by Rav-Hazzan Scott Sokol, Head of School
On this eve of Passover and in the midst of a frenetic week of learning and holiday preparation, I want to pause for a moment to share some thoughts with you. So much of our lives, and perhaps more importantly the lives of our children, go by without our notice, let alone our appreciation. As I’ve said before, one of the great privileges of my job is to see our children engaging with one another every day, learning about themselves and about their connections to our people and its history.
One of the lessons of Passover is that this history of the Jewish people has not always been easy. In the V’hi Sheamda paragraph of the Passover Haggadah, we learn that in every generation, forces rise up to challenge us, but that God (in concert with our own efforts) will ultimately save us. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see over 400 teen singers, among them two current MWJDS students, Yonatan Freedman-Naditch and Violet Tetel, and three MWJDS alumni, Jess Wulf, Benjy Sokol and Sabrina Casey, perform a stirring version of Vhi Sheamda at a concert in Carnegie Hall featuring HaZamir: The International Jewish High School Choir; that performance in and of itself was evidence of the persistence and continuity of our people. (Click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uinJLm-Ipi0 to hear this emotional performance.)
Sometimes our personal challenges come not from our ethnicity or religious identity, but from our inherent differences. Earlier this week, many of our lower school classes took part in learning about visual impairments through the Understanding Our Differences curriculum. Several of our parents volunteered to help with this experiential learning, as well as important community supporters (special thanks to Elaine Ellenbogen, an MWJDS supporter who has visited with the kids before to describe her own visual challenges). I was, as always, impressed by our students’ engagement. They were respectful and asked terrific questions.
At the same time, the 7th and 8th grade class gave their final presentations in their Holocaust unit, directed by Jaime Brody and DeLeT intern Matan Malka. To be sure, this was a difficult topic to learn about, and there were moments that really challenged our students intellectually and emotionally. In the end, however, I was struck by their ability to tackle the inconceivable and to come out (I believe) stronger and more prepared for a world in which anti-Semitism is still a reality. The pictures below were from two of the Powerpoint presentations that I saw, from students Aidan K and Miriam H.
Finally coming full circle, this week saw the installation of an extraordinary art exhibit, a multi-media visual art display of the Ten Plagues by our middle school arts elective class, ably guided by our art teacher Einat Efroni. You need to see these stunning seven-foot banners up-close to take in their full effect, but I’ve included a couple of photographs below to give you a taste of their impact. To me, these depictions simultaneously evoke the miraculous and the tragic, while reminding us that hardship may ultimately yield to hope and beauty. This to me is the enduring lesson of Passover and our history as a people.
May we all have a meaningful holiday, and internalize the message of this Feast of Freedom.
Chag Kasher v’Sameach.
Scott Sokol