Jewish Life in the Middle School

To Learn, To Value, To Do

ללמוד, להעריך, לעשות

Jewish life in the Middle School is a reflection of Jewish life throughout the Day School. The ten core visions found in the Day School mission statement are articulated in middle school classes, programs, activities and daily life. For example, Middle School students are engaged in a wide array of tzedaka projects. This active involvement in community service also contributes to the students’ developing Jewish identity; in particular, the challenge to define an issue that matters, and to find a way to make a difference in that area.

Middle school students live Jewish values deliberately and actively. There is a conscious goal to treat each other with kavod-respect. This behavior is modeled, and teachers have a quiet campaign to “catch students doing something good.” As students approach Bar and Bat Mitzvah, they are invited to explore the pluralism of Jewish life. They are encouraged to become familiar with the structure of services in Reform, Orthodox and Conservative congregations, and they have the opportunity to compare and contrast the prayer books of these movements so they can participate with greater ease in the various synagogues and temples they will attend for their friends’ services. They learn that there are many ways to be Jewish and to express Judaism with variety in practice, beliefs and observance.

Holiday and Shabbat celebrations have a unique character in the Middle School. Students have mastery of the rituals and are the leaders of many school celebrations. At Shabbat Lunch each week, middle school students at each Shabbat family table are the bearers of tradition. They contribute to the special culture of their tables, helping younger students feel at home, participating in the blessings and songs, being thoughtful and helpful.

Each middle school grade conducts its own Passover seder, shaped by the students. On Sukkot, classes eat in the Sukkah and enjoy the mystical custom of welcoming in “Ushpizin” - biblical guests such as Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel and Leah, Joseph, David and Aaron. As they invite these familiar Biblical characters into the Sukkah, they perform skits about moments in their lives, which they have studied in Torah. The ceremony for Holocaust Memorial Day, Yom Ha-Shoah, is designed by students, reflecting their studies and their recognition of the mandate “To Remember.” Festivities for Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel Independence Day, are lead by middle school students, who know that in eighth grade they will travel to Israel and celebrate the festival there among Israelis.

There is a wholeness to Jewish life in the Middle School. All faculty members recognize their part in creating a consistent culture that weaves shared Jewish values through the fabric of our daily life.

For more information about Jewish life and learning at the Day School, click here.

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