Dr. Louis Nagel – Education Director, Jewish Educators Assembly (JEA) Vice President, and active member of the greater Washington community – has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement award by the JEA.
In accepting the award at the JEA conference in College Park, MD earlier this year, Nagel spoke of the power of his relationships: getting involved within professional circles, Jewish education, and of course the people of his community.
"The people in our lives shape us, some subtly, some dramatically," Nagel explained.
“My best achievement is that I have been nurturing a deeper connection to Judaism in thousands of students and their families - helping teachers to understand their role in facilitating the learning process - and engaging in the give and take of the relationships with lay and professional partners.”
"One of the first verses I learned was, 'Do not separate yourself from the community.’ The context was that Bar/Bat Mitzvah is not the end of your participation in our congregation's learning community."
Nagel builds on this approach as he continues participation and learning with his community, with the JEA, and in his relationships within the congregations that he has served.
"The absolute, unquestionable humbling reality to all of this is, I could not and did not do any of this alone," Nagel explained, "It was a result of teams, supporters, partners, teachers, parents and children ready to engage in my work."
Dr. Louis Nagel has had a distinguished career in Jewish education. He is highly egalitarian and collaborative in his leadership style, an attitude that has led to success in leadership positions with his local Education Directors Council, as Chair of the JEA Professional Development Committee and as Vice President on the JEA Executive Committee.
He is thankful for the many talented and creative people he has partnered with over the years. He is currently Education Director at B’nai Israel Congregation, Rockville, MD.
He can be reached at louisn@bnaiisraelcong.org
