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In November, Areyvut arranged a Yom Iyun for 5th-8th graders at the Hillel Academy of Fairfield, Connecticut, on the topic of hunger. After presented with facts on hunger and ways in which Judaism views hunger, students set out to put their knowledge into action. The 5th-6th graders designed presentation boards highlighting
organizations working to combat hunger. The 7th-8th graders brainstormed ways in which their school could help address hunger within the school curriculum and help fight it within the community. The students implemented many of these ideas, including organizing a canned food drive, raising money for local charities and volunteering for some of the agencies they had researched. They left the program with a more enlightened and profound understanding of world hunger and acquired skills needed to become actively involved in the fight against it.
In January, the Judaic and General Studies staff, led by Areyvut Founder & Director, Daniel Rothner, led a staff training session on how to incorporate service learning and the values of chesed, tzedakah and tikkun olam into the school curriculum and culture. The purpose of this session was to train teachers to "think out of the box" when addressing these values, in order to make the learning experience more applicable and rewarding to the students. The teachers were enthusiastic about following up on the Areyvut programming. The session helped enable them to prepare the students for the topic at hand and connect what they were learning in class to the Areyvut programs.
In March, Areyvut developed and implemented a Yom Iyun on Making a Difference. Students discussed why they felt Ilan Ramon was a hero, and spoke about ways people can make a difference in the world. They then created posters of individuals who had greatly impacted their lives. The 5th-8th grade students then divided into groups and designed programs for the school and the broader community. One such example was a toy and clothing drive that was spearheaded by four 5th and 6th grade girls, and which provided toys and clothing for local agencies.
At the beginning of April, Areyvut led a program on Tzedakah. In preparation for the program, students researched laws relating to tzedakah and various communal agencies that provide services to the local and broader communities. As always, the program began with study and discussion of Jewish sources on the given topic. After studying sources on tzedakah, the students developed brochures about the organizations they researched, acted out a play based on the Rambam’s eight levels of tzedakah, and had a values clarification activity, to determine what factors they consider when choosing a cause to which they would like to contribute. The program concluded by beginning a Maot Chitim campaign.
The final Yom Iyun of the year was held in May, and dealt with what students can do to make a difference in Israel. A key aspect of the program was learning about the Israeli MIA’s. This program was run in conjunction with the school's programming for Yom Yerushalayim.
Areyvut is working closely with Rabbi Brian Thau, Principal of the Hillel Academy, to develop programs for the 2003-2004 academic year.
To learn more about the Hillel Academy visit their website at www.hillelacademy.org
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