By Donna Peters, Weinstein JCC Early Childhood Director
Especially in these times, we are fortunate to be a school that honors and celebrates Judaism through the rituals of Shabbat, Havdalah, the holidays, the study of Israel, and our rich Jewish culture.
An important part of our program is the study of Jewish values and ethics woven into our An Ethical Start curriculum. We focus on responsibility, dignity, kindness, community, humility, tradition, respect, and taking care of our world.
These values are common to all people and cultures, guiding a moral and ethical life.
An Ethical Start curriculum is based on the ancient Jewish text Pirkei Avot (Ethics of Our Fathers).
It is an educational program developed by the Jewish Community Center Association (JCCA) to support early childhood educators and families in the study of a classical text and develop a shared vocabulary for raising young children with a respect and understanding of ethics and values.
There are many mishnayot (teachings), but in the preschool, we focus on 17 of them that are appropriate for young children to understand.
We respect that many of our families are not Jewish and have rich cultures of their own. We are grateful and honored that our non-Jewish families have chosen to be here at the Weinstein JCC Preschool and are part of our community, supporting our unique culture.
We believe these values are common among all people, religions, and cultures, and serve as a guide to lead a moral and ethical life for everyone.
Dawn Kowal, our Judaic Specialist, and I had purposefully planned to set aside the month of September to study more deeply the mishnayot we use from An Ethical Start curriculum.
We have been successfully implementing the teaching of Jewish ethics and values through An Ethical Start for over 25 years studying these mishnayot with our teachers, children and families.
With the start of a new school year and having some new faculty members, we thought this was a good opportunity to begin our study by embracing the mishnayot with local Jewish educators.
Dawn, EC Jewish Educator Patsy Glazer (past preschool teacher and EC consultant), and I began by facilitating a workshop during our week of professional development in August.
We concentrated on adult study of the Mishna: Hillel says: Do not separate yourself from the community (Pirkei Avot 2:5).
In her role of Jewish Educator, Dawn also extends the invitation to members of our Jewish community to help us study and understand specific mishnayot. We were fortunate to have preschool parent Josh Jeffreys, the Jewish Chaplain and Director of Jewish Life at University of Richmond, come speak to our faculty on this Mishna.
There was lively discussion on this important Mishna, with teachers sharing their thoughts and relating the work we do in the preschool and as part of the Weinstein JCC.
Our planned study of Pirkei Avot shifted as we learned of the horrific murders of Hersh Goldberg- Polin z’l and the other five hostages on Sept. 1.
In Judaism, studying the Torah or Talmud in honor of a deceased loved one is a way to elevate their soul and enhance their eternal tranquility.
During the next 30 days of September, we dedicated our Torah study in the merit of Hersh Goldberg-Polin z’l and the five other hostages who were murdered alongside him.
Josh Jeffreys returned for our EC faculty meeting on Sept. 10 to lead us in the study of the Mishna: Yeshoshua ben Perachya says: Make a teacher for yourself and acquire a friend for yourself; and judge everyone favorably (Pirkei Avot 1:6).
We chose this Mishna to study as it was shared by Jon Polin at the funeral of his son, Hersh z’l, as a teaching he felt embodied who Hersh was as a person.
What better way to honor Hersh z’l and his family than by studying this beautiful Mishna.
*Hersh z’l and his family lived in Richmond for many years and were active at the Weinstein JCC.
Hersh z’l, as a 3-year-old preschooler, was taught by Dawn Kowal and as a 4-year-old by Susan Quick and PJ George.
His mother, Rachel worked here as a Jewish educator with the Melton School and often facilitated workshops for our teachers.
This was, and is, a special family to many of us in Richmond, and their tragic loss is deeply felt.
Tarneshia Evans, our Director of Education, meets monthly with each age group of teachers––once a month with the 2-year teachers¬, once a month with the 3-year teachers, once a month with the 4-year teachers and once a month with the assistant teachers––studying and sharing a certain subject of early childhood development.
During the month of September, Dawn Kowal facilitated these meetings.
Rabbi Don Cantor
She invited Rabbi Don Cantor with the Richmond Jewish Learning Experience (RJLE) and current preschool parent (and a JCC preschool graduate) to lead us in the study of the Mishna.
Rabbi Tarfon was accustomed to say: You are not required to complete the task, yet you are not free to withdraw from it (Pirkei Avot 2:1).
The teachers and Rabbi Cantor examined this teaching, looking at many ways to interpret what Rabbi Tarfon was thinking or intending by placing value on this statement.
The teachers commented on the need for action as being the most vivid concept: You may not need to complete the task, but you must begin; you must participate.
This reminded us of another Mishna: Hillel says: If not now, when?
We were very fortunate to have Rabbi Cantor come to each weekly teacher team meeting in September to help us fulfill this mitzvah of studying Torah in honor of Hersh z’l.
These adult study sessions are important to help our faculty members to understand the meaning and objectives of specific Mishna.
By discussing and interpreting the mishnayot, we are better able to embrace and internalize their significance. This must be done before we can successfully share and teach them to our children.
We believe these mishnayot are wonderful teaching tools for our children, families, and ourselves. Teaching and embracing these basic human values can make our world a better place, and this is our ultimate goal for our preschool community.
We reached out to let Rachel and Jon know what we were doing to honor Hersh z”l and were touched to hear back from Rachel with this message:
“This is beyond beautiful and meaningful to us. You and the whole Richmond JCC Preschool have touched our bruised and battered hearts. A million thank yous, to you, dear Donna, Dawn, Susan, Rabbi Cantor and the entire staff and team. May Hersh’s memory be for a blessing….and a revolution. And may his soul rise as a result of the magnificent children of the preschool studying in his merit. May you continue to go from strength to strength!” Rachel and Jon
May our Torah study and mitzvot in Hersh’s z’l memory continue to bring nachat (comfort) and honor.
