Photo of Andrea in an outdoors sculpture park; her arms are outstretched. Comically, she is surrounded by a circle of eleven white rabbit sculptures.

Education Design & Teaching

Projects and workshops that mash up stories, questions, and the arts for wonderment and wellbeing. Usually with something Jewish in the mix. Here are some selections from my portfolio.

Table Fellowship Advocacy

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Social change, one shared meal at a time. With the NGO Helping Children Worldwide, I curated a ritual discussion series on the ethics of orphan care. It's been piloted in West Africa, at Georgetown University, and at the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) annual conference.

Jewish Wisdom for Mental Wellness

How might Jewish wisdom inform mental health in our lives today? I've led workshops on contemplative practices, Jewish values, caregiving, and ethical questions. I'm currently thinking about Jewish texts and traditions for evidence-based therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

Learning Through Film

A still photo from the documentary film Making the Crooked Straight, about Dr. Rick Hoades' humanitarian work in Ethiopia.

When young adults return home from service learning abroad, how might they share with friends what they've learned? For JDC Entwine, I created "Films From the Field" DIY Toolkits with short films as conversation starters. Popcorn recipes from various countries included.

Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in Low-Infrastructure Settings

A pyramid graph depicting four hierarchical levels of Mental Health & Psychosocial Support work in emergency settings. The bottommost level is "basic services and security." Next higher is "community and family supports." Higher still is "focused, non-specialized supports." And the top tip of the triangle level is "specialized services."

I've guest lectured on "Conflict, Trauma, and MHPSS" for a Chapman University course on Afghanistan. I'm currently designing faith-integrated (Christian, Muslim) family strengthening workshops with the NGO Helping Children Worldwide and a team in Sierra Leone.

Interfaith Biblical Commentary and Teaching

Helping Children Worldwide (HCW) recently commissioned and published my commentary on James 1:27, a study of care for widows and orphans as a spiritual practice. Search "One Twenty-Seven" on amazon.com to purchase; proceeds go directly HCW!

Arts & Humanities in Healthcare

I offer creative workshops for healthcare professionals on compassionate communication and spiritual assessment. This photo by a medical student was taken at University of Michigan's Botanical Gardens in a workshop on the human body, disability, and the biblical Song of Songs.

Global Citizenship & Responsibility

A circle of young adults holding a rope net with one young woman laying on top of the net in the middle of the circle.

How to teach that we're all interconnected, mutually responsible for one another? Start with a long piece of rope and some brave volunteers. This was one activity I designed as Director of Jewish Learning for the Entwine division of JDC, the largest Jewish humanitarian organization in the world.

Learning Through Graphic Novels

The words "A Hero's Story for All to Hear" and the subtitle "Students in Professor Andrea Siegel's class bring graphic novel Daredevil alive on audiobook for blind Arabic-speakers." This image appeared in a marketing report from Pepperdine University.

In a yearlong online global service project for a humanities course, Pepperdine University undergrads made a demo Arabic audio recording of Marvel Comics' "Daredevil #1" (featuring a blind superhero) for blind listeners and drafted a curriculum about disability stigma with the Arab NGO AlManara in Nazareth.

Leaning Into Discomfort: Inclusion in Spiritual Community

A sketch by Rembrandt of the biblical story of Abraham casting out Hagar and Ishmael.

How might a troubling story, such as that of Abraham casting out Hagar and Ishmael, be a sacred call to do better? For Rosh Hashanah 2022 at Chapman University, we imagined each biblical figure's perspective alongside various artistic interpretations.

On the Book of Job with Catholic Seminarians

A page from Elie Wiesel's book titled "The Trial of God."

For a guest presentation at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit on Job, I introduced seminarians to the book's stunning poetry and to Jewish traditions of arguing with God. We also explored using our own stories of suffering to assist others.