Leadership Lenses with Barry Kislowicz

Leadership Lenses Podcast
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Leadership Lenses is a new podcast designed for Heads of School, Principals, Menahalim, Roshei Yeshiva and anyone who wants to improve Jewish day school and yeshiva education. These podcast episodes will come out in weekly installments designed for busy leaders. Each one will address a dilemma submitted to us by our listeners and provide our thoughts and hopefully some helpful insights.

  1. 2d ago

    Building Deliberate Community at Hillel Day School with Dr. Darin Katz

    What does it take to hit your highest enrollment in 23 years while serving families across the entire spectrum of Jewish observance, and a student body where nearly 40 percent have a learning plan? In this episode of Leadership Lenses, I speak with Dr. Darin Katz, head of school at Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit, about what it means to build what he calls deliberate community, intentional touch points throughout the year that help families from every background find their place in Jewish life. We explore how a welcome back Shabbat dinner or a grade-level Judaic studies celebration can spark something in a family that ripples far beyond the school building. Darin also shares an honest look at how Hillel is approaching the widening range of learners in its classrooms, why the school recently shifted its language from student-centered to learner-centered, and why investing in training classroom teachers may be an even higher priority than adding another specialist. It is a conversation full of concrete, replicable ideas for any community day school thinking about belonging, relationships, and how to serve every learner in the room. I can't wait to hear what you take away from this conversation. Reach out to our guest: 🌐 Website: https://www.hillelday.org/ 📧Email: dkatz@hillelday.org Get in touch with us:  Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://kislowiczconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to my Substack:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://kislowiczconsulting.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/leadershiplenses/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkislowicz/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-lenses-with-barry-kislowicz/id1813728680⁠⁠⁠

  2. Sep 16

    Rethinking How We Teach Israel with Noam Weissmann

    Three years after October 7th, most Jewish day schools agree that Israel education matters. Far fewer have figured out where it actually belongs in the curriculum, or how to teach it with real depth.In this episode of Leadership Lenses, I speak with Noam Weissmann, Executive Vice President of Open Door Media and host of Unpacking Israeli History, the most downloaded Jewish podcast in the world. We explore why Israel education so often gets relegated to a hallway display or a single day on the calendar, what it actually looks like to integrate it seriously into Tanakh, Talmud, and Hebrew language classes, and why striking while the iron is cold matters more than reacting in a moment of crisis.Noam also shares his vision for a 20 by 20 canon of Israel knowledge, what the best schools are doing to build a real scope and sequence, and why teaching complexity and multiple perspectives, rather than simple advocacy, is what actually makes students fall in love with the story of Israel.It is a rich, idea-dense conversation for any school leader serious about strengthening how their students understand their own story. I can't wait to hear what you take away from this conversation. Reach out to our guest: 🌐 Websites: https://unpacked.education/https://connecteducation.org/📧Email: noam@unpacked.media Get in touch with us:  Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://kislowiczconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to my Substack:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://kislowiczconsulting.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/leadershiplenses/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkislowicz/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-lenses-with-barry-kislowicz/id1813728680⁠⁠⁠

  3. Sep 2

    Building a School Rooted in Joy with Dr. Rachel Harari

    What if academic rigor and warmth were not opposites, but requirements for each other? In this episode of Leadership Lenses, I speak with Dr. Rachel Harari, head of school at the Sam School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, about building a school where students run through the doors excited to learn. We explore what it looks like to weave Sephardic tradition into a warm, non-judgmental approach to Jewish life, why she waits for the right teacher rather than rushing to fill a position, and how genuine partnership with parents transforms even the hardest conversations. Rachel also shares what it means to lead with intentionality at every level, from the immersive early childhood program to the way she trains her faculty to trust parents as genuine partners rather than critics waiting in the back of the room. It is a joyful, honest, and genuinely inspiring conversation about what becomes possible when culture is built on purpose rather than left to chance. I can't wait to hear what you take away from this conversation. Reach out to our guest: 🌐 Website: ⁠https://www.thesamschool.org/ 📧Email: rharari@thesamschool.org Get in touch with us:  Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://kislowiczconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to my Substack:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://kislowiczconsulting.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/leadershiplenses/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkislowicz/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-lenses-with-barry-kislowicz/id1813728680⁠⁠⁠

  4. Aug 26

    Sitting on the Same Side of the Table with Jane Taubenfeld Cohen

    Being partners with parents sounds simple. Actually doing it, especially in the middle of a hard conversation about a struggling child, is one of the harder things school leaders and teachers face.In this episode of Leadership Lenses, I welcome back returning guest Jane Taubenfeld Cohen to talk about her widely shared piece on parent partnership. We explore why so many school meetings unintentionally become about getting the parent to do something rather than solving a problem together, why naming our own emotions before a hard conversation changes everything, and why factual and emotional conversations so often talk past each other.Jane also shares a powerful story about what it really feels like to be a parent walking into another difficult meeting, and makes the case that building genuine partnership with families is not a matter of a few natural superstars, but a systemic mindset that has to run through an entire school community.It is a conversation full of practical wisdom for anyone who has ever walked into a parent meeting unsure of how it would go. I can't wait to hear what you take away from this conversation.Read Jane Taubenfeld Cohen's article:https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/another-school-year-on-the-same-side-of-the-table/Get in touch with us:  Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://kislowiczconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to my Substack:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://kislowiczconsulting.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/leadershiplenses/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkislowicz/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-lenses-with-barry-kislowicz/id1813728680⁠⁠⁠

