RJ Blog

We read in Proverbs, “Train up a child in the way the child should go, and even when the child is old, they will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).  This idea speaks not only to the importance of education in the Jewish tradition, but to carrying out that education in a way that teaches children to be just and compassionate. Thus it should be of particular concern to us as a community when our youth are educated in unequal environments. The Boys Scouts of America (BSA) has long been an example of a concerning environment. Despite the camaraderie, the [...]

by Jacki Hart and Stephanie Rotsky Still relatively green as parents, choosing a school for our then-4-year-old and nearly-6-year-old felt like a major “grown up” responsibility. What would they learn; how would they be taught? Would the school nurture their nature? And could the school selection influence who they might become? The emphasis on social justice and the mission of tikkun olam, repair of the world, drew us to Rashi, a Reform Jewish day school in the Boston metropolitan area for kindergarteners through 8th graders. Little did we understand, six years ago, that Tamchui, Rashi’s unique annual community social justice [...]

I have been to the mountaintop and I can see the future of Jewish education. Take your shoes off, friend. We’re walking on holy ground and praying with our feet.

by Robin Messing Bogdanoff It started in August 2011 with, of all things, a shirt pocket. It was a very small pocket on a child’s striped tee shirt that caught my eye, because the shirt had been miraculously reinvented into a tote bag. What an inspired idea, to turn an iconic T-shirt into a bag! Strong and compact, yet expandable, colorful, playful, infinitely useful – and not difficult or expensive to make. For my $10 purchase, Massachusetts textile artist Crispina ffrench included instructions on how to make more bags and gave me permission to share the instructions with our synagogue community [...]

Recently I had the good fortune to offer a workshop for educators that I called, “Parents as Partners: Working with Parents in Jewish Special Needs Education.” I was well aware, from the start of the workshop, that the educators assembled wanted pointers on how to handle difficult conversations with parents. They were eager to help their students, but seemed to feel great apprehension around how to potentially develop open and supportive communication with parents. Open and supportive communication with parents is essential for a successful Jewish supplemental school experience for any child, especially those with special learning needs. However, my [...]

Scouting has been in the news lately as the Boy Scouts of America reconsider a longtime ban on gay scouts and leaders. A recent New York Times article describes in detail the discussions and opinions on this decision from various national leadership, and the Huffington Post reports that Boys Scouts of America is delaying a decision on the ban. This issue and its negative press aside, scouting has had a positive effect on the youth of my congregation, as evidenced by an event that took place just this month. In early February, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts from Nassau County [...]

For over a decade the Union for Reform Judaism has advised its synagogues to break ties with Boy Scouts of America, to not sponsor troops or allow them to use their facilities. This week it looked like all of that might change, but synagogues wishing to return to the BSA will have to wait at least a few more months. The leadership of the Boy Scouts of America, who only last summer reaffirmed the organization’s nationwide ban on gay scouts and scout leaders, met this week to discuss changing that policy. Some in the organization argued for a new policy [...]

The teenage girl puts her arm around the fourth grader. They both smile. The younger child feels warmth, love and a sense of “I matter” from her protector, a cool positive Jewish role model. The teen feels a sense of purpose, of meaning and a sense of “I matter” from a child who looks up to her as a positive Jewish role model. For which child’s benefit did my congregation, Congregation Or Ami, organize this three-day retreat? Ostensibly, for the younger child, as this weekend was designated a 4th- through 6th-grade retreat. Yet anyone who has witnessed the powerful effects [...]

by Rabbi Andy Bachman “This series of pictures should strike a deep emotional response in the heart of every Jew.  No matter how far we have traveled from the observances that were practiced by our fathers, we have a feeling of reverence for the ceremonies themselves, and a respect for those who feel that these Jewish ceremonials constitute a necessary part of religion.” [From the English translation of Dr. Leopold Stein's Oppenheim Pictures, originally published in Frankfort, Germany in 1886] As Richard Cohen has pointed out, in Jewish Icons, Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, one of mid-nineteenth century German Jewry’s most famous [...]

The past few days I have been thinking about the role that being alone vs. being with people plays in each of our lives and the importance of finding the right balance of social vs. solitude time.  This is true for us as individuals, this is true for us as parents, and this is true for us as educators and as synagogue leaders. There is a lot of noise everywhere. There are beeps, chirps, buzzes, rings, chimes – to say nothing of bangs, gongs, crinkles and more. The world is a veritable symphony of sounds. 

Deborah Dunton, a member of the executive committee of Temple Sinai in Pittsburgh, PA, recently wrote an op-ed for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about this month’s shootings in Newtown, CT. In “The First First Responders,” Dunton, a K-8 special education teacher, writes, After the unspeakable horror that occurred in Newtown, Conn., a few days ago, we were reminded that the first first responders at schools are the administrators, paraprofessionals and teachers. All at Sandy Hook Elementary School displayed courage. They did their jobs. The teachers acted instinctively to shield, hide and ultimately to save most of their students, with the heartbreaking [...]

by Rabbi Micah Lapidus “Contemporary Jewish education has the task of creating the very society of which it should be the reflection.” -Israel Scheffler, Visions of Jewish Education Contemporary Jewish education is a generative endeavor—it’s about creating something that doesn’t yet exist. The “something” that contemporary Jewish education is tasked with creating is nothing less than a new society, or more simply stated, a better (even ideal) world. What aren’t we trying to do?

by Rabbi Evan Moffic An episode of The Simpsons inspired this article. The entire Simpson family is seated around the dinner table. Bart is asked to say grace. He offers the following words: “Dear God, we paid for all this stuff ourselves, so thanks for nothing.” Bart’s words capture what so many often feel. We’re entitled to what we have. We earned it. Why should we thank anyone for it? A consumerist culture reinforces this message. “Buy this product,” we are told, “because you need it. You deserve it.” As a parent, I think a lot about how to cultivate [...]

By Sari Luck Schneider Q: What does early engagement look like for families and children with special needs? A: We say, “special needs children” in our country. In the part of Italy famous for its outstanding early childhood programming and family involvement, Reggio Emilia, people say, “special rights children.” I like that. Some children need more support than others as they begin life and the people in Reggio Emilia say they have a right to get special considerations. Our Torah teaches us that all people are created in God’s image. We want the children and families in our community to [...]