Honor awarded to Peninnah Schram by NewCAJE!
NewCAJE has established the Kavod Le'Morah Prize for an outstanding educator who has made a lasting contribution to the field of Jewish Education. Peninnah Schram is the first recipient of that prize.
On August 6, 2012, Rabbi Cherie Koller-Fox, the President of NewCAJE, presented the award to Professor Schram in front of the NewCAJE Conference and invited guests at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey. A group of her closest students came on stage to congratulate and thank her as did representatives of the five generations of CAJE and NewCAJE that have benefited from her teaching them the art of storytelling. Peninnah Schram taught innumerable teachers and rabbis at CAJE and NewCAJEconferences in formal sessions and, also, from the many books she has written and prerformances she has given over the years. NewCAJE awarded this prestigious prize to Peninnah Schram because she revived the art and practice of storytelling in the Jewish community.
It is now common practice for teachers and parents to transmit values through the medium of stories. Professor Schram was presented a silk art hanging that was specially designed by Artist-Educator Nancy Katz using elements of Peninnah’s life's journey and then painted by 40 members of NewCAJE after studying Eishet Ha-yil -- the source of the quote at the center of the art piece that was chosen to honor Professor Schram, Taking the Hebrew letter Peh from the beginning of Peninnah's name and Hey from the end of her name, the pasuk/quote in English reads: She opens her mouth with wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue (Proverbs 31:26).
Peninnah Schram is a long-time member of the YU faculty in the Speech and Drama Department and an internationally known storyteller, author and recording artist.
