Today was the first day of Hebrew School in our community. The kids have already been in public school for two weeks in Illinois. Between Labor Day next weekend and Rosh Hashanah the following weekend, Hebrew Schools struggled this year to find the right time to start.

I always like the first day of school. The teachers are excited, having prepared for weeks. The crayons and markers are new. The textbooks may be updated. It is a chance for a new beginning, a fresh start, with new, higher expectations. This year we have a new education director and the expectations are very high. She comes to us as a director of a pre-school program and a Jewish summer camp/day care, having worked at Keshet, an organization that supports inclusive learning for all Jews.

School is also a community. This weekend I stopped by the O’Neal school, where our Resident Officer (ROPE) Bob Engleke was hosting a National Night Out for the neighborhood, to say welcome to the new principal and welcome back to the students and families of the neighborhood. Our synagogue neighborhood. What was clear is that our neighborhood is a community, as hot dogs were shared and kids bounced in bouncy-houses while parents and grandparents watched and stood around telling stories.

As I watched our kids and their parents arrive at Hebrew School, they were smiling, reconnecting with friends from last year and meeting new ones. By 9:15 there was learning going on in every classroom. In the 7th grade they were learning to ask questions and find meaning. They were looking at Hamlet and the Binding of Isaac. In the 5th and 6th grade they were learning about the four names of Rosh Hashanah, heard a clip of Kol Nidre, and played a bingo game to reacquaint them with the High Holidays. In the 3rd and 4th grade, they took a tour of the building looking for new and different things. I found them in the hall with the yahrzeit plaques. In the 1st grade they learned about the 10 commandments and each colored a poster. In Kindergarten they made Jewish stars with glitter and talked about themselves as a way of introduction.

The energy level was high during ruach, (spirit), the assembly, from the opening Boker Tov, Good morning, and a few songs. Then we had grape juice and challah as a way to further deepen the connection to Judaism, to build community. All together. And maybe that is what community is. Deepening the knowledge with spiraling curriculum. Deepening the connections by learning together. Deepening the connections with shared experiences. School is one way we do that.