Zoom Links for TI of Natick

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Education Update: Tefila Takes Many Forms (Jan. 14)


This month we have had some opportunities to daven/pray in different ways.  Drum roll please.....

Vera Broekhuysen, TI’s former Cantorial Intern, led a mincha service with a drum and invited the kids to drum with her.  Later some of the students spoke with her about their experience with the drums. My favorite comment with that the drumming helped me focus!

Vera leads a group of kids in drumming Ashrei.

This past week during tefila on Wednesday afternoon we talked about  what it means to pray with your feet.  Here’s how we got there. 

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday is observed on Monday and during our tefila time the student learned about Abraham Joshua Heshel and his friendship with Martin Luther King.   Heschel marched with King in Selma in 1965.  Our jumping off point was one of my favorite books, As Good As Anybody by Richard Michaelson. 
This is the cover of the book that we read last
Wednesday.
Michaelson’s book, “explores the friendship between, MLK, the African American Baptist minister and a Polish-born rabbi. Both MLK and Heschel were raised by wise, loving parents and followed in their fathers' footsteps. Both of them also experienced hatred and prejudice close to home. Whether the signs said "Whites Only" or "No Jews Allowed," they were equally hurtful and inspired them to strive for peace and equal rights for all. The first half of the book offers a simple, concise, and beautifully written early biography of King; the latter describes Heschel's youth. His father instructed him to "Walk like a prince, not a peasant….You are as good as anybody," echoing the words of King's mother. He answered Dr. King's call and joined the 1965 March to Montgomery with 25,000 others.

A photo of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
marching with MLK in Selma in 1965.

The book ends with Heschel saying about the march for Civil Rights in Selma. 

The kids had some awesome insights about what it means to pray with your feet.  Ask your kids what it means to pray with your feet?  What do you think it means to pray with your feet?



No comments:

Post a Comment