A few years ago when I was working at Salomon Schechter Jewish Day School, every morning I recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Millions of students all across the United States do the same. Since I am not an American, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is probably not as meaningful as it is for an American. Nevertheless, I found the last line of the pledge very powerful and significant for me personally. In many ways the line “Liberty and Justice for All” captures the fundamental nature of this nation and its values.  

For years our ancestors searched and fought for freedom. My grandparents, who lived in Europe during the Second World War, hid from the Nazi regime. At the end of the war they ran from the communists who gained control of Eastern Europe. They moved to Israel - a land that in many ways symbolized a new hope and liberty for Diaspora Jewry. However, very shortly after arriving, they realized that freedom would come at a cost; my grandfather was required to join the Israeli army and defend his new country from many neighboring enemies. My father was to do the same, as were my brother and I. For generations freedom and justice came at a price for my family.  

The holiday of Pesach represents many values. It symbolizes a tradition that has lasted thousands of years, promotes the importance of family, and strengthens our connection with klal Yisrael (all Israel). To me, the most important value of Pesach is freedom. Although freedom is not easy to maintain, and sometimes we must sacrifice much to achieve it, we still hope for it. Pesach goes by many names, the most powerful of which is Chag Cheruteynu – the Holiday of Our Freedom. Many generations of my ancestors celebrated Pesach during different times and at various places. They certainly had their own interpretations regarding the meaning of Pesach as they sat together and ate the Seder meal. However, I believe that all of them realized the significance of Pesach in symbolizing one underlying condition – freedom. 

A few months ago President Bush addressed the world in his last State of the Union speech. During his speech he mentioned the word “freedom” 10 times and the word “liberty” eight times. Many Americans take these immense words and ideas for granted; perhaps as did my students at Solomon Schechter who recited them without conviction every day. During the Seder meal we have the opportunity to think back to our ancestors and their struggle for freedom 250 generations ago and even only two generations ago. This examination of our shared past invokes the appreciation of our freedom in today’s democratic United State of America.  I wish you a happy Chag Cherut (Holiday of Freedom)! 

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

I would like to share with you some of the exciting programs and activities that took place in our Hebrew School. You may read our Hebrew school first semester Newsletter by clicking on the attached file. 

Happy new year!

Hebrew school newsletter

Hillel, one of the most prominent rabbis of all time, shared some of his wisdom in Perkei Avot (the teaching of our sages) in saying, ”A timid person cannot learn”. Jewish education is based on inquisitiveness. The question-and-answer method is the foundation of Jewish study, and the more students ask, the more they learn. For years, hundreds of scholars investigated the bible text by asking the why and how questions that motivated them to learn more. This traditional learning technique is still the wheel that propels our Hebrew school teachers. 

In the same chapter of Perkei Avot, Hillel said: “More study with colleagues, more wisdom”. This statement captures the essence of the old learning method of Chavruta. This learning-teaching technique is based on using your chaver’s (mate, friend, colleague) talents, skills and wisdom in order to learn and increase your knowledge. The combined method of questioning and answering in Chavruta has been used for generations and is even utilized today in rabbinical schools.

As educators, one of our greatest challenges is to stimulate our student’s minds. Today this challenge is extreme as children would like to acquire their education at the same speed at which they can download and watch a music video clip or obtain and play a PlayStation video game. The internet and the most technologically advanced music devices are just a couple of measures to which the average American child’s pace of life is set – they get more in an increasingly faster amount of time. These new technologies fortify individualism and weaken one’s social interaction. Even if a child finds a way to expand his/her circle of friends, it is done in a virtual way. Be that as it may, today the educational system is still the central setting for a child to create new friendships and maintain old ones. 

This month we will open and introduce our new computer room to our students as an exciting educational tool in our Hebrew school. This new and exciting program will help us to accomplish a number of goals; Our teachers will be able to provide an appealing educational tool for their students, and use this stimulus to employ the traditional educational methods of questioning and working with peers. The students will have the opportunity to work individually and explore new information on Jewish history and heritage. Additionally, students will learn with their classmates, and work together to create a group project about Israeli leaders or Jewish heroes. By logging onto the internet, the students will have the opportunity to find information that will answer their questions regarding any subject matter taught in Hebrew school. Basic computer software such as PowerPoint will enable the students to create an interactive presentation and share their findings with the rest of the class.

