A young rabbi’s approach to helping children find their way into Jewish life
“My ideal ATiD student, in 10 or 15 years, believes that Judaism is something that helps them walk through the world and make sense of things on a daily basis.”
92Y’s Rabbi Samantha Frank has been helping children find a way into Jewish life on their own terms during chaotic times. Now, her after-school program has gone online. She talked to us about keeping kids engaged, and the challenges of creating real community in a virtual world.
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As 92Y’s Director of Jewish Education, one of your roles is to run ATiD, our after-school Jewish education program. This fall, it’s running remotely – which means that children and families all over the country can join. Tell us how it works.
Atid means “future” in Hebrew – to put it simply, we’re investing in the Jewish future of our kids. It’s different from a traditional Hebrew school — it’s more like a kind of year-round camp. Most synagogues have a mandate for Bar or Bat Mitzvah education – there’s a focus on studying the Hebrew language, and for some learners it can feel a bit repetitive. ATiD is extremely active, and we do something different every day. We’re very aware that children have been sitting in front of a screen all day for many months. We use the screen as a tool to connect to one another, but we don’t want them to be glued to it, so we’re designing programs that keep them moving around. Classes are small, which means that kids get a lot of individual attention and really get to know one another during our games and activities.
What kinds of games and activities?
We act out stories. We do arts and crafts. Sometimes we even cook together! The other day we had a dance party to celebrate Simchat Torah. We also had kids imagine what they’d put in their own personal Torah – what they’d learned in their own lives to pass on from generation to generation. This week our students created gifts for people in their buildings, or in their lives, who need a little bit of joy. In moments where it’s tough to find joy, there’s a Jewish language for finding comfort and collective happiness. We want to tap into that and create that kind of community for these kids, and show them that community is an ongoing act of creativity.
What else is special about the approach you’re taking with ATiD?
This has been such a challenging time, and one of the things that can anchor us is Jewish wisdom and ritual. This year, we're particularly focused on the idea of resilience. We just had the holiday of Sukkot – we’ve been sitting outside under the sukkah, and we’ve been exploring what it means to create for ourselves a peaceful dwelling. Not just for Sukkot, but for all our lives, wherever we are – in our homes, in a community, in ourselves. This is a unique opportunity for Jewish wisdom and tradition to help create comfort, stability, and joy in a time when it’s in short supply. The students are exploring what it means to build confidence in a community, and how we can care for other people in a time when we’re physically distant. And we’re having so much fun doing it.
ATiD has been operating virtually this year, so far. You're doing so much with this constraint, but what do you most look forward to doing when you can meet in person?
I’m so excited to meet the kids and families in person – to connect with them in a deeper way. One of the essential teachings of Jewish life is that we’re not meant to go through the world alone. We’re meant to have partners and community. Being in community is even deeper than having a group of friends. It means existing in a world full of people who are different from us. I miss that, and I can’t wait to explore what it means to live in that way again when we're all in the same room together. Hopefully that will be as soon as next month!
Rabbi Frank and her team are welcoming new applications to ATiD from families all over the country. Learn more and join us.