Trauma Awareness In Jewish Day Schools
Yaakov Mintz has over 20 years of experience in Jewish education, and currently focuses on alternative education, serving young people who do not find a natural fit in conventional education. Rabbi Mintz serves as an Educational Advocate for Work At It, an organization that guides young people on their paths towards success. He is also a member of the Judaic Studies and Guidance team at Yeshiva Heichal Hatorah (Teaneck, NJ).
A painful reality for Jewish educators is that, despite our most valiant efforts, a significant population of young people who go through the Jewish day school system feels distanced and removed from their education, as if they are perpetually outsiders to their community. Who are these young people? What causes this sense of distance? What can we do to help them? While every case is different, often these children are dealing with some sort of trauma that educators are not always equipped to support, and sometimes can inadvertently inflict. However, proper awareness and appropriate responses can go a long way in helping these young people feel welcome and understood.
For a classroom teacher, it is unlikely not to have at least one child in their class dealing with the effects of trauma. The CDC estimates that in the United States, approximately 1 in 5 young people have experienced 4 or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) by the age of 18. In the Jewish community, the effects of antisemitism, intergenerational trauma, and the recent conflict in Israel add to the trauma felt by many of our youth. For those who have experienced this level of trauma, the likelihood of various physical and mental ailments, including behavioral and learning difficulties, is greatly increased. There is no doubt that the prevalence of ACEs in our communities is very significant, and every teacher will likely have at least one student facing some sort of trauma in their classes every year. We know how easily children who have experienced trauma can slip into truancy, addiction, depression, and in extreme cases even incarceration. For that reason, teachers must understand the students who are dealing with such an experience and learn the tools needed to best support them in the classroom during their difficult time.
Basic Understanding of the Traumatized Brain
While everyone will be affected by difficult events differently, when a child becomes traumatized by an event, significant changes occur in their brain and body. The danger and fear associated with the event cause the child’s brain to get stuck in a fight-or-flight response. Their brain becomes preoccupied with its own safety and well-being, and the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for higher-level thinking and more complex tasks, such as rule-following and learning, is unable to function. These children are not able to relegate their traumatic experience to a memory. Instead, they consistently feel the terror and fear of the experience. While the child appears on the outside like any other kid who “should” be able to do what everyone else is doing, their internal reality is far different from their peers.
A child who has experienced a calm, safe, nurturing upbringing can trust that their school will be a safe place. His or her brain does not need to focus on survival, and they can move on to higher-level behavior and thinking. However, a child whose upbringing lacked stability (chronic trauma) or who had their stability shaken by a particular event (acute trauma) will likely have their brain stuck in survival mode. While teachers are not in a position to work on healing trauma, they are very much in a position to identify children in these positions, notify those who can help them heal, and relate to them in the classroom with a sense of understanding that recognizes the unique challenges that they face.
Behavior as an expression of pain
Students who have experienced trauma often present with significant behavioral challenges in the classroom. Teachers need to understand that these behaviors are not coming from a place of disrespect or confrontation, but rather are a result of being in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight. For example, children who have had their trust betrayed by an authority figure (such as teachers or counselors) will likely have trouble trusting such a figure in the future. A child who has experienced some sort of abuse or loss might not be capable of remaining calm and respectful when placed in a situation where a reference to their experience is made. It is not surprising that there is a strong correlation between ADHD symptoms and trauma, as one who is dealing with the pain and stress of their trauma is unlikely to be able to focus on other pursuits. Simply treating the visible ADHD symptoms will not address their needs properly. Lack of motivation in academics, poor social interactions, and a lagging in pursuit of personal passions can all be signs of a child struggling with trauma.
