Towards the end of August, a unique SmartJ summer conference was held in Moscow for project teams from Russia and Belarus, bringing together approximately 80 participants. The gathering united leading SmartJ staff from dozens of cities and created a shared space for learning, professional growth, connection, and inspiration.
Over three days, participants took part in professional learning sessions, exchanged experience, developed new ideas, and became acquainted with the programs and tools planned for the upcoming season. Above all, the conference offered an opportunity to strengthen connections within the wider SmartJ professional community.
The conference program featured addresses by Rabbi David Mondshine, FJC CEO, Rabbi Shlomo Neeman, Director of FJC’s Educational and Humanitarian Programs, Rabbi Mendel Mondshine, FJC Projects Manger, 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 dedicated to a direct encounter with Jewish history and heritage. In Moscow, participants visited the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Marina Roscha, where they explored key chapters in the history of Russian Jewry and the complexities of Jewish life across different generations.
Another special experience was a visit to the Knizhniki publishing house. Participants were deeply impressed by the wide range of Jewish literature currently available in Russian, from classic works and Jewish thought to books on history, culture, and identity. For many, the visit offered a meaningful glimpse into the richness of Jewish cultural and intellectual life accessible to Russian-speaking readers today.
This year’s Moscow conference was held around the theme of light: each participant carries a unique light of their own while also having the ability to kindle light in others. For SmartJ, that light represents knowledge, care, curiosity, creativity, and the belief in every child’s ability to discover, grow, and succeed.
For SmartJ, the conference is much more than a professional training program. It is an investment in the people who lead the project’s work throughout the year. When educators receive new knowledge, space for reflection, inspiration, support from colleagues, and a sense of belonging to a wider community, they return to their cities with renewed energy, confidence, and new ideas that they can pass on to children and families.
