For a school to enact its mission it cannot function alone. Successful schools partner with people in the community to pursue their educational aspirations. Over the next few days there will be three different events at Schechter Manhattan reflecting our partnership with others in the community who share our mission.

On Sunday, November 20, Schechter Manhattan will host the annual Global Day of Jewish Learning program. The Global Day of Jewish Learning is an international organization whose mission is to “brings the Jewish people together once a year to celebrate our shared texts through community-based learning.” This year over 400 communities in 48 countries and 6 continents are planning Global Day of Jewish Learning events on November 20. We are partnering with Mechon Hadar, Congregation Shaare Zedek, and LimmudNY to organize a day of Jewish study for adults and children. Partnership with these other organizations helps us to further our mission for our students to cultivate their Jewish identities through exploration of the Torah’s wisdom. Together we have gathered an impressive array of Jewish teachers for adults and children from throughout NYC, including some of our own terrific faculty. Click here for details about the Global Day of Jewish Learning program at Schechter Manhattan. I encourage all of the Schechter Manhattan families and friends to join us for what is sure to be a terrific and inspiring day of Jewish learning.

On Monday, November 21, Schechter Manhattan will host a roundtable meeting of the organizations partnering in the Upper West Side Shlichut (Israeli emissary) program. UJA Federation of New York has brought together Jewish institutions on the Upper West Side to bring a mishlachat to our neighborhood. We are partnering with Beit Rabban, Congregation Rodeph Sholom, Romemu, West End Synagogue, the JCC Manhattan, B’nai Jeshurun, Kehilat Rayim Ahuvim, Congregation Ohab Zedek, Mechon Hadar, and Lincoln Square Synagogue. Hai Piasezky, the shaliach to the Upper West Side, leads the project and has two shinshinim, post high school young people, Maya and Ido, working with him in the various participating institutions. Maya and Ido work at Schechter Manhattan on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and are having an amazing impact, interacting with students and faculty, speaking in Hebrew, and bringing a wonderful day to day taste of Israeli culture to our school community. Hai believes that in order for the Upper West Side shlichut program to succeed the participating organizations need to partner to share responsibility for shaping it together, so he has convened this meeting to start shared discussions, and we are thrilled to welcome the group to Schechter Manhattan. Ruth Servi, our Hebrew and Jewish Studies Coordinator, and I will represent Schechter Manhattan at the meeting as we believe partnering with these organizations will help us to further our mission for our students participate in Jewish life and connect to the land, people, and State of Israel.

On Tuesday, November 22, at 7:00 PM the Schechter Manhattan Parents Association and Educational Leadership Team will host a Conversation About Race at Schechter Manhattan. Planning and implementing this program has truly been a collaboration between school professionals and caring parents. In the spring, some powerful dialogue about race in in society and how we might best educate our children took place over the PA listserve. Schechter Manhattan parents Julia Abdurahman and Andy Ingall stepped forward to lead a committee to think about how our school community might think more about this important issue and address it in our shared efforts to educate the Schechter Manhattan students at home and in school. The conversations that this partnership has spurred have been rich and meaningful, and I am so pleased that I lead a school where partnering with parents who care helps us to aspire for ever higher levels of educational excellence and community building. I believe that this partnership between educational professionals and parents helps us to further our mission for our students to engage, support, and challenge one another as members of a collaborative, caring, community. I encourage all Schechter Manhattan parents to join us for the Conversation About Race at Schechter Manhattan.

Each of the events coming this week will strengthen our partnership with parents and the larger Jewish community and enhance the impact of a Schechter Manhattan education.

Benjamin Mann

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Author’s Chair

Each week we will feature the written work of our students. We hope that you will stop by every week and see what they are writing and thinking about.

 

Gan

Gan students looked through their writing folders and chose a piece to publish at the end of the unit.
i WZ HP C i WJHWZR (I was happy because I went to Israel.)
–Abby

 

I CANG (I sing.)
–Emmy

 

MI MEM Amb ME CLR (My mom and me color.)
–Daniella

 

It IS MY BrtTDAay (It is my birthday.)
–Louisa

 

 Kitah Bet

This week, Kitah Bet started looking forward to the holiday of Thanksgiving. In Theme, students have been discussing the different values communities may have, such as: nature, caring for others, health, etc. In connection, they have begun exploring the different values of Thanksgiving and have been thinking about why it is important to be thankful. Students were asked to write and draw what they are thankful for, either in the larger world or in their own lives.

Click here to read work by Liat, Natan, Orli, and Yonah.

 

 

Kitah Dalet

Kitah Dalet has been studying geography and how the land and climate determine how a culture develops. They made a map of their own land and had to decide where to place their land in the world and take into account how this placement might influence how the culture develops. They then wrote about their land.

Click here to read work by Annabelle, Arielle, David, Hannah, Simon, and Yadin.