Save the Date for SLBC ’24!
February 18-20, 2024

2023 Session Video Recordings are Now Available via Sched

HOW WILL SLBC IMPACT YOU?

Education and Inspiration, Grounded in Strategic Planning

Songleader Boot Camp (SLBC) provides powerful Jewish leadership training for clergy, Jewish educators, religious and day school teachers, family engagement and early childhood specialists, teen leaders, Jewish camping staff, and veteran and new songleaders. Led by nationally renowned Jewish thought leaders, educators, and music artists, SLBC teaches participants specific skills and strategies to inspire transformative change in their Jewish communities. At SLBC, education and inspiration are grounded in strategic planning.

SLBC programs include SLBC national and regional conferences, individual coaching, and leadership training seminars for synagogues, synagogue board of directors, and Jewish conferences.

The SLBC National Conference, held every February, features a wide range of dynamic courses that explore a holistic approach to powerful and effective leadership in the Jewish world. The SLBC National Conference experience is soaked in inspirational Jewish music and communal singing. Participants do not need to sing or play an instrument to fully experience ALL that SLBC has to offer. Music is just one of many vehicles for connection and inspiration that is explored at SLBC conferences.

 SLBC is a national signature initiative of the St. Louis Jewish Community Center.

  • Engage in intensive, super-charged learning with nationally respected Jewish educators, thought-leaders and music artists
  • Become a more effective and engaging presenter and public speaker
  • Create meaningful connections from the bima, in synagogue hallways, at camp, and in all aspects of synagogue life
  • Collaborate with a community of like-minded Jewish professionals
  • Utilize music as a powerful, educational and inspirational vehicle. You don’t need to be a musician!
  • Learn dynamic and relevant ways to reach specific age demographics
  • Acquire new and exciting repertoire

2023 SLBC Conference Educators & Presenters

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Cantor Laurie Akers

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Rob Aronson

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Shira Berkowitz

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Rabbi Joe Black

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Rabbi Sharon Brous

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Rabbi Jonathan Bubis

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Joe Buchanan

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Cantor Ellen Dreskin

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Hazzan Joanna Dulkin

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Zoey Fleisher

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Carla Friend

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Zac Gondelman

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Lucy Greenbaum

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Rabbi Brad Horwitz

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Rabbi David Ingber

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Billy Jonas

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Shira Kline

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Charlie Kramer

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Jacob Spike Kraus

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Rabbi Sandra Lawson

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Naomi Less

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Eliana Light

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Jackson Mercer

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Chava Mirel

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Craig Parks

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Elisa Heiligman Recht

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Rick Recht

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Ian Simpson

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Rabbi Abby Stein

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Jared Stein

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Cantor Abbie Strauss

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Past Presenters
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Rabbi Susan Talve

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Rabbi Josh Warshawsky

Course Offerings at the SLBC Conference

At the SLBC National Conference, participants are encouraged to choose their own adventure by selecting courses in the Worship Leader, Jewish Educator, Early Childhood, Day School or Songleader Tracks. Participants are welcome to attend electives from any of the SLBC Tracks throughout the conference. 

The SLBC Chavurot (Ramah Chavurah, Staenberg Camping Chavurah, Day School Chavurah, and Staenberg Teen Chavurah) are cohorts that have their own independent team programming during SLBC National Conference. Chavurot participants apply for these cohorts separately from SLBC general registration.

Worship Leaders track

The Worship Leader Track, directed by Cantor Ellen Dreskin, was created to support the spiritual, educational, and professional goals of worship leaders including rabbis, cantors, Jewish educators, teens, songleaders, and lay leaders. Topics for worship leader sessions include theology, prayer expansion and interpretation, diversity in text study, Shabbat repertoire, leadership in prayer, building a singing community and more.

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Jewish Educator track

All SLBC attendees are Jewish educators – some teach on the bima, at synagogue, in classrooms, at camp, in song, or other areas of Jewish life.  SLBC Jewish Educator Track features courses that teach skills, cover topics, and explore strategies that touch on a broad range of Jewish settings.

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Songleader track

Jewish songleaders are some of the most powerful educators and leaders in Jewish life. From its inception, SLBC National Conference has featured a diverse offering of courses for both new and veteran songleaders including general leadership, songleading skills, repertoire, the business of songleading, the equipment of songleading, songession planning, songleading resources, and personal care.

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Day School Teacher track

The SLBC Day School track shares a variety of courses for geared toward   Jewish day school teachers including curricular planning, presentation skills, mindfulness, planning and leading engaging tefilot, utilization of music in the classroom, honoring students with special needs, and more.

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Family Engagement/Early Childhood track

The SLBC Family Engagement/ Early Childhood Track offers a variety of courses for individuals who work with young children and their families.  Courses in the track focus on leadership skills, strategies, and resources that are particularly unique to this demographic.  There are also courses in this track that focus on early childhood repertoire and the utilization of music for young children and their families.

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Staenberg Camping chavurah

With gracious support from the Staenberg Family Foundation, Songleader Boot Camp and the JCC Association are excited to offer Jewish over night and day camping a program to transform the musical cultures and leadership of Jewish camping.

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Ramah Camping chavurah

For the last 6 years, Ramah constituents have gathered annually in the SLBC Ramah Chavurah for 3 days of immersive learning, t’fillah (prayer), strategic road-mapping, song leadership, and spiritual exploration at the SLBC National Conference.

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Staenberg Teen chavurah

With gracious support from the Staenberg Family Foundation, SLBC is  excited to expand the Teen Chavurah at SLBC. Led by Naomi Less and Jacob Spike Kraus, the goal of the Teen Chavurah program is to build strong, vibrant, future leaders of the Jewish world.

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Day School Student chavurah

In 2018, SLBC launched the SLBC Day School Chavurah for day school students in grades six through eight. Classes from St. Louis and Greensboro joined together for this inaugural SLBC pilot program exploring roles and leadership skills necessary for students to effectively lead tefilah (prayer) and shira (song), as well as a variety of programs in a day school setting. 

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