  5. Aug 19

    Lessons from Launching a New School Abroad with Rabbi Rick Schindelheim

    What does it take to build a brand new school program from scratch, and get it right in year one?In this episode of Leadership Lenses, I speak with Rabbi Rick Schindelheim about the lessons he learned launching a new educational program in Israel from the ground up. We explore why clarity of mission matters more than trying to please everyone, how to build genuine community among students who are living away from home for the first time, and why structured time for reflection can be just as important as the academic program itself.Rick also shares candid reflections on what surprised him along the way, from how quickly students embraced independence to what he would do differently next time. It is a conversation full of practical takeaways for any educator or school leader thinking about how to build something new, or how to strengthen something that already exists. I can't wait to hear what you take away from this Reach out to our guest:🌐 Website: https://ots.org.il/nelech/📧Email: nelech@ots.org.il Get in touch with us:  Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://kislowiczconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to my Substack:⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://kislowiczconsulting.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/leadershiplenses/⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkislowicz/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-lenses-with-barry-kislowicz/id1813728680⁠⁠

  6. Aug 12

    Having the Hard Conversation Before It's Too Late

    Every school leader has had that one employee in the back of their mind, the one whose performance has been slipping, the one you are quietly wondering whether you can bring back next year. The problem is most of us avoid that conversation until March, April, or May, when it is far too late to actually help.In this episode of Leadership Lenses, I talk through why the beginning of the school year, not the end, is the moment to have that direct and caring conversation with an employee whose job may be at risk. I share why positive distortion so often derails these conversations, what belongs in a real professional improvement plan, and why ending on a falsely reassuring note does a disservice to everyone involved.This is a practical and honest conversation about one of the hardest parts of school leadership, and why doing it well starts months earlier than most of us think. I can't wait to hear what you take away from this conversation. Get in touch with us:  Website:⁠⁠⁠ https://kislowiczconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to my Substack:⁠⁠⁠ https://kislowiczconsulting.substack.com⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/leadershiplenses/⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkislowicz/⁠⁠⁠ Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-lenses-with-barry-kislowicz/id1813728680⁠

  7. Aug 5

    Why Israel Is Calling American Students with Tamar Krieger Kalev

    More American Jewish day school graduates are choosing Israel, not just for a gap year, but for university, army service, and life. What does that shift actually mean for how schools should be preparing their students?In this episode of Leadership Lenses, I speak with Tamar Krieger Kalev, Executive Director of the Tzemach David Foundation, about The Future Is Calling initiative and what a decade of research into Israeli, American, and European education systems has revealed. We explore the numbers behind the growing trend of American students staying in Israel, what college guidance counselors need to know to properly support these students, and why specialization and Hebrew instruction may need a fundamental rethink.It is a thoughtful and challenging conversation about a trend every Jewish day school leader should be paying attention to. I can't wait to hear what you take away from this conversation.Read David Magerman's "An apology from your American Jewish parents: and the Reflection:Reach out to our guest:🌐 Websites: https://www.tzemachdavid.org/https://www.thefutureiscalling.org/Get in touch with us: Website: https://kislowiczconsulting.comSubscribe to my Substack: https://kislowiczconsulting.substack.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershiplenses/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkislowicz/Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-lenses-with-barry-kislowicz/id1813728680

  8. Jul 29

    Reclaiming a Judaism of Doing with Shuki Taylor

    What if experiential education is not a nice addition to Jewish day schools, but the very thing AI is about to make essential?In this episode of Leadership Lenses, I speak with Shuki Taylor, founder and CEO of M Squared, about what it really means to build a Judaism of doing rather than a Judaism of ideas. We explore why the field needed to move past defining itself by what it is not, what makes an experience genuinely experiential in the classroom, and why AI's rise in knowledge transmission makes embodied, human, in-person learning more essential than ever.Shuki also shares practical guidance for school leaders on modeling this kind of change with their own staff before asking teachers to bring it to students, and a simple but powerful rule for how to use precious in-person time before the school year begins.It is a conversation about vulnerability, risk, and what it really takes to give students something no screen ever will. I can't wait to hear what you take away from this conversation. Reach out to our guest: 🌐 Website: https://ieje.org/📧 EMAIL: shuki@ieje.orgGet in touch with us:  Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://kislowiczconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to my Substack:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://kislowiczconsulting.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/leadershiplenses/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkislowicz/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-lenses-with-barry-kislowicz/id1813728680⁠⁠⁠

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Leadership Lenses is a new podcast designed for Heads of School, Principals, Menahalim, Roshei Yeshiva and anyone who wants to improve Jewish day school and yeshiva education. These podcast episodes will come out in weekly installments designed for busy leaders. Each one will address a dilemma submitted to us by our listeners and provide our thoughts and hopefully some helpful insights.

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