North Suburban Synagogue Beth El

I recently attended the national conference for the Jewish Educators Assembly in Washington, DC. This conference for religious school directors in the Conservative movement began with a keynote by Dr. Jack Wertheimer from the Jewish Theological Seminary. With support from the Avi Chai Foundation, he recently conducted a study in which he evaluated ten different religious schools From this evaluation, he determined six “noteworthy characteristics of good schools.” Good schools (1) work on building friendships and community, (2) go beyond teaching facts to allow students to work on meaning, (3) use experiential education, (4) actualize a clear vision, (5) value themselves and their students, and (6) involve not only students but their families. In what he found, a combination of these six aspects work together to make a successful school.

Beth El took a major step by developing an educational vision. The efforts of the task force in developing this vision laid the framework to give our community a clear vision for our schools and educational programs. The other five characteristics as identified by Dr. Wertheimer reflect the values of the community and strategies as used within the school. Two phrases that continually found their ways into everyone's conversations at the conference included 'experiential education' and 'informal education' - key elements of an effective religious school program.

Over the past few months, I have discussed some of our school objectives in the Jack & Mildred Cohen Religious School. The one I would like to discuss is the following: "Judaism lives not just in books, but also through a living community. Each opportunity to express Jewish culture, music, art, literature, holiday celebrations, food, historical commemorations experientially, and through formal and informal education will help to transmit holiness and community." We have introduced "i-programs" which are collaborative programs between the youth community and the religious school. These programs - approximately 3-4 programs a year per youth group - are to utilize informal education to teach, reinforce, or assess key concepts of different topics, but is also very important in building community. Adding to this, collaborating with the preschool and high school communities adds to the richness of their education. Family education programs, field trips, social action projects, holiday programming, and other special activities are incorporated into the students' learning activities. Art projects, learning Jewish songs, and appreciating Jewish literature through library visits are all important components of a full education by going beyond teaching facts and helping students find meaning in their Judaism.

Another example of helping students find meaning in their studies is the following paragraph written by a student in Edith Belkind's Gimmel class. This activity supplemented the story of the 12 spies from the 12 tribes of Israel who explored the land of Israel after wandering for 40 years in the desert after the Exodus. Students were asked to write their own story as if they were seeing this land of Israel for the first time as strangers, placing it in the present time.This was written in November.

"We were still trying to find a place to settle. My brother Jacob and I were chosen to go look at Israel. I am Nancy. So we walked all around Israel. We saw many very interesting phones and computers and a lot of stuff like that. Everyone had a phone. I also saw many interesting cars. Jacob was also very impressed. We also checked out the food. It was some of the best food I've had in a long time. There were big plump grapes and things called latkes and chocolate gelt. They said I was lucky because I came just in time for Hanukkah. It is a very fun holiday that goes on for 8 days. Next we met the people. They were all very kind and showed me around. They all spoke in a very interesting language called Hebrew. I tried to learn it. It was fun. I even met new friends and so did Jacob. Israel also has many parks and play areas. It was awesome to play in them. Israel is a fantastic state. I wanted to stay forever but Jacob said we had to go back and say what we saw. But I knew I was going to come back. So I went back fruit and the phones and everyone was pleased So we all decided Israel is a great place." Over winter break, this student participated in the Beth El trip to Israel with her family. With this exercise, she had already begun thinking about her connection with Israel, making the experience of visiting Israel even more powerful.

Students in Shoshana Axler's Dalet class wrote their own prayers of thanksgiving to God. Here is a sampling:

"Praise you our Lord our God, King of the Universe. He who gives us protection and care. Who chose great men to be our prophets. Who loves all his creations equally. Who gave us the Torah that makes all Jews more pure, wiser, and nobler when we read and study it. Who taught us to live lives of goodness, justice, kindness, love, and righteousness. Who guided our ancestors. Who fought beside us in our time of need. Who gave us voices to sing and speak. Who created life. Our Lord our God - Your Word is true and lasts forever. For it was Your Word that created the world."

"You are our God, our Leader. Please stop all of the bad people and bad things people are doing. Stop all of the wars and make peace. Thank you for all of the food, people, and the Torah."

"Adonai the one, Adonai the great, He who lets us love and hate.
He who makes the seasons, for many different reasons.
He who makes the flowers and trees, and all the bugs and bees.
He who made the dark and the light, He who made the lows and the heights.
He who made the air and the water, He who made the sons and the daughters.
He who made the fish with fins, He who made the faces with chins.
He who made the beautiful trees, but best of all, He made me!"

We have incredible students, who belong to wonderful families. Judaism is filled with all kinds of experiential education - come and join us for Shabbat services, our holiday celebrations, our social action projects,and visit Israel. It all adds up to a rich life.

B'shalom,
Karen Raizen
Religious School Director