Faith Brown
Leo Rosten wrote a book called The Joys of Yiddish. If given the opportunity, my book would be called The Joys of Teaching. I think it all began during the years I attended a Jewish summer camp called Moshava. This camp was part of Habonim, a Labor Zionist Youth movement with the eventual goal of making Aliyah to Israel, then called Palestine.
Life at camp was a model of kibbutz life. I spent every summer as a camper, and later, as a counselor, learning a great deal of Hebrew along the way. Perhaps it was destiny when Rabbi Leonard B. Gewirtz, z”l, asked me to consider teaching an Aleph class at the newly organized Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth religious school. I said “Yes” to what became one of the most important decisions of my life.
My students became my “other family.” I took pride in their achievements as if they were my own children. When they sang a Hebrew song, recited a Hebrew prayer, or read a page in the prayer book, I “kvelled.” We played games like Siddur Baseball, Jewish Jeopardy, and Hebrew Bingo. I shared the thrill of parents hearing their child ask the Four Questions at their Seder in Hebrew! Being a teacher for my entire adult life, it extended to the teaching of Israeli songs and dances for adults, as well as children. This joyful activity lasted for more than 60 years, and resulted in an annual community-wide program of music and dance called Café Tamar.
In 1986, I was invited to teach a class called “Jewish Enrichment” at the JCC Senior Center, a discussion group that continued for over 50 years. My love of teaching led me to become a volunteer in Read-Aloud Delaware, a program for children three to five years old. Its purpose was to instill a love of books and reading in very young children. As described in a verse from Dr. Seuss: “The difference you’ve made, isn’t small, isn’t mild. It’s the difference you’ve made in the life of a child.”
Being a teacher for my entire adult life has given me a raison d’etre I never expected. An indescribable joy that says, “Perhaps this is what G-d intended for me.”
So, to all teachers, and especially teachers of Jewish studies, Kol Ha’Kavod! Keep on teaching!
