By Lisa Plotkin & Molly Dickinson

In August, PJ Parents and a PJ Grandparent joined PJ Library Lead Parent Volunteer Molly Dickinson and PJ Library Coordinator Lisa Plotkin for PJ Parent Idea Exchange to discuss teaching the upcoming High Holy Days in their children’s secular classrooms.  

The goal isn’t to teach the entirety of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in a 20-minute visit, of course, but to introduce some of the most accessible elements of the holidays. It’s a powerful opportunity to enrich children’s cultural understanding of Judaism and to answer a common question: “Why is our school closed that one day in September or October?”  

Participants agreed that especially for younger children, it’s best to share the values honored throughout Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur that many may already be familiar with in their own lives. These might include taking time to reset, refresh, or restart; celebrating a birthday or new year with something sweet like honey; and thinking about past mistakes and how to make amends with someone.  

“It can help to focus on just one of these universal elements that apply to everyone, not just Jews,” Molly explained.  “We don’t need to explain everything about the holiday all at once; just something the children can readily understand in a way that makes sense to their age range.  The PJ books are great resources – you can read a short book and do an activity; kids’ll remember it for years!”

The group brainstormed ideas even beyond the fall holidays, building excitement for sharing a fun PJ Library book about Passover in the spring along with chocolate-covered matzah, or sharing about Sukkot through the lens of enjoying the outdoors and appreciating what shelters us.  

They pondered and embraced the challenges of adjusting a topic for different age groups, as well as ways to minimize religious teaching while focusing dually on unique Jewish cultural practices and broadly appealing ethical themes.

This is the second idea exchange on Jewish holidays in secular schools that PJ Library RVA has hosted. The first, held last December, was inspired by the suggestion of another PJ Parent.  

Thank you to Congregation Or Atid for hosting the recent PJ Parent Idea Exchange and to the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond for making events like this possible.

 

Stay tuned for our next PJ Parent Idea Exchange coming in November on bringing a Chanukah lesson to your child’s secular class!  Contact Lisa at PJLibrary@JewishRichmond.org.