NewCAJE's LEHRHAUS ONLINE

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Our Learning Company to Produce LEHRHAUS ONLINE, an experiment in Adult Education and a Benefit for NewCAJE

Boston, Massachusetts December 31, 2009 – Our Learning Company LLC—publisher, producer and promoter of innovative Adult Learning content—and NewCAJE, The New Coalition for Alternatives in Jewish education—a pluralistic network of Jewish educators— announce a new partnership that will produce a series of live, interactive tele-webinars aimed at both raising funds for NewCAJE and offering Jewish educators and their congregants and students high quality Jewish learning opportunities.

The series will be known as LEHRHAUS ONLINE. It will feature outstanding Jewish teachers, authors, educators and thought leaders, and will consist of monthly 90- or 120-minute tele-webinars. Participants will register online and will be able to engage in an interactive dialogue with the teacher either over the phone or over the web. Those who are unable to participate in the live event will be able to access the full recording and all the other learning materials shortly thereafter.

The series will debut in January 2010. The first leaders who have volunteered to teach include Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, California; Rabbi Ed Feinstein of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California; and Ruth Messinger, President of American Jewish World Service in New York. Others will join the list shortly.

Sergiu S. Simmel, CEO and Founder of Our Learning Company said: “Structured almost like a fun radio talk show, but with the depth and relevance of the best class you’ve ever attended, our tele-webinars bring together learners and educators of all backgrounds across the world into active learning communities. So far, we’ve had over 3,800 people worldwide experience them, and as many as 918 people join in a single event. Add to this our unique concept of a “learning fundraiser,” and we have a perfect formula for NewCAJE to both engage educators and learners and raising the funds needed for the rest of their programs. I am delighted to be part of the rebirth of this highly worthwhile organization. After all, education is at the core of all Jews’ values and life.”

Rabbi Cherie Koller-Fox, one of the founders of the original CAJE and the NewCAJE facilitator said: “I am delighted to have Our Learning Company be part of this process. Given their experience in producing over 40 such virtual events, I am confident that we will accomplish both goals: strengthening NewCAJE financially and bringing together outstanding scholars, teachers, and thought leaders with Jewish learners and educators worldwide. It’s a perfect combination, and we’re working hard to create a perfect storm of Jewish learning!”

Registered participants have the choice of accessing the live events by either phone or over the internet. They get a chance to ask an initial question on the topic and receive a comprehensive Study Guide for use during the teleseminar. During the live event, the host also takes questions from the live audience. If anyone misses the live event or registers afterwards, they get access to the recording of the entire session.

Our Learning Company LLC of Brighton, Massachusetts (OLC), produces, publishes and promotes high quality, cross-denominational adult learning content, featuring prominent and renowned Jewish scholars, teachers, authors and thought leaders. OLC delivers its content in multiple media, including audio coursebooks, audio courses, teeBooks™, tele-webinars, tele-webcourses, audio blogs, podcasts and others. OLC’s content is suitable for learners of any background worldwide, wherever they are ready to learn, whenever they can learn, and however they prefer to learn.

New Coalition for Alternatives in Jewish Education (NewCAJE) is a grassroots, pluralistic organization of Jewish educators, re-establishing what was CAJE under the name of NewCAJE. The new organization will incorporate the core CAJE values of pluralism, shared teaching and learning, and immersion in Torah l’shema. Operationally, it will be volunteer-led and supported by its grassroots constituency. Money initially raised will go to buy the intellectual property of the former organization, to outreach to the next generation of Jewish educators, and to produce the next conference.