the moment, and keep classroom discussions grounded in history and fact.
3. From Research to Practice
How to put the findings of JIMENA’s research into action: the National Demographic Study of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the United States, conducted at New York University, and our studies of Sephardic and Mizrahi inclusion in New York and Los Angeles Jewish schools and camps. Participants work through the Sephardi and Mizrahi Education Toolkit and its self assessment to set concrete goals for their own school.
4. Teaching with JIMENA Resources
Hands on practice with our lesson plans, primary sources, and oral history testimonies, with guidance on adapting them for different grade levels and subjects.
5. Strengthening School Culture
Building a school climate where Jewish students of every background feel safe, seen, and represented, from the curriculum and the library to the calendar, school events, and family engagement.
Flexible Formats
Designed around your schedule
Single session | 60 to 90 minute workshop, ideal for a staff meeting or in service day |
Half or full day | Deeper training that combines several topics with hands on planning time |
Series | A sequence of sessions over a semester or school year, building from understanding to implementation |
Consultation | One on one support for administrators, curriculum teams, and teachers |
Delivery | In person or online, for one school, a district, a university department, or a network of institutions |
Our Approach
What every training includes
1. We start by listening
A planning conversation before every training, so the content reflects your community, your students, and the questions your educators are facing.
2. Grounded in research and primary sources
Content drawn from peer reviewed scholarship, JIMENA’s own studies, historical documents, and firsthand testimony.
3. Interactive and practical
Case studies, classroom scenarios, and planning time, so participants practice what they learn.
4. Resources to take home
Every participant leaves with lesson plans, readings, and tools ready to use in the classroom.
5. Support after the training
Follow up resources and consultation to help educators and leaders turn what they learned into lasting change.
Who We Train
For educators in every setting
- Elementary, middle, and high school teachers
- School and district administrators, counselors, and support staff
- Curriculum developers and instructional coaches
- University faculty, departments, and student affairs staff
- Jewish day schools, supplementary schools, camps, and synagogues
Specialized Training
For Holocaust educators
We also offer Expanding Holocaust Era Education: The Farhud and Jewish Experiences in the Middle East and North Africa, a training designed specifically for Holocaust centers, museum educators, and Holocaust education programs.
Speakers Bureau
Add a firsthand voice
Pair any training with a speaker from JIMENA’s Speakers Bureau. Our speakers include former refugees, educators, rabbis, scholars, and cultural ambassadors who have presented at more than 80 universities and hundreds of organizations.
Explore Our Resources
Lesson Plans
Classroom Ready Lessons
Lessons on Sephardic and Mizrahi history, culture, and antisemitism, for elementary through high school. Browse lesson plans
Toolkit
Sephardi and Mizrahi Education Toolkit
Guidance and a self assessment for building inclusive classrooms and schools. Visit the toolkit
Research
Recommendations for Change
Practical recommendations for educators and institutions from JIMENA’s national study. Read the recommendations
Primary Sources
Oral Histories
Testimonies from Jews born across the Middle East and North Africa, in their own words. Watch the stories