While in some circumstances, strict disciplinary measures can help a child correct their ways, we need to pause to understand where these behaviors are coming from. Often, these behaviors can be symptoms of trauma, and responding with discipline can be counterproductive and even dangerous. For example, some students will always put themselves in the spotlight and constantly need attention, making it very difficult for a teacher to teach the whole class. Others might appear to be apathetic to the expectations of the class altogether. While it is easy for the teacher to use discipline in both of these situations to try to force the child to change their behavior, the teacher must consider why this child cannot be comfortable sitting quietly and sharing attention with his or her peers, or why they have no interest in what is being taught. Are they lacking attention in their lives such that your classroom is the only place they can feel heard? Is there an issue in their life that is so pervasive in their mind that they cannot focus on academic learning? How can you understand their needs and struggles while still supporting your class?
These children are desperate for, at the very minimum, acceptance, understanding, and safety. When these children are met with punishment and reprimand, the exact opposite effect of what was intended can occur. It is understandable why this segment of the student population feels distanced from their community, Jewish studies, and religious growth. Getting through every day in school can be an immense challenge for them, which is often made more difficult when their struggles are misunderstood by their teachers and administrators.
“There is no such thing as a bad kid”
When we see children pushing the boundaries of our school rules and norms, it is important to keep in mind where this behavior is coming from. While it is easy to simply to place a label of “bad” on the child or the situation, we now know that it is much more complex than that. We believe in the tzelem E-lohim, the “image” of God in every person and the value of every soul, so that simply labeling a child as a “bad kid” is inadequate and dangerous. Instead of confrontation, we must look for the source of the situation as the result of misdirected energy and unmet needs. Armed with a belief that every child will be good if given an opportunity, we can create an environment of love and activity that will allow them to thrive.
The story is told that Reb Aryeh Levin, famed “Tzadik of Yerushalayim” and long-time Mashgiah Ruhani, spiritual guide, of Yeshiva Etz Chaim in the early to mid-1900s, would stand and watch the boys every day as they entered the yeshiva. When asked what exactly he was looking for as he watched the boys pass, he would explain that he would notice, “That child’s trousers are torn. This one’s shoes are quite tattered and worn. That boy over there is definitely hungry; how will he ever be able to study?” Reb Aryeh understood that in order for a child to learn, there must be certain basic needs that are met. We now understand the neurobiology of this phenomenon that Reb Aryeh saw. But in addition to the “torn trousers” we must also pay careful attention to the troubled emotions and confused psyches that enter our classroom. The child whose parents are going through a divorce, whose uncle is going to prison, or who is being abused by a family friend, also deserves a place in our community.
A few simple practical steps taken to support these children can go a long way. Some of them include:
- Inclusion – When faced with a disciplinary issue, try to respond in a way that invites the child to be included back into the community, as opposed to one that distances (time-in instead of time-out). Give the child a path to success that can make sense for their unique circumstances.
- Careful Listening – Give the child a clear voice in their education. If you listen in a patient, nonjudgmental way, they can lead you to the path that they need to succeed.
- Safe Spaces – Have comfortable places where children can go when they just need to get away, cool off, and recalibrate before they can rejoin their peers. This can avoid many of the behavioral disruptions altogether and make a world of difference to this child.
Recognizing the situation for what it is will allow us to give these children what they need to get through this difficult period. Trauma-sensitive educators understand that a child who has experienced trauma is in a vulnerable state, and their lesson plans and curricular goals might have to be adjusted to take into account his or her well-being. A midrash teaches that Moses was recognized as a leader due to the attention that he paid to the smallest of sheep who needed careful attention to be able to find water; those of us who have been entrusted with the precious souls of Jewish children must be sure to recognize the unique needs of each and every one of them.
Genuine kindness and compassion not only help the affected child but set an example for his or her peers as well. They see that when someone in our community is having a hard time, we stop what we are doing to help them, even if it is inconvenient and uncomfortable. When we exclude and ostracize those who do not comply with our expectations, their peers will feel that our embrace of them as part of our community is conditional and fragile.
As Jewish educators, we have too much at stake not to be aware of and sensitive to this segment of our population. The phenomenon of learning trauma, in which a child at a young age forms such negative associations with learning from damaging school experiences that they develop an aversion to the values being taught, is frequently seen with teens and young adults who choose to leave the Jewish community.
