I want to share my reflections on an interesting experience that I had last semester in two parts, one for each of the valuable lessons that I learned from the experience. I had the opportunity to put all of the thought and time that I have been concentrating on interfaith dialogue to work at my student congregation in Sioux Falls,…
Month: June 2014
A Place to Be
Marji didn’t have a place to be. “Being a poor Jew is a horrible thing here. What Jewish Family Service has done is help me reconnect.” They provided not just food, but also something more. “They delivered. They would come to the door.” Marji began to feel cared for by a community that previously had only made her feel ostracized.
What Is Fourth-Grade Judaism?
A new teacher reflects on her year: “How do I match the students’ maturity and my approach to subject matter?” How do you select age appropriate content without distorting material in a way that students will someday remember, regret or mistrust? A teacher who presents material before the students are ready may successfully challenge the students, causing them to grow, but if the students find this new material too challenging or irreconcilable with their own values or truths, I fear they may reject the source of the challenge (Judaism) altogether. A teacher who waters down or omits a subject is placing responsibility upon a future teacher to fill in/complete the students’ education. What would you do?
Teaching Judaism vs. Preaching Judaism
One of the elements of working as a rabbi that influenced me to pursue this path is the opportunity to assist others in times of need and to work to inspire Jews to embrace their Judaism in a manner that is meaningful to them. Yet my fellowship this year proved to be quite different from my idea of my future rabbinate.