Happy Birthday to my nephew, Zachary! In honor of his 16th birthday, I wanted to share about Jewish Celebrations and inclusion. Thank you to Elyse Glickman for including my thoughts in her article, Room for One More. As we move from Rosh Hashannah, through the ten days to awe to Yom Kippur, I always think about my goals for the New Year. This year I hope you and your family find ways to CELEBRATE EARLY and OFTEN!
(Click on the image to open in a new window)
From the Article:
Rabbi Abrahamson notes that teachers and education professionals have become more proactive with inclusiveness in their classrooms and in their lesson plans. One example of this is Lisa Niver Rajna, a Philadelphia native and Penn graduate who teaches K-6 science at Brawerman, a Jewish elementary school in Los Angeles. Throughout her career, she has ensured that her lesson plans include teachable moments about diversity, inclusion and bullying.
“We are social creatures – it is part of our genetics,” Niver Rajna says. “I start this concept with my second graders – we observe how caterpillars become butterflies. Some of the butterflies emerge but may have a wing with a problem. I leave all of riiem in the habitat. When we go outside to release them, we talk about how not everyone is the same. Some butterflies or people have a problem with a wing or a limb or a part of their body, but we are all part of the community.”