While our schools have so much to be proud of, we do need to take a close look and see if some of our accomplishments have not come on the back of our most vulnerable souls. In buildings full of countless academic and personal achievements, how do we respond to the child who is not able to keep up with our program? Can we hear the silent pain of the children who are calling out for our caring embrace? Only once we prioritize understanding children who are experiencing trauma and welcoming and caring for each and every child that comes our way, will we be able to feel that we are living up to our goal of giving every Jewish child a chance to be a welcome member of the Jewish community.
Yaakov Mintz has over 20 years of experience in Jewish education, and currently focuses on alternative education, serving young people who do not find a natural fit in conventional education. Rabbi Mintz serves as an Educational Advocate for Work At It, an organization that guides young people on their paths towards success. He is also a member of the Judaic Studies and Guidance team at Yeshiva Heichal Hatorah (Teaneck, NJ).
From The Editor: Winter 2026
For many years I believed that I was a good educator. Students, alumni, and parents told me so. I was mostly effective at exciting my students to learn, drawing them in, and teaching them content and skills they remembered for a long time. Students thought that I was fair and sensitive and really committed to their success. Hey, I even learned how to admit my mistakes and learn from them.
And then I got married and started raising children.
From Scaffolding to Independence
I run a progressive N-8 Jewish day school (Luria Academy of Brooklyn) committed to inclusion of children with a broad range of abilities and needs and backgrounds. One of the questions I get asked frequently by parents is when we are going to build a high school. Truthfully, it’s not currently part of our plan and we are blessed to be in New York City where Jewish high school options abound. What prompts the parental requests for a high school is their very reasonable concern for how their child will transition from our student-centered, individualized, supportive classroom to a more traditional, less flexible environment.
What Mainstream Schools Can Learn From a School Like Mine
I recently had a conversation with a faculty member at a school of education which is part of a local university. He teaches a course titled “Learning and Cognition” and finds himself under pressure from students every year not to teach it. The students, as they enter the classroom, understandably want practical tools, and do not see the connection between how people learn and what they do in a classroom.
Choice in the Middle School Beit Midrash
In a small Jewish day school, differentiation is a fact of life. Some of our students have diagnoses which explain why they have challenges in learning and some do not; some need lots of repetition of material in order to synthesize ideas and others seem to understand and be prepared to explain the content the first time they read or hear an idea. In our small community, some are able to thrive in a Hebrew immersion class while others begin to shut down in this environment. A typical curricular model in middle schools at small Jewish day schools is to offer grade-specific Jewish studies courses; this has the advantage of all students being exposed to the same content, and building upon past learning is an easier task. At Oakland Hebrew Day School (Oakland, CA), a K-8 school, we, too, had this model until ten years ago, when we found ourselves grappling with the following issues:
Traditional Text Study for neurodivergent Students
During our time in school together, Jewish studies classes were streamed based purely on Hebrew language skills. This approach, with its exclusive focus on Hebrew facility, prevented us—and we suspect many other neurodivergent students—from accessing and engaging in the depth and richness of Jewish texts and traditions. Furthermore, by focusing solely on translation and basic comprehension, it denied us the opportunity to apply our own strengths of analytical and creative thinking, which are often reserved for advanced streams.
The Unique Opportunities for Personalization in Jewish Studies
My experience at Jewish summer camp played an important role in forging my identity, first as a Jew, and then as a Jewish educator. When I made the jump from Director of Education at the camp I grew up at to the Jewish day school classroom, I would often reflect on what made camp so impactful and how I could bring aspects of experiential education into the formal classroom. I soon realized that it is not just about what camp has that the classroom does not, it’s just as much about the aspects of formal education that camps are unburdened by.
Forty Ways to Learn Navi
One of the most powerful sources of professional reflection for me has always been hevruta—the back-and-forth of honest, challenging dialogue. Several years ago, a teacher with whom I shared a classroom told me that my teaching was “too frontal” and that I needed to give students more “voice and choice.”