The Hebrew school staff and I look forward to beginning a new educational journey with our students in the Temple Beth El Hebrew School computer room.

The Hebrew word firgoon is a term for which there is no English equivalent. The genesis of this word is from Yiddish, and it is used on and almost daily basis by Israelis and other Hebrew speakers around the world. The word describes a pure action of sincere gratitude and thankfulness without jealousy or hypocrisy. It is also used to express a direct and genuine praise of one’s actions and/or achievements. Unfortunately, although Israelis use this word frequently, most of the time it is used when one is protesting the lack of firgoon in Israeli mentality and culture.

This summer I went to visit my family and friends in Israel. I also met with representatives from The Jaffah Institute and Wings of Happiness - two of the five organizations that our Hebrew school students contributed their tzedakah money to. I had the option to mail them the checks but I opted to hand-deliver them and I am glad that I did so. Their gratitude and firgoon were beyond my expectations. After they had presented their respective organization’s philosophy and achievements, they outlined their plans for using the tzedakah money raised by our students. The money will go directly to programs that work to help Israeli children. One organization supports children who live in poor environments and don’t have food to eat or other basic essential needs met. The other organization runs a special youth movement for children with mental and physically disabilities.

Being generous and supportive is an important core Jewish value. On September 1 we will read the Torah portion of “Ki-Tavo”. Moses stands in front of B’nei Israel right before their conquest of Eretz Canaan, and he preaches the word of God and commands the Jewish people to give 10% of their crops to the orphans and the widows. We too are obligated to change the lives of those less fortunate who need not only our financial backing but also emotional support. Our Hebrew school families and many other congregants helped our school to fulfill this Mitzvah.

Last school year our students raised enough money to purchase 400 trees that were planted in the north of Israel. Throughout the school year, Beth El Hebrew School students donated $1,149 as part of our tzedakah collection project. We contributed the money to five different non-profit organizations. I would like to express the firgoon sent from the young and ambitious volunteers with whom I met in Israel this summer. I would also like to express my own firgoon to all of you who have helped our school take a step in working to change the lives of those less fortunate than us.

I wish you a Shanah Tova blessed with peace, health and happiness.Eran Vaisben

Over the past few weeks I had the opportunity to visit every class and participate in some sessions. I found that our students have learned a lot and have gained much knowledge in every aspect of their respective curriculums. The third graders shared information with me about all of the places throughout Israel that they learned about. The sixth graders read Torah trop and expanded my understanding regarding the triennial Torah reading. Our first graders presented their knowledge of the Hebrew alphabet, and the fifth graders amazed me with a fascinating discussion about Joseph’s adventures in Egypt.

Our major goal is to create and fortify our students’ Jewish identity. This year we accomplished our goal by providing our students not only with the knowledge, but also with the tools and the skills to experience Judaism. We taught them Hebrew and then practiced it during t’fillah; we educated them about Jewish values and ethics and then assisted them to fulfill mitzvoth. “The world is sustained by three things: Torah, the service of God and acts of loving-kindness” (Pirkei Avot). Our educational program is based on this sage’s wisdom. Our students learned much about Jewish values, traditions and heritage, but our task as Jewish educators was also to provide them with the tools to practice and act as Jews. By celebrating holidays, doing mitzvoth, and participating in the school’s weekly t’fillah, we implemented all that was learned in class. This year, your children demonstrated that in addition to learning, they can also express their Jewishness through action.

I would like to conclude the school year by expressing my profound appreciation to all of the parents who volunteered and supported the school. Your devotion and contribution to the educational programs at Temple Beth El helped us in our endeavor to make this year a great success. Our school is blessed with a dedicated faculty and administrative staff that contribute much to its prosperity.

Have a wonderful summer and see you next year.

Eran Vaisben

Hebrew is a fascinating language and learning Hebrew can be a great challenge but also an adventure. Allow me to be more articulated: The word Moreh means teacher and the word Mechanech stand for an educator. In Hebrew there is a vast difference between these two words. Moreh in based on the root yud, raish, hey, which means to teach and to instruct. It also means to direct, to order, and to command. On the other hand, mechanech is based on the root chet, nun, chaf, which means to be a trainer and a coach. It is also means dedication.

