New Jewish school for children aims to teach traditions, culture
Would you read a mitzvah or the Mishnah? Eat a Seder or a sukkah? Are the Jewish High Holidays in the month of Tishri or Tevet?
Beginning in September - which happens to overlap with Tishri, by the way - Jewish children of the Fox Valley will have the opportunity to learn the cultural details of their heritage at a twice-a-month school in Geneva.
It's the kind of thing that a synagogue typically sets up for its young people, but there is no Jewish house of worship with a Geneva, St. Charles, or Batavia address.
In truth, said Fred Margulies, a Geneva businessman and ordained rabbi, there aren't a lot of Jews in the Tri-Cities at all.
"There's sort of a vacuum in Geneva," Margulies said. "There are synagogues in Naperville, Aurora, Elgin, and DeKalb. They're all around Geneva, but it's a little bit like a Jewish wilderness here."
What the Tri-Cities does have, however, is Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors, a community social group that observes Shabbat together monthly and hosts Passover seders, Sukkot dinners, and parties for Purim, Hanukkah, and Israeli Independence Day.
A Holocaust commemoration this year drew more than 100 people, most of them non-Jews.
Fox Valley Jewish School, which opened on a trial basis for just two age groups last year, is a project of FVJN. This fall the school will be in full swing for preschoolers through teens.
"It's an attempt to help children learn something about their Jewish identity, culture, and values," said Margulies, an FVJN board member. "This is a rich culture, and we feel a responsibility as adults to teach them."
Fox Valley Jewish School isn't like a traditional synagogue school, where students attend two or three days a week to learn Hebrew. But, "if a child is interested and wants to learn Hebrew, we'll work with him," Margulies said.
He sees this project as more of an informal Jewish education program than a school, with classes designed for four age groups two Sundays a month for an hour or two each.
Preschool through Kindergarten students will go heavy on stories and crafts, focusing on holidays and the Hebrew alphabet. Grades one and two will learn about Jewish culture, history, traditions, and holidays.
Grades three, four, and five will study the Bible, ethics, history, prayer, and rituals, and the same topics will be covered in grades six and up, at a higher and more in-depth level. Students also may prepare for their bar or bat mitzvahs if they wish.
And there may be special activities, Margulies said, like community service projects, a field trip to the Illinois Holocaust Museum, or a movie with a Jewish theme. He said he also hopes to instill an appreciation for "Israel's place in the world and why it is so important to us."
Besides coming to understand their roots, there's another valuable lesson for Jewish children living in a Gentile community.
"These kids are isolated," Margulies said. "When a kid goes to school, he's probably the only Jewish kid in his class. We want to give him some sense of who he or she is. We want them to realize there are other Jewish kids in town."
Sometimes the non-Jews are as close as home. Margulies said FVJN has a mailing list of about 200 families, and "a lot of these families that we're working with are intermarried. So it's an opportunity to teach them about the Jewish part of their culture."
The school, like the organization, is nondenominational and welcomes Jews of the Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist movements. Differences are downplayed in favor of what the descendants of Israel share in common.
"What we're really trying to do is connect young people to a rich culture," Margulies said, "to have an appreciation for it, and to feel that they have a connection to it.
"School is the basis or the heart of any Jewish community," he said. "So it's an important thing to offer."
Classes will be taught by paid instructors at the FVJN building, 121 S. 3rd St., Geneva, and students don't need to have any previous formal Jewish education. For more information on costs and enrollment, call (630) 578-3375 or visit fvjn.org.
<p class="factboxheadblack">Fox Valley Jewish School</p>
<p class="News"><b>What:</b> A Jewish education program for children, beginning with age 3 and continuing through bar/bat mitzvah preparation</p>
<p class="News"><b>Offered by: </b>Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors</p>
<p class="News"><b>When:</b> Classes, which begin in September, are held twice monthly on Sundays</p>
<p class="News"><b>Where:</b> 121 S. Third St., Geneva</p>
<p class="News"><b>Tuition:</b> Ranges from $100 to $180 for the year</p>
<p class="News"><b>Details and registration:</b> Visit <a href="http://fvjn.org" target="new">fvjn.org</a>, e-mail <a href="mailto:info@fvjn.org">info@fvjn.org</a> or call (630) 578-3375</p>