| |
On April 29, 2007 Areyvut joined Rabbi Chaim Strauchler, the Hebrew School students and their parents from Beit Chaverim of Westport, CT for a family education program developed around the theme of "Love your neighbor as yourself." The program coincided with the Hebrew School’s open house and consisted of an exciting array of study, discussion and hands-on activities.
Areyvut staff read How Mitzvah Giraffe Got His Long, Long Neck to the Kindergarten and 1st graders, spoke with them about why it is important to help others and brainstormed ways they can practically make a difference. Parents then attended a learning session that included a packet of sources, developed by Areyvut, for the participants to study together and take home. Sources in the packet included, but were not limited to “Do not take revenge nor bear a grudge against the children of your people. You must love your neighbor as [you love] yourself. I am God. (Vayikra/Leviticus 19:18)” and various commentary on the source. Each parent reviewed the information given to them, discussed the sources, related ideas together and prepared to teach their children what they had learned. When the Hebrew School students joined the group, parents had an opportunity to review the material with them and further discuss how to make this theme a reality and why it is so important to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Then it was time to turn our learning into action! Students and parents got the chance to participate in one of two hands-on activities based on the theme of the afternoon. Their first option was Mini-Mitzvah Mavens. During this activity, students were divided into groups and given a sheet of poster board and some crayons and were instructed to draw a “mini-mitzvah maven,” a person who has as much of their body as possible engrossed in the mitzvoth of tzedakah and chesed. The second option was to write letters to Israeli soldiers, to be distributed through A Package from Home, an agency founded by a native Chicagoan who now lives in Israel that helps take care of soldiers without family in Israel. These letters will be personally delivered to Israel by Areyvut’s founder and director, Daniel Rothner. The program concluded with a discussion of how easy it is to make a difference and the various ways we can use our bodies to positively impact others.
At the conclusion of the program, each family received a copy of Areyvut’s “A Kindness a Day” Desk Calendar, encouraging them to continue to do acts of kindness all year long. We also encouraged all students to submit their own kindness for next year’s calendar through our website.
If you are interested in arranging a Mitzvah Program or Family Education Program in your community, please contact Daniel Rothner at daniel@areyvut.org or 201-244-6702.
To learn more about Beit Chaverim visit their website at www.beitchaverim.com.
|
