Paul Bernstein, the Chief Executive Officer, Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools, published an article last week entitled “Jewish Day Schools Dare to Dream” in which he reported upon the recent Prizmah Conference in Atlanta. The conference encouraged attendees to “dare to dream about what might be possible for day schools today.”
Of course, as we know, what is possible for Jewish schools is exactly also what is necessary for them, namely, “resources for growth and affordability, educational innovation, and powerful networks that enable day schools to learn and grow together.”
The most intriguing aspect of Bernstein’s essay however was his reflection on what it means for families to “sacrifice” when they send their children to Jewish school. He urges readers to reject the notion of sacrifice as something negative. “Making a sacrifice, in the truest sense of the word, is not negative. Sacrifice is an inherently positive, optimistic act.
Bernstein asks: “What role do Jewish day schools play that makes them such a hub of so much sacrifice?”
And then he answers his own question. His answer is pivotal for understanding the everlasting importance of Jewish education. And that is why we point it out. “They [Jewish day schools] enable us…to feel closer to God, to connect to our children, and to build the kind of communities that will sustain us over generations. In a world where love-as-sacrifice is being forgotten, the sacrifice to provide a deep Jewish education is more important than ever. Sacrifice for Jewish day schools brings priceless returns.”
Bernstein’s article is available at:
https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/jewish-day-schools-dare-to-dream/
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GAJE is pleased to bring to the public’s attention that ADRABA (visit site), Toronto’s only full-time Jewish blended-learning high school, invites the community to attend an informational Open House at Congregation Beth Torah, 47 Glenbrook Avenue, on March 27 at 7:30 pm. It will be an opportunity to ask questions about full and part time credits in Jewish learning toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
ADRABA offers full- and part-time Jewish learning, blending traditional teaching with cutting-edge tech, towards an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
Anyone interested in attending the Open House is asked RSVP to: www.adraba.ca/rsvp27mar
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Shabbat Shalom.
GAJE
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education 