The Loom in the Lobby!
November 2022 Keeping Connected
Have you seen the loom in the lobby? During the past few weeks, the loom and the table have generated many questions and interest from our community.
For our tzedakah project, we will be donating all collected money to an organization called Mayan Hands. (mayanhands.org) “Mayan Hands Foundation is a fair trade, non-profit organization dedicated to providing economic and educational opportunities to Mayan women and girls, so that they can bring their families out of extreme poverty and, at the same time, continue to live within the culture they cherish.” Mayan Hands invests in the next generation by providing scholarships and other education programs to indigenous girls in Guatemala.”
As money is collected throughout the year, strands of yarn will be woven into the loom. As more money is collected, the weaving on the loom will get bigger and bigger. Our project this year will allow our community to learn more about Guatemala, weaving, indigenous people, helping others and the idea to cherish a given culture. The students in the building have already shared great excitement for the project.
The PJ Library website defines tzedakah as “justice, specifically, doing the right things by helping people or causes in need.” “Healing the world” is a part of our temple’s mission statement. At the Religious and Hebrew School, we are constantly helping our students to understand the Jewish responsibility of performing tzedakah in many ways. Helping your students to understand the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam, helping to repair the world, is a major goal of our curriculum throughout the years and hopefully something the students continue long after they leave the temple school. Learning ideas like this work best with support and engagement from home.
How can you help and support our tzedakah project at home?
- Be a good role model. If you do good for others your children will learn that it is an important value that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.
- Have a tzedakah box prominently located in your home as a visual reminder of our duty to remember to help others. (Don’t have a tzedakah box – you can make one or you can ask me and I can give you one!)
- Help your children to consider putting money into the tzedakah box at home and regularly emptying it to bring to temple for our community tzedakah project.
- When students find money on the ground, suggest that it go into tzedakah.
- When students receive a gift of money, teach your children to donate a percentage of it.
- Offer your children a job to do around the house with the understanding that you will pay them money that will then go into tzedakah.
- Hold a lemonade or hot chocolate stand, having proceeds go toward tzedakah.
There are plenty more ways for you to help your students learn and engage in tzedakah. If you have something that you do at home, please share it with me.
I am really excited to watch the Loom in the Lobby grow over the course of this year!
Thank you for your continued support and flexibility as we continue to create a successful school program this year.
With gratitude, Deborah
Schedule for November
Wednesday, November 2
Hebrew School
Chai School
Friday, November 4 – Family Shabbat, led by 6th graders
Dinner at 6pm
Shabbat Service at 7pm
Sunday, November 6
Preschool
K-7th
Sharcharit Service at 10:15am for 3rd-7th
Tuesday, November 8
Post Confirmation at Rabbi Perry’s – 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Wednesday, November 10
Hebrew School
Chai School
Sunday, November 13 – NO SCHOOL (holiday weekend)
Wednesday, November 16
Hebrew School
Chai School
Friday, November 18
Chai School Environmental Awareness at 7:00pm Shabbat
Sunday, November 20
Preschool
K-7th
6th Grade Family Ed – 10:30am
Wednesday, November 23
N0 HEBREW SCHOOL (holiday weekend)
Sunday, November 27
NO SCHOOL (holiday weekend)
Wednesday, November 30
Hebrew School
Chai School