Dear Temple Emanu-El Families,
This week at Religious School, we brought the Israeli election into our classrooms in a fun and meaningful way with an all-school mock election. Instead of voting for political parties, our students voted for their favorite ice cream flavors! In my sixth-grade classroom, this opened the door to a conversation about Israel as a democracy and the importance of this election.
At the same time, we have been studying Kristallnacht, the “Night of Broken Glass,” and discussing the history of pogroms in Eastern Europe leading up to the Holocaust. We began making connections between these painful moments in Jewish history and the antisemitism we are seeing today, including right here in New York City. Sadly, the rise in antisemitism reminds us that some of the patterns we have seen throughout thousands of years of Jewish history continue to repeat themselves. It is a difficult reality, but one that makes teaching the next generation about history and the importance of recognizing and standing up to hatred more relevant than ever.
Yet, as I reflected on these two conversations happening side by side, I was reminded that our Jewish story is about so much more than the hardships we have endured. It is also a story of what we have built and contributed to the world. From Israel’s vibrant democracy and groundbreaking innovations to the Jewish community’s longstanding commitment to education, medicine, science, cinema, and so much more, the Jewish people have made an extraordinary impact on the world.
As parents and educators, it is so important to teach about our history, our traditions, and the challenges our people have faced. But we must also remind them of all the reasons to be proud to be Jewish. We want them to understand where they come from, feel connected to their heritage, and appreciate the remarkable legacy they are part of. Most importantly, we want them to see that being Jewish is not defined by the hatred we have faced, but by the values we uphold, the community we have built, and the contributions we continue to make!
Warmly,
Mya Bodnick
Lifelong Learning Educator
