Before he dies, Moshe delivers his final commandment to Yehoshua and the nation. He instructs them that once every seven years the entire people must gather in a ceremony designed to mirror and evoke the passion of Matan Torah. Moshe tells them: “Gather the nation: the men, the women and the children.” (Deut. 31:12). At
The Teen Track at the Conference Read More »
Schools were once evaluated based on their ability to deliver the three “Rs”: “reading, writing, and ’rithmetic.” In recent years, however, schools have come to realize that they need to focus on a fourth “R”– resilience. Educators now understand that they must play a role in helping raise emotionally resilient young people who can cope
Strengthening Body Image: The School’s Role and Responsibility Read More »
“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” Mark Twain רבי יוחנן קרי למאי מכבודתא Rabbi Yohanan referred to his garments as “those which give me distinction.” Bava Kama 91b עז והדר לבושה איזהו מכבד, המכבד את הבריות Who is honored? Whoever honors others. Pirkei Avot 4:1 Schools—Jewish and secular—have
White Gloves and Uniforms Read More »
Is this a familiar story? A young woman studies for her Bat Mitzvah and does a wonderful job reading from the Torah and/or delivering a well-thought-out, interesting d’var Torah. Yet the next year, when you look around the synagogue, she is not there. After her time in the spotlight, she stops attending services and uses
Makom: Finding a Place for Our Growing Girls Read More »
I currently find myself uniquely poised to comment on the school’s role in the Bat Mitzvah experience. On the one hand, I am a principal with dozens of Bat Mitzvah girls in my charge; on the other, I am a frequent carpool driver for my own middle school daughter who is living through the years
Parents and Schools: Partnering to Create Meaningful Semahot Read More »
JOFA launched its first-ever Middle School Track at its 2010 Conference, providing an opportunity for male and female students to engage openly with topics central to their Jewish lives. The twenty-seven participants came from fourteen schools. The guiding themes of the day were authority and empowerment. The conversation began with questions like: Who influences the
Join the Conversation—Only Louder! The JOFA Conference Middle School Track Read More »
In my memory, I am nine years old, maybe ten. I am sitting close to my Zeyde at the shiny wood dining room table in my grandparents’ home, poised at the edge of my chair. He sings a pasuk to the trop and I repeat it: אלא תולדת נח ,נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדרתיו
Thinking about what the Bat Mitzvah experience means to today’s 12-year-old girls raises important issues. For most girls, this rite of passage comes somewhere around the onset of puberty or adolescence, a long period of cognitive, emotional, and physical development that culminates in adulthood with the achievement of full psychosexual maturity. It is very clear
Bat Mitzvah: Creating a Communal Space Read More »
It was when I was four that my educational adventure began. I went to a nursery school where little girls and little boys played together. Those were the wild days—when we would play tag together and the boys and girls would hide in the same spot during hideand-seek. (There were even a few scandalous kissing
