L'dor Va'dor- From Generation to Generation

With the end of the school year fast approaching and my favorite Jewish holiday just around the corner I can't help but think of something I am normally doing this time of year, working at the Community Religious School of Yardley. I volunteered at this religious school for many years and later began working at Kol Emet's religious school.  

The Cause:
The Community Religious School of Yardley was a religious school created by several families who left their synagogue, didn't want to join another, but still wanted to continue their children's Jewish educations. The school had 10-15 kids at any given point from grades 5-7. There was one teacher who taught all the kids at one time, splitting them up for certain lessons, like Hebrew, to teach to their level. Every few weeks, another teacher came to lead Jewish songs and prayers. There were also 4 aides to help the teacher. I was one of these aides. The school was held in a community room at a local grocery store once a week. The school also took trips to a very Jewish section of NYC, apple picking for the Jewish new year, volunteering trips, and trips to houses for different holidays.

Pickle Guys in the Lower East Side of NYC with the religious school.

What I Did:
As an aide, I did all different types of things. During class, when we split up the students, I would work on practicing reading Hebrew with the older kids or teaching the younger kids how to read or write Hebrew. Also, I would help all the kids learn prayers, whether just for our yearly religious school service or in preparation for their B'nai Mitzvot. I would also help the kids learn about the different Jewish holiday through different activities. These activities could include reading a book about the holiday, going somewhere like apple picking, planing a carnival, or making edible treats related to the holiday. This was always the most fun and the activity I was most involved in. We made edible Sukkahs for Sukkot, edible Torahs for Simchat Torah, and fruit covered cookie pizzas for Tu B'shevat, just to name a few.

Fruit Covered Cookie Pizzas- Tu B'shevat

What I Learned:
Being an aide at the religious school was one of the best things I have ever done. I met a lot of great kids and truly enjoyed the time I got to spend with them while helping them learn all about Judaism.

While being an aide, I learned about teaching to different lifestyles and having to adapt plans to help everyone succeed. This is definitely a lesson I have and will continue to carry over to all parts of my life. When someone isn't getting something or won't cooperate, I try to teach the lesson a different way or present it in a different light in an attempt to get everyone to understand. This happens in my life even when deciding about something with friends when we have to look at things from different perspectives and in different ways to make sure everyone sees the full picture.

I also learned about how all topics can be made interesting and captivating if you figure out the right way to present them. This is another good lesson to be applied to daily life when you are trying to keep people interested in anything you are trying to present and "sell" to them.

Finally, I learned more about sharing tradition. I have always viewed tradition as a very important part of religion and life in whole; however, this experience has made me appreciate it more. I now realize how important it is to pass tradition on from generation to generation, l'dor va'dor. I had the chance to pass on my tradition to the children I was teaching and it allowed me to analyze my own tradition more and really understand where it came from and why I stand for what I stand for.

It is important to reflect on your own traditions or you will loose sight as to why they are important and why they need to be passed on. If no one understands the importance of a tradition non one will pass it on and it will die where it is.