The educational journey from being a moreh to becoming a mechanech is not so easy. I believe that a Jewish educator has to be a trainer, a coach, and a guide. Moreover, a mechanech must be a person who completely devoted to his/her work and plan to dedicate his/her career to educating future generations of Jews. This immeasurable task is not so easy but very critical. After all, in many ways the Hebrew school teacher represents Judaism to his/her students. In our secular world, often the only opportunity for the child to encounter Jewish content is at Hebrew school by his/her Jewish educator. It is essential for the educator to acknowledge that and work accordingly. In many ways the future of the Jewish generation is in the Jewish educator hands.

On another note to go along with this…

My experience as an educator in the past five years has led me to conclude that working with students in supplementary Hebrew school is a great challenge. The attitude that students bring to the class, especially if the class is during Sunday school, is that of having already seen and experienced everything. Moreover, the motivation of learning after a long school day is low. Our goal, as Jewish educators, is to make the class appealing for our students by creating an unusual experience in an unconventional way. One could easily create a regular lesson plan that includes readings of texts from history books, but this way won’t make the class any more attractive. There is a need to break from traditional ways of teaching texts in order to make the texts more comprehensible for students.

A few months ago I proposed the idea of creating a new computer room in our Hebrew school. I believe that computers provide the combination of sound, imagery and new three-dimensional technologies that can attract children and connect them with any subject matters. Recently, after a thorough investigation of all educational and financial aspects of developing a computer room for our Hebrew school, the Board of Ed has approved this new initiative. The Executive Committee also considered this project during their March meeting and endorsed the Board of Ed decision.

Next year Temple Beth el Hebrew School will join many Hebrew schools that have already transitioned into the 21^st century in building computer laboratories, and using new and modern learning tools and methodologies such as multimedia presentations.

On April 24, Israelis and the Jews around the world will celebrate Israel’s independence for the 59th time. Today, Israel is a modern country that can be proud of its technological advancements and cultural and social achievements, but still continues with its struggle to accomplish peace with hostile neighbors in the “wild” Middle East. The media makes sure that every child around the world knows about the current conflicts and how Israel is involved in this complex situation.

In studying for my master’s degree in Jewish education and working in Hebrew schools, I have learned that any educator who teaches about Israel in the Diaspora must face and overcome many dilemmas. The most difficult is that of how to teach and connect students to Israel in light of current events. Today, many Hebrew schools in America choose to teach Israel by connecting it with tefillah and Bible studies. Textbooks that focus on teaching Israel as a subject try to expose students to the history of the State of Israel through various topics such as Zionism, wars, the Holocaust, Bible, etc. In general these books reflect the idealized “old and beautiful Eretz Yisrael” that attracts Jewish Zionist idealists. None of these books - even the ones published within the past five years - actually teaches students issues that relate to today’s realities and ways of confronting them.

In considering the Jewish American educational system today, we find that it hasn’t yet reached the point at which it has adjusted itself to the developments of the State of Israel. Since its establishment, the State of Israel has undergone major alterations in a numbers of areas. Israeli society and culture has changed as a result of a numerous influences, including aliyah, wars, politics, conflicts, and even peace. The Jewish world has changed, Israel has changed, and the Israel-Diaspora connection will also have to change. The denial of the “matsav” (the current situation) leaves students confused and left to ponder conflicting messages and unanswered questions presented by the media, parents, and teachers.

Our challenge as Jewish educators is to find the right balance between “Eretz Yisrael Hayeshana VeHatova” (old and good land of Israel) and the modern Israel. On the one hand, we must teach about Israel’s wonderful and important contributions to the Jewish world, its heritage and history and on the other hand we have to make students aware of the situation in the contemporary State of Israel - both its strengths and weaknesses. We can do it only by combining the traditional method of teaching/learning using our textbooks and by utilizing modern technological methods that can make the learning experience more powerful and meaningful. This new method will help in encouraging students to understand movement, processes, and changes in emotions and thought that have occurred with regards to Israel over the last decade.

At least once a year, I take a trip to visit family and friends in Israel. Every time I drive through the hills that surround the city of Jerusalem, I think about all the trees that I planted there throughout my childhood. Every year, students in Israel used to plant trees in various locations as part of a Tu B’shevat celebration. For some reason my school always planted trees in forests neighboring the Holy City. Every year, on Tu B’shevat, we returned to that same piece of land to continue expanding the forest, and we always experienced such a strong sense of awe. We looked around and realized that we had the power to change our country’s environment and landscape.

