Head of School Blog
The Power of Authentic Performance
Today our 3rd Grade demonstrated mastery of their ability to lead and understand the Amidah, nineteen consecutive blessings that form the backbone of every Jewish prayer service. I think they did phenomenal, but full disclosure – my daughter is in that class. At Gesher we call these moments a Siyyum, which means ending/closure/completion, and each […]
Gleanings
Today is Grandparents and Grandfriends Day at Gesher, and I was asked to give a brief D’var Torah, a word of Torah. This week’s portion is Emor, a portion that contains one of my favorite mitzvot, known in the literature as “Leket” and “Pe’ah”. Leket and Peach are examples of those practices that appear designed […]
Reflections from a trip to Israel
This past week I had the gift of traveling to Israel for the first week of our 8th graders’ two week educational trip, a capstone experience that ties together much of what our students learn throughout their years at Gesher. If I am 100% honest, I was nervous about the responsibility of managing the […]
The Tale of Two Roses – Reflections for this time between Yom HaShoah, Yom Hazikaron, and Yom HaAtzmaut.
This week, I read a powerful Facebook post by Lori Palatnik, a local and national community leader, It read, “Jews have two memorial days: #YomHazikaron to remind us of the cost of having Israel, and #YomHashoah to remind of us the cost of not.” I am a proud Jewish, Zionist woman. I wear this identity […]
The Resilience of Passover
Jewish educators and communal professionals often note the fact that for many Jewish people who don’t participate in regular observances or rituals, the observance of Pesach (Passover) remains important in their families, second (or third) after Hannukah and the High Holy Days. Simply put, if you are Jewish but not particularly connected, chances are pretty […]