Maddie was a state champion in debate, Seth was an AIPAC intern, and Hannah works for Microsoft while Yoni is at Google. Laurenne recently completed her service in the IDF as a Lone Soldier, Robert was elected 9th grade class … Read More
Blog Archives
A Man Who Dared Greatly! (And What We Can Learn from Him)
This is not the blog I expected to write the first week of school. However, the death – and life – of Senator John McCain is so significant to me that I felt compelled to write about him; not about … Read More
The Future We Want for Our Children Starts with Us!
There are times in our lives when we cannot be silent. For me, this is one of those times. This is the season of lights. Jews are currently celebrating Hanukkah by lighting candles for eight nights to celebrate the victory … Read More
Hope in These Challenging Times
I am a news junky, and I have to break the habit before serious depression sets in. Corruption, income inequality, sexual harassment, threat of war, uncivil discourse, potential foreign interference in our elections, an assault on free speech. And that … Read More
The Power Within Us
Our words and actions can impact the entire world – really! A kind word or an act of helpfulness in a child’s life or an adult’s life can literally change the trajectory of that person’s path, and we may never … Read More
MLK Day – More Timely Than Ever!
While many students were at home on MLK Day, playing games, going to movies or hanging at malls, our children were immersed in learning about and understanding the significance of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King’s … Read More
Hillel, Fantasy, Superheroes and Beth!
At Shabbat services last week, Dr. Mitch Parker, B’nai Israel Synagogue’s spiritual leader, handed out a source sheet about God, with this on it: Recently, on Arrow, a highly-acclaimed, fantasy superhero television show, the following exchange took place: (Earth is … Read More
The Problematic Election and Our Children
Elie Wiesel said, “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, its indifference…” As a Head of a Jewish day school, I can … Read More
You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught: A Response to Terrorism
In 1949, Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein won several Tony Awards for their blockbuster musical, South Pacific. However, it also drew its critics and controversy for it covered uncomfortable territory. Its romantic tension was based on interracial romance, a strong … Read More
Soft Skills, Solid Values
Recently, in an nprEd article, “Nonacademic Skills Are Key To Success. But What Should We Call Them?” the author, Anya Kamenetz, wrote that more than ever before, people in education and in the workforce agree on the importance of learning … Read More