At the end of July, approximately 100 SmartJ coordinators, educators, and mentors from across the former Soviet Union gathered in Warsaw for the project’s 2026 summer conference.
Over three days, participants took part in professional learning sessions, exchanged experience and ideas, explored new approaches, and became acquainted with the programs and tools planned for the upcoming year of activity. Just as importantly, the conference provided an opportunity to strengthen connections within the wider SmartJ professional community.
The conference program included addresses by Rabbi Shlomo Neeman, Director of FJC’s Educational and Humanitarian Programs, and SmartJ Project Director Mr. Alexander Shlimak. Their words focused on the project’s development, educational priorities, and the broader role of Jewish education in strengthening communities and supporting the next generation.
A significant part of the program was also devoted to a direct encounter with Jewish history and heritage. In Warsaw, participants visited the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, where they explored the rich world of Polish Jewish life, including the communities, culture, and creativity that developed over many centuries, as well as the profound tragedy and devastation experienced by Polish Jewry during the Holocaust. Encountering this history in the place where much of it unfolded made the visit especially meaningful for the group.
For SmartJ, the annual conference is more than a professional training program. It is an investment in the people who lead the project’s educational work throughout the year. By gaining new knowledge, having space to exchange ideas, receiving inspiration and support from colleagues, and strengthening their sense of belonging to a wider professional community, educators return to their cities with renewed energy, confidence, and ideas that they can share with children and families.
The conference brought professionals together around a shared goal: strengthening the quality of Jewish education, deepening connections to Jewish identity and heritage, developing new partnerships, and building a strong professional community that continues to pass its knowledge, energy, and inspiration from educators to the children, families, and communities served by SmartJ.