CAJE Blog

These powerful words were one of the important ‘take-aways’ from the first session of Miami’s Leo Martin March of the Living 2021 this past Sunday. While we might not be able to travel to Poland and Israel this year, nevertheless, high school seniors from across Miami gathered virtually to learn about life before the War as well as explore their Jewish Identities, which they discovered were just as complex, interesting and diverse as the Jews growing up decades ago in far off lands. They also learned from local Holocaust Survivor, Anita Karl.

Miami’s Diller Teen Fellows Cohort 8 had a breakthrough moment this past Shabbat. Although they have been participating in the Diller program since September, this past Shabbat was the first time the group was able to gather in person, rather than on Zoom. Teens went through screening protocols, were physically distanced, masked, and outside to create a safe environment for all.

Several times a year, CAJE’s Youth Professional Network (YPN), made up of representatives from different Jewish Youth Serving Organizations (YSOs), comes together to share ideas and best practices from the field.

I was born in a DP camp in Hanover, Germany. The only thing I remember about it was the snow. At the age of two, we were able to emigrate to the United States, and we lived in Manhattan until I was 10 years old. My parents sent me to a yeshiva preschool and kindergarten mainly because they both had to work until 5pm and the program offered extended hours, not because my parents were that observant. After that, I attended public schools.

Joan Micklin Silver (z”l), the groundbreaking filmmaker and Miami Jewish Film Festival alum (Hester Street -MJFF 2007), passed away December 31. The daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants, Micklin Silver was a trailblazer for women directors and created proud depictions of Jewish culture in cinema.

Words from Our Hearts: A Prayer Exploration for Early Childhood offers an opportunity for our youngest learners, their teachers and their parents to immerse themselves into the spiritual language of prayer. Prayer concepts are introduced to the children through simple everyday words like: Todah- gratitude, B’vakasha- please, S’licha- forgiveness, and Halleluyah- praise and wonder.

Rabbi Sacks taught, “There always were two ways to live in a world that is often dark and full of tears. We can curse the darkness or we can light a light, and even a little light drives out much darkness. May we all help light up the world.” This week, the light of community and the light of learning shone brightly, casting a beautiful glow that could even be felt through our computer screens. May this Chanukah season remind us that even in times of darkness, each of us has the power to be a source of light.

Recognizing how important peer trips to Israel are in anchoring our children’s Jewish identity, we started with a fundamental premise-- just as Jewish parents plan for their children to go to college and they save for it early, so Jewish parents must plan for their children to attend a peer trip to Israel and they must save for it early.