For the last few months, hope has been the theme of many recent Jewish education programs I have attended. “Holding Hope” was the central theme of the Jewish Education Project’s annual conference. Hope has come up in podcasts, in workshops, and in recent articles. I have been asked to send in pictures of what hope looks like. I attended an interfaith dialogue on hope, and I listened with awe as Rachel Polin Goldberg and Jon Polin, parents of Hersh Goldberg, shared their experience with hope in the darkest of times. So hope has been on my mind, and I think I may have found some at our school’s annual weekend retreat at the Ashokan Nature Center in upstate New York.
As the bus full of excited third through seventh graders left the RSNS parking lot, the chatter, the laughter, and the excitement started to build. It didn’t hurt that we allowed them to bring whatever snacks they wanted-THE CANDY! The bus ride was just the beginning of a weekend that filled me with hope. Hope was, and is, for me, seeing our amazing children bonding with one another, feeling surrounded by nature, and celebrating their Jewish identities out loud and with pride.
Our theme this year was seeing ourselves in the stories of the Torah. Genesis? Each student was assigned an animal. There were two of each, and they had to find each other through sound alone. Exodus? Find a piece of bark that looks like matzah. Leviticus? How would their family rank the following three qualities: Trust, Kindness, and Courage? You get the idea.
Manna from Heaven, for better or for worse, didn’t make the cut…no offense to manna. However, it was probably the story that would have had the most perfect real-life application on this trip, and I can sum up why in one word: sleds. By some twist of fate, miracle, luck, or divine intervention, the group before us left about eight sleds behind, conveniently forgotten at the bottom of the hill. Did I mention that it had snowed about eight inches the day before we arrived?
My multi-pronged, Torah-inspired field day, complete with relay races, dream interpretations, and crossing-the-sea team building activities, would have to wait-they were just too happy on that hill. Let’s just say that after my fourth run with three kids on my lap (how could I say no?!) I was glad there was Advil in the med kit, but I, too, could not have been happier. The magic of Ashokan is that it gets at the heart of Reconstructing Judaism-building a sense of belonging to one another and to the Jewish people. From our Friday night Shabbat meal in the dining hall to Havdallah around the campfire (yes, there were s’mores), our kids connected across grades, ages, and interests. On hikes, in services, with silly games, art, prayer, and pancakes, Ashokan is a magical weekend of fresh air, friends, and Jewish living. I can’t think of a more hopeful experience than that.
And the truth is, I find hope in our school in so many ways, like when our incredible madrichim can, on a dime, create games that are community building, funny, and centered in Jewish learning. I find it when, after weeks of practicing, we light the menorah, adding warmth to our community as we sing the blessings together. Finding hope over the past few weeks has been challenging, to say the least. What a blessing to hold it every week in the company of our thoughtful, curious, and engaging children.
Rebecca Hirschwerk
Director of Congregational Education
