Students strive for balance
LEISAH NAMM
Staff Writer
Finding a balance between religious life and secular life is a challenge not solely for adults. Many children juggle schoolwork, social lives, extracurricular activities and religious studies.
At Har Zion Congregation, a Conservative synagogue in Scottsdale, one-day-a-week religious school begins in kindergarten. Second graders attend twice weekly. Third through seventh graders go three days a week - the only religious school in the Valley that meets that frequently.
"The goal of Hebrew School is to adequately build a foundation for our students to carry their traditions into their home and family," says Donna Troisi, director of Har Zion's religious school.
"In order to teach a culture and a religion, the six hours are necessary. At the same time, we understand that there has to be some flexibility in our busy lives and we're willing to work with that," she says.
Alex Farber, a seventh-grader training for her bat mitzvah, says she often arrives at Hebrew school late or leaves early because of dance classes. She terms it "not much of a problem" and says she's able to keep up with her bat mitzvah preparation.
Becca Hirsch, a classmate of Farber, says she is no longer active in school sports because it interfered too much with religious school.
Juggling schoolwork and religious school is another challenge.
"Homework always interferes with Tuesdays and Thursdays," says seventh-grader Rachel Tasky. When her public school ends at 3:30 p.m., she goes home, then immediately leaves for Hebrew school.
"I end up doing my homework through the night," she says.
The students also say that religious school interferes with their social lives because their schedules are so different from friends from their day school.
Although they would prefer it if they had religious school classes just twice a week, they agree for the most part they like what they're learning.
"I feel bad for my Jewish friends (who) don't go to Hebrew school because some of them don't want to and their parents don't really care," says Har Zion seventh-grader Jessica Bach. "I feel bad for them because they're missing out on a lot of stuff."
Mara Petrovsky, another seventh-grader, says religious school offers a different perspective on life and strengthens Jewish identity.
Good teachers make a difference in the learning experience, she adds. "On different subjects, like history, it can get kind of boring unless someone does something to make it fun."
"We try to do a lot of hands-on activities and active participation so that students aren't sitting and listening to a lecture so it makes it a little more fun for them," Troisi says.
For instance, acting out scenes from the Bible helps them learn, says seventh-grader Sheila Borenstein.
Jerry Friedman, a teacher at The Raker Religious School at Temple Solel, a Reform congregation in Paradise Valley, says it's important to make Judaism relevant to students.
"We try very hard to tie what we're teaching the kids into their daily lives," he says. "We want to teach them that being Jewish isn't just about going to temple Friday night but is part of their overall life choices, and that all aspects of our lives can and should have a Jewish component."
Bonnie Morris, Solel's director of education, says a crucial aspect of religious education is family commitment.
"The main goal of religious school is to help kids grow up as Jews. It is not something that is done in isolation, it's something that has to be done in partnership with the home," she says.
Andy Abraham sends his children, Ellie, 12, and Abigail, 11, to religious school at Solel in hopes that they "come away with traditions."
"I hope they come away with a place that they're extremely comfortable with," he says. "I'm not just talking about a location, but also a religion and a history they're comfortable with."
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