JBHA: Benainu - April 16, 2010

Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy's Benainu

Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
For Learning • For Leading • For Life

Volume 7, Issue 17 • April 16, 2010 • 2 Iyar 5770
Candle Lighting: 7:22pm • Shabbat Ends:8:32pm

Dear Friends,

The 2009-2010 Ten Commandments essay contest presented an unusual opportunity for Barrack Hebrew Academy Upper School students to reflect on a seminal text in our culture. The first step in the contest involved some background work that Sharon Levin and I did to frame the essay contest in a way that would ask students to reflect on the secular, religious and personal meaning of the Ten Commandments. As the Head of the Humanities Department and as Jewish Studies Director, respectively, she and I also established standards for length and writing, making this a collaborative project at the administrative level. When she and I publicized the contest in December, students immediately expressed interest, some going to their teachers for assistance in putting their ideas together, some working entirely on their own. So many students in the Middle School expressed interest that we created an additional category for Middle School competition, and I was joined in the judging by Christine Farrell, our Director of the Middle School. We were thrilled with the response: we received eight Middle School essays, eighteen essays from students in grades 9-10, and thirty-six essays from students in grades 11-12. To level the playing field and to enable us to judge all students without bias, we asked students to submit their essays under a pseudonym (providing an envelope with their true name inside), and our winning entries included names like "Princess Leia," "John Q. Public," "Virgil," "John Locke," and Spongebob Squarepants."

Students at all levels showed depth in their thinking as they sought to identify the commandments that meant the most to them and that they felt should be emphasized in this era. One student spoke about the third commandment, about taking God's name in vain and about vain speech, lamenting that so much profane speech in today's society demeans us all. Another student spoke about the importance of honoring parents in today's youth-oriented culture. Another essay described the Sabbath as a poetic release from the technological world that grips us from the moments when we first turn on our electronic devices each day. In a particularly memorable essay, yet another student argued passionately that jealousy - coveting - tears apart individuals and communities, sometimes leading to bloodshed, leading to the conclusion that if we could only cap our inclinations to be jealous, it would be a natural step to observe the other nine commandments.

Each time we announced the winners (in separate divisional meetings) the student participants congratulated one another with laughter and pats on the back. The contest brought students from all levels to participate. One of the winners ("Virgil") is in the sixth grade; another winner only came to this country two and a half years ago from Israel, having grown up as a Russian speaker and then a Hebrew speaker. English is her third name. Another winner came to this school as a new 11th grader as part of a journey to learn more about what it means to be Jewish. Other winners have passionate commitments to social activism, to journalism, and to a rich intellectual life. A few students have asked if the contest will be offered again next year; they are ready to put fingers to their keyboards and to tackle a new topic! It was a privilege reading all the essays, and we are proud of all the students who submitted their thoughtful work.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Judd Kruger Levingston, PhD
Jewish Studies Director

For Learning.
Ten Commandment Essay Contest Winners.