The Catholic School Teacher Who Made Me Want to Raise My Kids Jewish

By Hilary Levey Friedman for Raising Kvell

I’ll never forget the first roll call in fourth grade at the St. Fabian School.

“Levey, Hilary? [Pause] Really?!”

Yes, really. My father, who gifted me his last name, is clearly a Member of the Tribe (Levite, natch). But my parents decided to baptize and raise me as a Roman Catholic, like my mother.

I was a child interested in rituals and I loved weekly school mass when the priest wouldn’t just speak at us during his homily, but ask us questions. My hand was frequently up and I cherished the days when I was called on to answer a question. So it was no surprise that later, in my fourth grade year when the teacher asked who would like to help the priest by being an “altar boy,” my hand shot up.

“But, you’re a girl, you can’t do that,” said the same teacher who had already made me feel like I didn’t belong.

As I looked at the boys sitting around me–roughhousing, picking their noses, cheating off of my schoolwork–I wondered precisely how they were better suited to the task by virtue of having a Y chromosome (girls were welcomed as altar servers a few years later, in the early 90’s, but too late for me). I couldn’t figure out how or why an institution, let alone a religious one, could decide to exclude whole categories of people without knowing anything about them as individuals.

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Purim and Halloween

An ideological face-off

By Esther D. Kustanowitz in MyJewishLearning.com

Recently, someone asked me whether I liked Purim better than Halloween.

It seemed like such an odd question; the holidays had been so distinctly incomparable in my mind. But upon consideration, perhaps because my name is Esther, perhaps because of my Jewish background, I would have to say that Purim unequivocally kicks Halloween's rump. Of course, I am slightly biased: If Halloween featured a Queen Esther, I might be inclined to change my preference. But I doubt it.

When I was growing up, Halloween was only celebrated by public school kids. At my yeshiva (Jewish day school), a letter from the principal was sent to parents each October warning them that observance of Halloween was pagan and therefore destructive to the Jewish educational process. As a result, while my public school contemporaries demanded candy from strangers, I stayed home and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." Again. And that was Halloween.

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How to Celebrate Sukkot

An easy and fun craft project for kids of many ages.

From Kveller

Traditionally on Simchat Torah, children walk around the synagogue waving homemade flags to help create a parade-like atmosphere. Whether or not you’re making it to services, it’s always fun to wave a flag. Here’s a simple and easy way to make one at home for kids of all ages.

You’ll need:
Empty paper towel roll
Construction paper
Stickers
Dot paint (comes in a bottle with a roller top--much less messy than normal paint)
Tape

First, have your child decorate the construction paper using dot paint and stickers (or whatever other art supplies you choose).
Next, tape the construction paper to the paper towel roll. (By using a paper towel roll instead of a stick, you avoid any potential stick accidents).
Give to your child and prepare to wave!

Check out Jvillage’s High Holiday+    page.


While you're at it, check out our High Holidays Holiday Spotlight Kit for ideas, crafts, recipes, etc.

A Dr. Seuss Sukkot, Fun for the Whole Family