Sometimes we underestimate our power to change the future. For generations American Jewry was of the notion that Jewish education should be rated as secondary to that of the public education system. Today we witness a new tendency in the conservative movement to change this conception. We are experiencing a revolutionary era in all aspects of Jewish education. Many Hebrew schools have already transitioned into the 21^st century in building computer laboratories and using new and modern learning tools and methods such as multimedia presentations. This approach is apparent in an old statement made by King Solomon who said: “Educate a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs, 22:6). Jewish education needs to be updated with the essential goal of bridging the gap between our old traditions and modern youth culture. Using technology and media as an integral part of Hebrew school curricula will help us achieve this goal and create a new generation of students who are engaged in learning about their heritage and tradition. In order to implement these new ideas, it is important for parents to be actively involved and supportive. Bringing this new technology into Hebrew schools depends greatly on parental collaboration.

There is an ancient story about a sage who could answer every question. One of his students decided to trick him. The student caught a butterfly and held it in his fist. He approached the sage and said, “What is in my hand; a live butterfly or a dead one?” The student thought to himself, “If he guesses a live one, I will crush it to death, and if he guesses a dead one, I will open my hand and let the butterfly fly out and show the world the sage’s failure.” But the wise man looked him in the eye and said, “It is all in your hands.”

Leading the Hebrew school into the 21^st century is in our hands. Today, we have the opportunity to change the face of Jewish education and our Hebrew school in very much the same way that generations of Israeli children changed their world through the planting trees.

On February 3^rd, Jews around the world will celebrate Tu B’shevat. Chag Sameach and happy birthday for the trees!

Faith is an abstracted concept. Although we do not have the tools with which to measure faith, for many of us it comprises a major component of our identities. As an Israeli, I explored my faith only after having moved to America. It took me a while to recognize the fact that Judaism is a part of my identity. In Israel Judaism was a part of my nationality. I defined myself as an Israeli and not as a Jew. In America I discovered that being Jewish is in many ways much more complex than it is in Israel.

I realized that there is a major different between the Jewish communities in America and those in Israeli when I began to work with children in American-Jewish religious school settings. I noticed that Jewish children in America speak freely about God, traditions, and their religious beliefs. On the contrary, I don’t remember myself or my peers discussing these issues as children. My relationship with the Jewish faith has developed later in life than those of the Jewish schoolchildren who I was teaching.

The differences in religious experience I had as a child growing up in Israel and those of my Jewish-American students have resulted in a personal search for answers to the following questions: How does faith develop? What is the role of the family in developing a child’s faith? What is the role of the school and religious education in developing a child’s faith? And how is faith connected to a child’s development of identity?

I didn’t realize the importance of being Jewish until I experienced an unpleasant encounter during my travels in Mexico a number of years ago. I was searching for a hotel room, when I found myself turned away by a European receptionist at a hotel. Although the only hint at my religious affiliation was my Israeli passport, I was told that I couldn’t check-in because I was a Jew. It was then that I had an epiphany. All my life my Jewish identity had been overshadowed by my Israeli nationality. I defined myself first as an Israeli and then as a Jew - the same went for my friends and family. But now my “Jewishness” had been brought to the forefront of my identity.

Religious education aids the child in moving through faith development, as it teaches him/her the faith’s values, attitudes, and beliefs. The school provides the child with the opportunity to express his/her spiritual needs which change with age. The religious school setting is also the right environment for the child to develop social interactions with other children of the same or similar religious backgrounds. The Jewish educator fills the role as promoter, endorsing Judaism to his/her students. The child’s positive attitude regarding any religious matter, such as prayer, Hebrew, holidays, etc., is dependent, though not exclusively, on the experiences that his/her teacher provides in school.

Moreover, the family plays an essential role in the child’s Jewish life. By building trust and providing the basic knowledge, the family helps the child develop a positive mindset regarding his/her faith. The child’s home serves as a protective place in which he/she may freely examine family traditions and religious ideals. One of the goals of Jewish education and in our Hebrew school must be to focus on bridging the gap between the values a child acquires at home and those he/she learns in school.

Therefore, I have adopted the task of encouraging our families to take part in their children’s religious educations. Connecting these two entities will help children overcome confusion and aid in the creation of concrete Jewish identities. In providing meaningful experiences, creating cohesive groups for teens, and welcoming our families to the school, we can assist the next generation in its formation of Jewish identity.

I personally encourage our families to take part in our family and adult education programs, so together we may fulfill the mitzvah of “From Generation to Generation”.

B’shalom,

Eran Vaisben