blogs/jenniferlevine123

Dear Religious School Families,

Sunday we begin our new trimester, Modern Jewish History.  Students will be learning about the Emancipation of Jews in Western Europe, the rise of Reform Judaism, and the migration of Jews around the world.  Times change and the way that we view our own history changes with our evolving context.  We thought it was important to lift up some of this context to you, so that you are prepared to talk to your children about what they are learning.

For many years, we as American Jews told the story of our arrival here as a journey from oppression to freedom - whether from pogroms in Eastern Europe, the expulsion from Spain, or the Holocaust. In the same way that our ancestors talked about the United States as the Goldeneh Medina, but realized once they arrived that the streets were not actually paved with gold, we need to temper that image with reality.  Our children have seen increased anti-Semitism over the past few years, as well as the recent challenges to being Jewish in the reaction after October 7th of last year.  They may be feeling much less secure in their Judaism, and perhaps in their safety, because of what they have heard in the news or from their friends and family.  As they explore the stories of Jews fleeing persecution, they may feel concern about their own safety.  Our teachers have been prepped to pay attention and to provide them support and comfort if needed.  What you can do is be honest and listen.  (While this resource was created after the Tree of Life shooting, much of it is also useful today - https://reformjudaism.org/reform-jewish-life/youth-family-community/parenting/after-terror-5-jewish-ways-help-kids-deal)

As always, our goal is partnering with you in strengthening your children's resilience and Jewish identity.  We hope that this curriculum will help them see how our people has had the strength not only to survive, but to thrive. 

If you have any questions, or would just like to talk, please feel free to reach out to me by phone (908 889-4900) or e-mail (rabbi@sholomnj.org).

Kol tuv,

Rabbi Abraham