Bearing witness
As someone whose home runs on a well, I appreciate rain. Of course, like most people, I would rather not see precipitation while I’m traveling and certainly not while I’m touring outside. With one ...
Beth Tfiloh students transcend language barrier to teach third-graders in Budapest
The Hungarian students chosen to be part of this exchange all speak English at a high level. Our students ask questions and are learning as many Hungarian words as possible, but there is really no language ...
Impact CAN and IS happening
A year and a half ago when SOS International first met with me at Beth Tfiloh to discuss this program, Alan and Glynis talked about strengthening Jewish communities through strengthening Jewish schools. ...
Journey of new relationships
I once had a pen pal from Italy, and we talked about the differences in our handwriting, our favorite foods, and Iron Maiden. I was twelve years old. This experience lasted no longer than a few letters. ...
Judaism can connect
During the school day our home base is in the school library. Ordinarily the teacher we are paired with is supposed to come to the library and walk us to our class since the school is 4 stories and ...
Don’t judge us by preconceived expectations
The image of a Muslim girl standing on a stage with a Jewish girl appears on the wall that serves as a projection screen in the 7th grade classroom where I am teaching, immediately capturing the attention ...
Participating in the rebirth of Jewish life in Budapest
As I wandered the halls alone it seemed highly unlikely that I would stumble upon the graduation portrait of a woman I had only met two times at Beth Tfiloh. But, as I rounded the corner of the 3rd ...
Why am I Not Good Enough?
The group of 14-year-old students sitting in front of me in their class at SSG watched with intensity the YouTube performance of the Slam Poem “Why am I Not Good Enough?” The poem, which went viral ...
Expectations
Prior to this trip, our second to Budapest and to the Scheiber Sandor school, my partner teachers in Hungary and I exchanged emails about the classes I would be teaching. Amidst class numbers and information ...
Invasion of privacy or does society has a right to know?
In continuation with the theme of citizenship that my co-teacher Zsolt and I brainstormed about before I came here to teach, today I worked with my grade 13 class on a ditto that I use when I end my ...
Impactful
I landed in Budapest at close to 11 in the morning on Monday, April 23 and about one and half hours later, fueled by only one and half hours of plane sleep, I was back in the Scheiber Sandor school ...
I planned a lesson on the power of protests; to my surprise, the class included a Hungarian student protest leader.
On a plane from Baltimore to Brussels – the first leg of my journey to Budapest for the second year of Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School’s partnership with the Scheiber Sandor Gimnazium – I listened ...
What could be more important than that?
The old expression goes, you can’t go home again. Maybe, but I can tell you that today when we returned to the Scheiber Sandor Gimnazium for our first day of teaching this this year it felt incredibly ...
So much to learn
I felt right at home as I sat in the special services team meeting at Sheibor on Monday morning. The psychologist, grade advisors, special education teacher and administrators come together to discuss ...
Sense of familiarity
Turn left, go straight I know exactly where we are! The sense of familiarity calmed my nerves as we strolled the streets of Budapest. I marveled at what a difference a year makes – both in the weather ...
Budapest, here I come!
Traveling by air usually makes me feel very anxious -But today, I was feeling “uncharacteristically calm” as I loaded my suitcase into the trunk of the car. I think I can attribute this to the fact ...
What a joy!
Since the end of World War II, the very first Krakow Jewish Early Childhood Center opened in September 2017. This amazing and miraculous Jewish Early Childhood Center is named Frajda (Joy). Malgorzata ...
Opening doors to Jewish education
Can it have been just 10 days ago that Fran and I stood at the airport needing a sign for you to find us? And we had no idea who you were as you stepped out of customs. I think we have all “found” ...
This is just the beginning
Poland Cracow. When these 10 days have passed, I can not say.
A warm welcome at Mara and Fran airport, meeting Dalia and Vanessa, dinner at Fran’s house. And from the beginning of the conversation ...
Every day is important
And here we are. Last day of 10 days long trip. It was intensive program. But every minute was full of inspiration for me. Thank you Glynis, Mara, Fran and Alan. You show me that everything you want ...
