About me
Sharon Schoenfeld is an informal educator and language-learning advocate whose work focuses on the intersection of experiential and informal learning environments, and Hebrew language learning and engagement. Since 2019, she has served as the National Director of Kayitz Kef/Hebrew at Camp, a project of the Brandeis University Consortium for the Teaching of Hebrew Language and Culture. In this role, she leads a national initiative that partners with summer camps to find opportunities to immerses campers in Hebrew and fosters meaningful engagement with the language as a tool for connection and community. within summer camps and other experiential settings. Sharon’s professional identity is rooted in camp and informal education. She spent seven years as a camper in both day and overnight camps, over 11 years as camp staff and another 25 as an professional informal educator with Young Judaea. These experiences shaped her understanding of how relationships and shared experiences create powerful conditions for learning. Over the past 6+ years with Kayitz Kef, Sharon and her team have focused on sound experiential Hebrew program development and the designing and training of Israeli shlichim, Hebrew educators, and camp staff, helping them create environments where campers feel confident using Hebrew and develop real communicative ability through daily, meaningful use. Sharon holds a BA in English Literature and Theater, studied toward an MA in Early Childhood Education, earned an MA in Teaching Hebrew as a Second Language from Middlebury College, and is currently pursuing a PhD focused on Hebrew language, culture, and society.
