As the leaves are just beginning to turn colors and we just found ourselves outside late at night and were wondering why we didn’t bring a sweater, We think about - of course, besides the High Holidays ;) – school. Don’t dare walk into Staples these days or you will be bombarded by children (and their parents) comparing the pluses and minuses of a composition notebook compared to a spiral one. [Life used to be so simple (do I sound like I am 80+); you went to the store and bought a folder. Now you have an aisle for folders! More colors then the rainbow, more pockets then cargo pants and more capabilities then an F-16 fighter jet!]
But on our end that means getting ready for Hebrew School.
BTW…That name is kind of not fair since it is much more then just learning Hebrew. But religious school would bring images of stiff collars and long sticks which made red welts on (fill in the blank). G-dly House of Education for the Youth – not sure what that reminds you of, but I wouldn’t send my kid there! So we are back at good old Hebrew School. Until we get a donor that want’s to name it after someone (any takers?).
So as I wrote in the header – I would like to make a shameless plug and start with a big thanks to my wife, Brocha, for all the hard work she puts into building up the best, most educational, fun, growing school in the world! Please paste this text in Microsoft Word and put your cursor on one of the above-mentioned adjectives. Then hit SHIFT F7. All the words that appear on the right of your screen apply as well. She (and the rest of the hard working staff such as my sister in law Rivky Katz) has put in hours upon hours to make sure that we continue to have the best teachers, best material and most importantly she cares for every family.
We have over doubled in size since last year and I am sure that she will continue (right when she gets back from a brief maternity leave) to build a strong and vibrant institution.
May the merit of the thousands of hours of Jewish learning and fun by all her students continue to be a source of blessing for her and her family (that includes me).
What is her success, you ask?
Well, as an outsider (I just pay the bills) I have seen how people have been drawn to the thinking-out-of-the-box style and coming up with new programs such as Aleph Champ and the new “Discover – Your Jewish Heritage”© program (stay tuned about that one). But most importantly – the care that she has for every family. You have to experience it to really get the right words.
Those that have experienced it, please use the right words below (in the comment box).
Who he looks like and whose genes he has, we will leave up to you to decide (they say that he has Brocha's sense of humor but my athletic capabilities).