ISJL Education Newsletter April 2016: Making the Mundane Holy

Being Kodesh When Chol

​Since the first institution of Shabbat in the Bible, Judaism has been filled with ceremonies marking sacred moments. We sound the shofar for the New Year. We welcome a new baby into the covenant. We marvel at the new moon. Yet our lives are also filled with countless mundane moments that feel utterly meaningless.

One of our responsibilities as educators is connecting our students and their families to as many sacred moments as possible, even when those moments are hard to find. Sometimes we are even required to turn something mundane (chol) into something holy (kodesh).

This edition of the newsletter is dedicated to taking regular moments in our lives and connecting them to Judaism, making them holy. From taking the SAT to starting something new, there are sacred moments just waiting to be explored! We hope you gain new insight
into a way in which your community can engage with the divine in every moment we’re awake.

Rachel Stern
Director of Education

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Building (for) The (Empty) Nest(er)

When organizing synagogue events, we often find ourselves struggling to engage “in-betweeners.” Our religious schools connect with students and their parents, but how do we engage community members who are no longer affiliated with the school, particularly empty nesters? Even adults who are no longer connected with the religious school yearn to learn and to build community within the congregation.

Here are some suggestions for ways to engage empty nesters at your congregation:

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