Shabbat Gathering: This little light of mine...

Gud Shabbos Khaveyrim, as is our custom, we will gather tonight at 5.45p ct to welcome Shabbat. These are the coordinates:

Zoom
Meeting ID: 883 8469 4181
Password: 822665
Phone: +1 312 626 6799

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Here we go.

Retirement is giving me opportunities to do things that are a lot more fun and satisfying than working. One of my new activities is volunteering at our schools. This week, I helped host a Chanukah party at the elementary school where I volunteer, and I had a blast.

This is my second year volunteering in our schools, but it’s the first year I’ve volunteered in an elementary school. Specifically, I’m a reading tutor at One City School. I’m assigned a fourth grader and work with him twice a week. We learn some phonics and practice reading.

I’m part of a volunteer group of about 20 people. Most everybody in the group belongs to Temple Beth El because our volunteer leader, Betsy, is a member of there and has spent years building the program and recruit for it. I found out about the program through a notice she put in an issue of Happenings.

Happy Chanukah!

Betsy decided to hold a Chanukah program for K through 4th grade classes. She designed a lesson plan, ordered 300 dreidels, found something to read to the kids from the PJ Library, and encouraged the tutors to bring their menorahs from home. We had 30 minutes for our presentation.

After we got the kids’ attention, I read out loud an age appropriate story about how Chanukah got to be a holiday. After that, I showed off my menorah. I have a special menorah that’s just right for elementary school. It’s plastic and runs off batteries. There’s a small button and pressing it illuminates one LED flame at a time. Then, it was dreidle time. Every kid got a dreidle and some dried pinto beans to use as stakes for the game. And before you knew it, the thirty minutes had elapsed.

I don’t now what the kids took away from our presentation this week. I hope it’s something good. I hope they learned there are people in their midst who may look the same, but in fact are very different from them. Most of the kids at the school where we work are minorities and already know what it’s like to be “othered.” Maybe, just maybe, the kids will remember the presentation, the day they got a dreidel, how many candles we light, and why one of their tutors (me) wears a funny hat even inside.

And may it be for all of us a blessing.

See you tonight!

Mit vareme grusn,
(With warm regards,)

All my love,
brian.

PS

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