Tag: Starting in Elementary School

Teaching the lessons of the Holocaust through storytelling, not allegory

Teaching the lessons of the Holocaust through storytelling, not allegory

Posted by | Nov 20, 2019 | |

Stories are the bounty of Jewish culture. The Torah builds from our origin with history and lessons for living and dying. If the Torah is a tree of life, then storytelling is its roots. We teach our values to our children through the stories of our ancestors. What, then, do we do when we need to tell stories that are difficult to hear? How do we apply our tradition of storytelling to the story of the Holocaust? [Redirects to the Times of Israel]

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Can we just color camels? Do we need to teach the hard stuff?

Can we just color camels? Do we need to teach the hard stuff?

Posted by | Oct 14, 2019 | |

Can’t religious school be just about coloring camels from Torah portions? Do we have to teach the hard stuff? Many religious school education directors have fielded questions along these lines from concerned parents.
In classic Jewish fashion, the best answer is another question: How do we want our children to learn about the Holocaust? [redirects to the Times of Israel]

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How to talk to your kids about the Holocaust

How to talk to your kids about the Holocaust

Posted by | Oct 17, 2018 | |

“Mom, what do you know about the Holocaust?” You swallow, take a deep breath, play for time, your mind racing. “They’re not old enough to know about this,” you think to yourself frantically. “Can’t I hold on to their innocence just a little bit longer?” They’ll never be old enough. No one is old enough to really deal with the atrocities of the world. I know I’m not. But ignoring evil does not make it go away. Ignoring evil gives it space to grow. We must face evil, and we must help our children to face it. [redirects to the Times of Israel.]

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