Rabbi Jodie Gordon
Rabbi & Education Director
Jodie Friedman
Program Associate
We are proud to share preliminary information about our plans for Religious School, Hebrew Skills, and our broader Youth and Family Education programs at Hevreh for the 2020-2021 school year. Since June 2020, a dedicated group of faculty, parents, and community members have worked alongside our Education Team to design an approach for the year ahead that meets the needs of our community in a safe, thoughtful, and innovative way. Above all else, we hold our commitment to Pikuah Nefesh, the Jewish value of preserving life, and all decisions and possibilities will be considered with best practices from the Massachusetts Department of Health and CDC guidelines in mind.
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי. וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי. וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתָי
Hillel would say: If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
But if I am for my own self [only], what am I?
And if not now, when? (Pirke Avot 1:14)
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A Sketch of Our Programs
Learning Goals
In this year ahead, more than perhaps any other year, we want to lean heavily into the work that our Religious School programs have always done to engender a love for Jewish life. This is a year where finding joy in Jewish holidays, rituals, stories, music, and lifecycle events will be crucial. To that end, our Yachad style programs will evolve to meet the form that the moment demands. In person gatherings may happen in shifts, or Yachad programs may be designed as take home kits with necessary resources and materials.
Hebrew Skills
Our Hebrew faculty remain dedicated to ensuring that our students build a strong foundation for Hebrew reading and comprehension.
In order to facilitate that learning, students will have options for small-group or 1:1 Hebrew tutoring throughout the year, on multiple week days (not solely Wednesdays)
Jewish Joy
Self Care & Community
Through A Jewish Lens
Responding to Hillel’s first question, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?”, students and families will explore the Jewish values that provide comfort, hope, and direction for us during challenging times.
Responding to Hillel’s second question, “If I am only for myself, what am I?” students and families will engage in the work of becoming an anti-racist community. This will include a focus on opening ourselves up to the experiences of others, and will rely on a developmentally appropriate “ladder of justice” (echoing Maimonides’ ladder of tzedakah) that invites learners to build an understanding of justice founded on the belief that all human beings are created B’tzelem Elohim (in the image of God), and then, to acknowledging that racism exists, that systemic racism is a problem that we can help to solve, et. Al.