I am so glad that we now have a wonderful quality and thriving religious school program for our children! I want to commend Paul and Lori Zipes and the teachers, Jacob Sickerman, Ed Nagler, Cheryl Flax-Hayman and others who have helped to make our Sunday Shul possible and successful! There is nothing so important to the continuance of Judaism and to the nurturing of our children!
I recently read an article in a in a newsletter of a temple in Ft. Wayne, IN that I get because I've become friendly with their president through our URJ president’s listserv on the internet. It was written by Jaki Schreier, Religious School Committee chair of Temple CAV.
It really hit home as I read it. I want to share some of it with you. Another reason that prompted me to share this article is that I have a friend who lives in a small town where there are no other Jews, and she mentioned to me that she is afraid to let people know she is Jewish - right there where she lives with friends and neighbors (here in America where all are supposed to have freedom of religion!). Unfortunately, she is not alone in feeling this way and it is sad. Anyway, here is the article and it speaks for itself. I have bolded portionsthat I think we should consider seriously.
SPEAKING OF GOD WITH YOUR CHILDREN
I had the awesome opportunity this summer at the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education conference to hear many outstanding speakers, rabbis, comics, musicians and presenters. The theme of the conference was "God, " That's right...God!
As Jews, we are not always comfortable speaking about what is core to our faith. Yet Dr. Lawrence A. Hoffman, past president of the multi-faith North American Academy of Liturgy and founder of Synagogue 3000, told conference attendees that studies show Judaism will not survive another generation if we do not change this trend. A leading innovator of spiritual life and worship internationally, Hoffman said that cultural Judaism --simply doing mitzvot and eating bagels - won't connect future generations to identify a Jews.
Even with our friends, we often take to heart part of the old adage not to discuss sex, religion and politics in polite company. Somehow sex and politics surface in conversation, but speaking of faith carefully is avoided. With some non-Jewish acquaintances, perhaps we stick to talking about customs rather than what our tradition teaches because we may not be well versed or may have concerns where such an exchange of ideas will take us. At the same time, many of us just seem at a loss for words when discussing this most important issue in life.
During my 10 years teaching in our Religious School, students without fail begin the year wanting answers to their many questions about God. Does God have a shape? How can God always have existed? What happens to me after I die? I ask students if they ever talk about God with their families. Unfortunately, they almost always say "no."
We suddently become embarrassed and uncomfortable when our children ask about God. We sidestep their questions, leaving them unsatisfied and without an answer. In time, children learn that to ask about God does not bring help; parents do not know how to answer. Thus, they grow up without the vocabulary to talk with their own children about God.
Religious ideas, like political ideas, need to grow as one matures. Religion begins in the search, and we must embrace the search. Judaism is clear: Religion is about shaping our attitudes and actions toward ourselves, toward each other and toward God. Religion helps us believe that we matter, that our actions matter and that we are never alone.
So where do we start, especially if we have never learned these ideals ourselves? Start by attending services with your child and really listening to what our ritual is trying to teach us. Begin asking open-ended questions of your child on what they learned at Religious School that day. Ask how they feel about some of the topics. Check out books from the Temple library or visit the Jewish section of the local booksellers. You will find outstanding books there that can enrich your lives as well as those of your children. Attend Torah study or other adult education opportunities. Make your spiritual journey a continual journey for yourself and your family.
Emerson wrote: "We are born believing, a man bears beliefs as a tree bears apples." Children have a natural capacity for faith. Let's not let that faith go untended and be lost.
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