Being naturally competitive and reflective, I took the critique to heart. During winter break, I spent two solid days redesigning my Navi curriculum for my sixth graders. My goal was simple: to create a system where students could take genuine ownership of their learning while still meeting our academic expectations.
Differentiated Instruction in the Judaic Studies Classroom
Judaic studies is a high-stakes undertaking for teachers who aspire to cultivate in their students not only deep knowledge of texts and traditions that shape Jewish identity, but also a personal relationship with the Torah and with God. Either of those objectives without the other misses an opportunity to foster in children a love of their heritage and the desire to keep it vital in their lives.
Making Tefilah More Student-Centered
Every student enters tefilah with a different story. Some find comfort in familiar words and melodies; others feel unsure, disconnected, or skeptical. Yet tefilah in schools often assumes uniformity—everyone doing the same thing, in the same way, at the same pace. When we shift our focus to the people in the room, new possibilities for meaning can open up.
Differentiation, Relationships, and Planning with an AI Partner
Jewish Studies teachers have long known the importance of meeting students’ individual needs, yet differentiation in practice has remained elusive. Judaic Studies teachers often lack ready-made resources or formal training in differentiation models. In this article, we share our experience using AI to help Jewish studies teachers overcome those challenges.
Unlocking Every Learner: An Instructional Reflection For 1-5 Grade Judaic Educators
Educate the child according to their path (Proverbs 22:6).
This well-known verse beautifully captures the essence of differentiated and personalized learning: each child enters the classroom with a unique constellation of strengths, challenges, interests, and ways of understanding the world.
Blended and Personalized Learning in Jewish Studies
Blended and Personalized Learning (BPL) has become a valuable approach for Jewish studies classrooms seeking to meet wide-ranging student needs without overwhelming teachers. BPL provides structures that allow educators to teach more precisely, differentiate more naturally, and build student independence and choice. When implemented with clear routines, consistent expectations, and thoughtful planning, BPL transforms classrooms into dynamic spaces where learners move at an appropriate pace, engage more deeply, and take increasing ownership of their learning. Educators also benefit from having a mentor/coach guide them through the different steps. The following overview outlines the core principles of effective BPL and illustrates how these principles come to life in real 1st–8th grade classrooms.
Hevruta as a Tool for Differentiation and Personalization
Meeting the needs of every learner in the room is one of the most complex tasks a teacher faces. No two students process text in the same way. Some absorb information quickly, while others need more time. Some think visually, others verbally. Some feel confident sharing ideas in front of the class, while others shut down the moment they feel unsure. Even highly motivated learners approach Torah with very different strengths and needs. Teachers want to support every student, yet it is difficult to personalize instruction when the class is moving through the same pasuk or section of Gemara at the same pace.
From Teaching the Class to Teaching Each Student
Walk down the hallways of many schools today or step into a teacher’s lounge, and the shift in conversation is unmistakable. Instead of talking about plans for a trip, Shabbat, or the newest and most exciting curriculum, the conversation frequently has shifted towards struggling students, classroom behaviors, and the plight of supporting an ever-growing diverse Jewish student population. These discussions reflect a new reality: Teaching at a Jewish day school now requires an expanding skill set to meet the evolving needs of students and the growing challenges teachers face.
Differentiating Jewish Education – Not If But How
In the early 1970s, my mother sat in her 9th grade halakha class cowering in fear. Her teacher loudly berated the class as not one student volunteered to translate the words of the Rosh Hashana prayers. Her pulse racing, my mother suddenly realized she had an advantage. As the daughter of Holocaust survivors who came from two different countries, my mother’s first language was Yiddish and the mahzor she had pulled from her parents’ bookshelf the night before was a Hebrew-Yiddish one. She timidly raised her hand, provided the translation, thus saving her class from incurring further wrath from the teacher. Jewish education is unique in that each student brings their own personalized version of Judaism with them into the classroom. For my mother that day, it looked like a mahzor with a Yiddish translation.
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