Emanu-El’s new director of lifelong learning

Einat Oknin served as Hebrew educator at Milwaukee Jewish Day School

Einat Oknin joined Congregation Emanu-El on Milwaukee’s northshore last month as its director of lifelong learning. Before joining Emanu-El, Oknin worked as a Hebrew educator at Milwaukee Jewish Day School, teaching and designing curriculum for the third to eighth-grade classes.  

However, middle-grade education wasn’t her original specialty. She began her career as a specialist in kindergarten education, which she studied in Israel. When she first moved to Milwaukee, she worked with the little ones at the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center and Jewish Beginnings.  

At first, working with MJDS’ middle and older elementary schoolers was “very, very different,” Oknin said. But with time, she realized that “the conversation is really the same.”  

Oknin became accustomed to working with children of a variety of ages over time, as she formed personal connections with the new students. She plans to do the same as she transitions into working in adult education.  

“In the beginning of the school year in 2023, I started a class called ‘Current Events’ for the middle schoolers at MJDS. The idea was to talk about Israeli politics … through some of the history of Israel,” Oknin said. 

When Oknin started her current events class, she had no way of knowing what would occur on Oct. 7, 2023. However, that day changed its trajectory completely.  

“I found myself, during conferences, having discussions with parents about that class, even though the conference was about Hebrew,” she said. “I saw this need. Those parents, they also want to talk about it.” 

Oknin felt driven to fulfill her community’s desire for adult education, but between teaching at MJDS and creating curriculum, she didn’t have the time or resources. “When I saw this position, I began asking, ‘Is this something I can do?’” she said. 

And now at Emanu-El, she is starting to believe that it is. Oknin has lots of programming ideas she is excited to implement, but everything is still in the planning stages, she said. 

She is particularly interested in leading a long-term course on Israeli history that covers the perspectives of different ethnic groups and political parties.  

She also wants to facilitate discussion groups for different age groups. However, “there is a beauty when you create a class that is open to all ages,” she said. “Everybody comes with different perspectives. You learn to listen, not to necessarily agree, but to be respectful to each other’s ideas and thoughts.”