By Shuli Karkowsky, Moving Traditions CEO
It is a truism of parenthood that you are always looking for new clothes or hand-me-downs: as soon as you buy new jeans, your kids’ ankles start to show; as soon as the first major snow falls, feet grow out of snow boots overnight. We parents performatively tut at this growth, secretly and quietly marveling at the joy and privilege of our kids’ bodies getting so big while their inner selves remain the same sweet, cherished souls.
Last year, Moving Traditions turned 20 years old (#nolongerateen!). With that anniversary, we celebrated our organization doubling in size, growing from reaching 5,000 Jewish youth when I started four years ago, to more than 11,000 in 2025. And like our kids, we are giving our beloved, growing institution the refresh it needs, with a new Moving Traditions brand hierarchy and a more streamlined way of partnering with us as we continue to scale.
What will look different?
- A simplified program structure that organizes our programs into three neat categories:
- Curricular Programs offer a diverse suite of curriculum and training for synagogues, schools, and camps that help teens explore their Jewish identity in context with their relationships and values.
- Meyer-Gottesman Immersive Teen Experiences provide Jewish high schoolers with peer community and adult mentors who support them in developing identity and belonging at the intersection of Judaism, social justice, and feminism.
- Community Learning offers accessible resources and events for anyone seeking to understand what Jewish teens need today.
- Clear, consistent messaging that reflects our leadership in Jewish youth identity development
- A new way for synagogues and camps to partner with us to bring Moving Traditions Curricular Programs to your community, with easier access and flexible, tiered pricing
- A fully searchable and filterable curriculum portal that helps our audience use more and more of the terrific resources we offer.
What’s staying the same?
In short, everything you value most that is core to Moving Traditions, including:
- A commitment to helping Jewish teens discover who they are and who they want to be
- Developmentally attuned, Jewish-centered curriculum, programs, and resources
- Deep relationships with educators, parents and teens
- Responsive resources to support educators and parents of Jewish youth
- An approach that recognizes the centrality of gender, sex, and sexuality in teen development
- Free webinars for parents and educators that center the real needs of teens today
We hope you’ll look around our new website to learn how all of our partners, parents, and teens will Get More @ Moving Traditions.
You can join us as we beam with pride as our beloved organization grows into this new brand, while maintaining the same beautiful, cherished soul.
A special thank you to all of our supporters who helped us reach this moment, including Third Plateau for guiding us through this process and to our funders, and especially the PRESIDE Program and the Lasko Family Foundation.