I wanted to share a story from one of the schools in our network. It’s a story that got me thinking about how we can support educators in their understanding of Judaism. This story comes from The Garden School.

As the director of the Garden School, Hindy Mintz asks her teachers to create Shabbat rituals with the children in their classroom. She wants the children to feel connection, belonging, and sacredness at the end of the week. But when she spoke with her team, she realized that not all of her educators had experienced Shabbat in their own lives. How could they teach something they hadn’t felt? 

Hindy could have planned a training session, but she knew that wouldn’t really do it. So she and Rabbi Mintz invited the whole Garden staff to their home for Shabbat dinner last week. As people came in, they began to let go of the week slowly. They put their phones away, shared a meal, laughed together, and were just present. This was Shabbat.

Hindy didn’t try to teach Shabbat; she just let them experience it for themselves. Now, those educators get to carry that memory into the classroom. 

Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving and Shabbat Shalom!