In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Jewish holidays — as I prepare food for the break the fast with recipes passed down from generation to generation and gear up for another meaningful day of fasting and reflection — I can’t help but notice that my home mimics the same sights, smells, and sounds that I grew up with. The holiday candles are on full display, waiting to be lit. The sweet challah is freshly baked. And young kids are joyfully running around the house singing the same holiday songs that I learned from my Jewish preschool when I was their age. This is what we mean when we say l’dor v’dor (from generation to generation).

I started working with The Efshar Project in July of this year. I had been familiar with Efshar’s work as a community member and as a mom of three children who have attended three Jewish early childhood education (ECE) centers in Colorado. Experiencing Efshar’s work up close, however, is joyful and inspiring. From facilitating, supporting, and participating in professional development workshops across 7 ECE centers at the beginning of this academic year to weekly one-on-one coaching sessions for teachers in schools to the many different affinity groups like Efshar’s Parent Leadership Committee, I have witnessed firsthand how Efshar supports nearly 20 Jewish ECEs across Colorado. I am honored to be supporting this work that not only directly impacts my family, but also 900 families, 1,100 children, and 300 educators across Colorado.

As the aroma of chicken soup (our pre-fast sustenance) fills my house, my children are running around singing with their whole neshamot (souls), “I love to hear the shofar blast, sometimes slow and sometimes fast. I love to hear the shofar blast. Happy, happy, happy New Year.”

Wishing you all a g’mar chatimah tovah (a good sealing) and a happy, happy, happy New Year.