As we look towards Rosh Hashana this coming week, we are in the midst of a time of preparation for the High Holidays. Through cheshbonhanefesh, a self-reflective process of introspection, we ask ourselves: Who have I been? Who do I aspire to be? One way that Jews traditionally get in this reflective frame of mind is […]
Looking back at my Daf Kesher columns from 2017-2018, I think it was a great year at Schechter Manhattan. Here is some of what we did and what was on my mind over the year. The year was filled with rigorous academic work, and many of my columns described the students busy doing the work […]
On Democracy: Student writing about important issues Last week, the Schechter Manhattan Middle School students published a book of their writing, On Democracy. Click here to purchase a copy. The anthology of their thoughts about democracy and the United States government offers insight into the perspectives of adolescent citizens, the future leaders of our country. The […]
This week Schechter Manhattan students gathered to share the music they have learned in music classes throughout the year. Thank you to Eti Rozen and Daniel Ori, Schechter Manhattan music teachers, for leading this special community event. Check out these videos of the various vocal and instrumental performances. Shabbat Shalom Benjamin Mann Author’s Chair Each week […]
Recently the 6th-grade students and I have been talking about body parts. The boys have been meeting with me, while the girls talk with Reyzl, the 6th-grade Advisory Teacher, for some of the lessons in the Schechter Manhattan Health curriculum. The students were, at first, a bit uncomfortable talking with the Head of School about […]
At Schechter Manhattan we Dare to Dream! Shabbat Shalom Benjamin Mann Author’s Chair Each week we will feature the written work of our students. We hope that you will stop back next week and see what they are writing and thinking about. KITAH ALEPH We took our Hebrew learning of the letter tzadi outside (or in Hebrew: bachootz)!! […]
The teachers had roasted marshmallows all over their hands but they didn’t seem to mind. As the Schechter Manhattan faculty distributed smores to the students around the Lag Baomer campfire last week, they smiled at each other and their students, enjoying the fun and messy moment. I saw two teachers give each other a sticky, […]
Last week I was pleased to welcome a group of Israeli educators to Schechter Manhattan. I took the group into a few classes to get a sense of how we go about Jewish education at our school. We walked into the Gan classroom, a group of 10 adults and one of the visitors marveled, “They […]
I am very excited for the upcoming Schechter Manhattan Gala. I hope that you will join me at was is sure to be a terrific evening on Monday, May 14. An amazing group of over 15 volunteers has come together to plan the Gala and Auction, and their collective creativity and energy is adding wonderful new […]
We ended the Schechter Manhattan model seder a few weeks the same way we do every year and the way Jews have ended the seder for centuries, by singing together לשנה הבאה בירושלים, next year in Jerusalem. Throughout the generations, this prayer represented a hope for a better future, a return to the Jewish homeland, […]
