We had such an incredibly joyful time preparing for Simchat Torah last week at Makom Community. We were dancing, singing, and asking questions about Torah across ages and schools. It was a beautiful snapshot of how we engage with Torah at Makom. And then over the weekend we got such deeply upsetting news about war in Israel. As parents, there…
Category: Walk and Talk: Jewish Wisdom for Parenting
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Voting and Living Like Our Children are Watching…Because They are!
Recently, I had the pleasure of presenting to Jewish professionals running family camps all over the United States at a gathering of the Foundation for Jewish Camp. I pushed them on what it means to teach. We were working to expand our understanding of teaching to refer not just to the explicit teaching of knowledge, but the way that we…
Opportunities for a Mindful Rosh Hashanah
A new year can elicit a lot of feelings. Our children are getting older. Our parents and loved ones are getting older. We are still navigating living through a pandemic in our own ways. Fortunately, the rhythms of the Jewish calendar invite us into this season to reflect, renew, and encounter the new. I want to offer a few opportunities…
Reflections On Back-To-School Night
Getting used to kids back in school and parents working from home or the office is a huge adjustment for all our families right now! Makom Community is so glad to be a part of the support system holding your family through this transition. This week, Center City and South Philly families met with Beverly, Amanda, and Leah to hear…
Walk and Talk: Relationships to Community
What communities are Rut and Naomi a part of? What are their relationships like with those communities? This week we’re continuing to use their story to unpack our relationships with our communities. Want some ideas of questions to chat about with your kiddos? Read on to discover! At the beginning of the story, Naomi, Elimelech, and their two sons go…
David Commentaries Walk and Talk
Do you remember what a midrash is? It’s a commentary, a story made up to answer a question about a text. Midrash isn’t just for Torah text! This week we’re learning a few commentaries about David. Check out what we’re exploring below! Two of the midrashim we’re looking at this week explain to us that David couldn’t understand why God…
Walk and Talk: A New Year Blessing
Tekiiiiyaaaaa! Do you hear the sound of the shofar? We’ve already been hearing it for a week at Makom Community. Rosh Hashanah is coming up this Monday and Tuesday, and we’ve got some special plans at Makom Community to celebrate. We’ll be enjoying some extra sweet apples-and-honey themed snacks as well as some extra sweet projects and activities. In the…
How would you parent if you could ALWAYS remember that you are LOVED?
As we worked with our learners this fall to craft our brit (communal expectations) anew through the lens of our unit studying Shema, we have been talking a lot about what it means to love and to show love. Our students came up with this brit text that we have all agreed to rely on each other to do: Speak with…
What Is Love?
What is love? Is it a choice, or something that just happens, or maybe a bit of both? What does it mean to do something with all of our hearts? This week, we are looking at the first line of V’havta, and we are unpacking what it means to be commanded to love. Take a look and see what your kiddos…