Tag Archives: Education Fellows

Delta Deli Day 2013!

By The ISJL | Tagged corned beef, Deli, Delta, Education Fellows, featured, Greenville, Hebrew Union Congregation, ISJL, Jewish, luncheon, Mississippi, Southern, tradition, traditions

This week, we have a special “Snapshots from the Southern Jewish Road” collection of pictures to share with you, from last week’s Deli Day at Hebrew Union Congregation in Greenville, MS, right in the heart of the Mississippi Delta.

HUC used to be the largest congregation in the state (you can read more about the history of the Greenville Jewish community here). Now, the membership numbers have diminished- but the spirit has not, and that’s never more evident than on the day that HUC invites the rest of Greenville to come to the congregation for a good old fashioned deli lunch, featuring, of course, corned beef sandwiches with all the “fixin’”s.

This tradition has lasted for 130 years – and this year, several of the ISJL Education Fellows went up to the Delta again to help serve the record 2,000 sandwiches sold at the 2013 deli luncheon. They shared these photographs. Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom, y’all!

Education Fellows Amanda, Reva, and Elaine pose with Richard Dattel

Ben’s eager to sample the goods; Erin and Dan have to remind him “not yet”!

Who wouldn’t want a Cake Raffle ticket??

Prepping in the kitchen

Ready for a sandwich – or 2,000!

If you want to learn even more about this community, and the Deli Day in particular, Vox Tablet did a great mini-podcast story on it two years ago – wherein the interviewees talk about the importance of preserving this tradition. What’s a tradition that your community is committed to preserving?

Posted on March 8, 2013

The Adventures of Matzah Mama

By The ISJL | Tagged community, education, Education Fellows, featured, Jewish, personal, reflection, tikkun olam, video

Sam Kahan, left, debuts her Jewish Superhero, Matzah Mama, at the 2012 ISJL Education Conference.

By ISJL Education Fellow, Sam Kahan

During the annual ISJL Education Conference, Education Fellows traditionally present some sort of “schtick” during meals. This year the Fellows pondered the question: “if you were a Jewish superhero, who would you be?”

As the daughter of an excellent Jewish mother, I know that feeding those you love is both a Jewish value and, at times, a superhuman accomplishment. Having inherited my mother’s drive for preparing and sharing meals, I had to incorporate food into my wished-for superpower.

So, in front of a room of Jewish educators from around the South, Matzah Mama made her debut:

My passion for feeding others manifests itself in many ways. For one, I love to cook for friends when they stop by my house. It is in my blood, or so my mother tells me. But my desire to share sustenance with others is not limited to friends and family, rather, it extends to the community at large.

A few years ago, a friend and I were involved with an organization that set up a temporary food pantry on the corner of a busy Baltimore intersection during Thanksgiving. There we were: armed with hundreds of thanksgiving meals, donated clothing, blankets and other items essential for surviving a brutally cold winter on the Baltimore streets. As I served a tremendous number of homeless people who stopped by to receive aid, I found myself thinking. I thought of what a mitzvah it was that this group of people took time out of their Thanksgiving, a day reserved for family and friends, to make sure that the larger community was taken care of.

I reflect back on this moment and recognize the teachings of Judaism that not only encourage, but command us to care for those who are hungry. The aspiration to feed friends, family, and community echoes Jewish values and is a Jewish superpower we should all work to develop. Matzah Mama will make her next appearance at Rodef Sholom Temple in Hampton, Virginia, during a Passover program about creating family traditions, be sure to watch out for her!

If you were a Jewish superhero, who would you be?

Posted on February 11, 2013

From Georgia to Jerusalem in 6 Easy Steps: Sending Prayers to the Western Wall

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By The ISJL | Tagged Columbus, curriculum, education, Education Fellows, featured, Georgia, Israel, Jewish education, pictures, prayer, stories

An envelope of prayers from 5th grade students in Columbus, Georgia.

By ISJL Education Fellow Dan Ring

The ISJL Education Curriculum addresses Israel in many ways at various grade levels. The fifth grade, for example, contains a lesson about the Western Wall (also called the Kotel) in Jerusalem. For an activity, teachers can have students write prayers to be placed in the Wall and ask their Education Fellows to arrange for the letters to reach their intended destination.

Although you can easily do this virtually through different websites, I was excited when the fifth grade class at Temple Israel Religious School in Columbus, Georgia, wrote physical letters, which I was able to have delivered through face-to-face social networks.

Here is how it went down:

1. During Lesson 7 of the 5th grade curriculum, students in Columbus composed their own prayers and put them all in an envelope.

2. During my fall visit, the class surprised me with the collected notes.

Dan is very surprised.

After recovering from his surprise, Dan poses with the class. It was “pajama day” at the religious school.

3. Two weeks later, I attended a bar mitzvah in Baltimore, my hometown. My friend Josh, a Yeshiva student in Jerusalem and the brother of the bar mitzvah boy, was visiting for the occasion. So I gave him the envelope.