JBHA: Benainu - October 30, 2009

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

Volume 7, Issue 4 • October 30, 2009 • 12 Heshvan 5770
Candle Lighting: 5:42pm • Shabbat Ends: 6:52pm

Dear Friends,

At Barrack, our students experience Jewish Studies in a variety of ways, from choosing electives that explore Jewish comedy, films, and images of Eve in biblical and contemporary times to grappling with great moral and ethical issues evoked by the study of sacred texts.

Every student takes both a Jewish Studies class that introduces rabbinic texts and philosophical ideas, as well as a Tanakh class (Bible) that covers a series of books and topics in biblical studies. No matter what the topic or issues, however, all discussions are based on the pluralistic foundation of our school, where students from all Jewish backgrounds come together to learn from one another in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

Our Middle School students study life cycles, community relationships, family relationships and ethics, and the timeless traditions of tzedakah, exploring the teachings of Jewish sages such as Maimonides and turning study into social action. Our 9th grade Jewish Studies classes look at major movements in American Judaism from Reform movement to Reconstructionist, Conservative to Orthodox Judaism. Tenth graders wrestle with life's big questions in units on free will, repentance, and the problem of evil, while 11th graders grapple with the role and meaning of Israel in our time. Seniors have the opportunities to study Talmud in depth.

Students reading the Torah

Pluralism is also played out in lively ways in Bible classes, where students at all levels find that working with the original Hebrew text represents a unique challenge. It also helps unleash levels of meaning that would be missed otherwise. The ancient rabbinic commentators wrote about their insights in a marketplace of ideas, and our students consider the difference and similarities in the commentators in a gradual movement toward writing commentaries of their own.

As a department, we also don't let holidays go by without sharing a new insight into Jewish practice each season; nearly every class met in the school's sukkah at least once this month, and we often mark the changes in seasons with some of the special foods associated with Jewish holidays, including sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) for Chanukah to carob and nuts for the Jewish Arbor Day of Tu B'Shvat.

Barrack's Jewish Studies program immerses our students in great questions, great ideas, and when the opportunity arises, with great humor. As Barrack's new Director of Jewish Studies, it has been a privilege for me to work with so many colleagues who are devoted to our students. I look forward to sharing more news with you in the months ahead.

Bvircha,
Rabbi Judd Kruger Levingston, PhD
Director of Jewish Studies

For Learning.

Middle School Wikis:
Contemporary Books and Classics

Judith Pransky's sixth grade Core class began using wikis last year and will expand the activity this year. Wikis are communal web sites that can be set up and viewed by all, and members of a wiki can add information to the site to share with others. "Our first foray into the use of this technology was begun by the Middle School Book Club," reports Mrs. Pransky. Students Annie Prusky and Rosie Stein, together with Mrs. Pransky and Christine Farrell, director of the Middle School, set up Barrack Books. This is a wiki where Middle Schoolers can share information about books they enjoyed reading. Currently, visitors to the site have 40 book reviews to choose from, and this number will double during the next few weeks as the new sixth grade begins their work.

Book Wiki