Returning to our Day Schools in a Challenging and Turbulent Environment

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It is hard to believe that in several weeks, our students, faculty and staff will be returning to their respective day schools and yeshivot following their summer break.

Many of our students, faculty and parents,  anxiously await their return to familiar routines and schedules with anticipation and excitement. For select others, returning to school marks the end of an enjoyable fun filled break from school and respite and are somewhat ambivalent about returning to school.

As we know, it is normal and customary to feel this level of anticipation following Shabbat Nachamu  just prior to returning to school.

Having said that, these several weeks prior to the opening of school feels a bit different; very different.

Our anticipated new school year commences following a summer highlighted with extremely difficult  and challenging events as well as the continued  heartbreak for acheinu bnai yisrael living in Israel and in diaspora Jewish communities.

With war raging between Israel and Hamas in the south and  between Israel and Hezbollah in the north, we continue to feel existential threats, the explosive proliferation of post October 7th antisemitism, and  the yearning for the immediate release of hostages from the ugly clutches of Hamas captivity..

As I write this blog, representatives from Israel, Egypt, Qatar and Hamas are engaged in yet another last ditch  effort to bridge the significant gaps between Israel and Hamas, hopefully  resulting in a ceasefire and the release of hostages. How these negotiations progress, remains to be seen. But as of today, there appears to be indications that we are far from an agreed upon ceasefire and hostage release deal.

In addition to these global challenges, domestically, we are witnessing pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests and demonstrations outside the Democratic National Convention, in Chicago, all of which  which can be a harbinger for continued campus unrest and violence in several weeks when students return to colleges and universities.

All the while, our Jewish communities and its institutions continue to embark upon meaningful  tzedaka, volunteer and chesed programs in support of Israel and a variety of solidarity trips to Israel, as well as shiurim and chizuk lectures – all of which help create and celebrate  achdut bnei yisrael.

Sadly enough and ironically, this level of achdut in the States and in diaspora  Jewish communities are not that evident in Israel. In fact, I am concerned and fearful that the level  achdut in Israel is beginning to slide back to where it was prior to October 7th.  Parenthetically, this year’s beginning of school is the first school opening since the  unprecedented October 7th massacre. Another sad and horrific first of firsts since October 7th..

Just prior to our summer break, we were all somewhat positive and  hopeful that the war between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah would diminish, that a peace deal would be eminent, that the hostages would be released and that Israeli families in the south and north would be able to return home and begin rebuilding their lives.

Much to our profound disappointment and sadness. this did not happen, nor are there any serious indications that these breakthroughs will happen soon. In fact, during the summer months, we experienced more terrorists attacks in Israel, growing unrest on the West Bank and the loss of our dear heroic chayalim in battle. This is in addition to a flurry of  failed series of  Hezbollah  and Iranian missile, rocket and drone launches aimed at  Israel.

As day school and yeshiva  educators, teachers and leaders we are all  concerned about the continuous impact of these realities on the psychological, educational and emotional well- being and mind-set of our students and their families.

Throughout the summer months, as indicated, many of our students and their families were exposed to continuous on-off  negative and disappointing news from Israel regarding hostage releases and ceasefires. Many have close relatives and friends living in Israel; and many have experienced or have been informed about personal losses.

To expect this matzav not to affect our students and their families is totally unrealistic. Many have heard or experienced these challenges over the summer and most of our students are returning to school with these realities on their minds and in their hearts and on the minds and in the hearts of their parents.

This is indeed a perfect storm as we enter a new school year of learning and teaching.

There is a school of thought that suggests that if this matzav continues, over an extended period of time, our communities will adapt to this new harsh and most difficult reality.  A new reality if you will. And then there are those (self included) who truly believe that we will never ever rest until there is a ceasefire and the hostages are brought home.

Impact of Students and Families

Although as parents we try desperately to protect our children from hearing and learning about these frightening events, it is almost impossible to hermetically insulate our children from these news reports. This is particularly the case when families have relatives living in Israel, serving in the IDF or who are being negatively impacted by the war through loss, dislocation and uncertainty.

In the perfect world, we aspire to provide our children with excitement and positivity as they  return to school.  But reality dictates that way too many of our families and communities are being impacted by the negative realities in Israel and not all families have the ability or capacity to go that extra mile. In fact, not all of our communal leaders are inspiring positivity or  the type of chizuk so desperately needed by our communities.

As we know, returning to school is a challenge for (students, teachers and the administration) in itself. Welcoming  our students and faculty back to school  against a backdrop of these realities is all the more difficult, taxing and complex.

As principals, and heads of school, we must create  school environments which are sensitive to the realities and impact of the Israel crisis and to the increased levels of anti-Israel and antisemitic events and rhetoric in our communities. While doing so, we must create safe teachable moments for our students, their families and faculty.

Although we can’t change the realities on the ground , we do have control over how we react, respond, cope, inspire and lead.

To this end, it is imperative that we lead proactively and with a sense of pride, conviction, urgency, fortitude, passion and authenticity.

Students and their parents look to us as principals and heads of school  for leadership and inspiration. We may not have the answers, but we do have the responsibility to inform and inspire.

Several suggestions for heads of school and principals to consider may include: continued  recitation of tefillah, special tefillot  and tehillim during the school day; the provision of divrei chizuk and stories of valor, emunah and bitachon; curricula which integrate current events within a historical context and the centrality of Israel; the study of TaNach and its profound impact on our  history and destiny; special volunteer, tzedaka and chesed opportunities; the invitation of guest Rabbinic and political speakers from Israel; and special student advisory classes for high school students.

Each of the above projects and initiatives must be age appropriate in order to ensure healthy, appropriate and balanced teaching, learning and understanding.

In addition the these initiatives and projects, it is essential that our schools engage ( either on staff or via special contract) counseling and mental health professionals who are experienced and well prepared to work with students and their families who are struggling with new and emerging realities both in Israel and in our communities.

Finally, one of the most difficult and complex challenges facing school leadership  is the manner in which to protect our students from the vile acts of increased antisemitism.

This later challenge is not only about increasing our school security which as we know is a given, but rather  preparing ourselves for the variety of questions which arise regarding student security and safety.

Several of these questions which I am beginning to hear from parents include: when walking or taking public transportation to and from school, is it safe for our students to wear kippot, and/or  necklaces with mezuzot  or a magen dovid  in public?

These questions are profoundly important and require responses..

Although I have my own personal opinion and response to this particular challenge, I urge all school leadership to consult with Rabbinic authority and to use common sense and best judgment in close consultation with parents. To be sure, there is no right or wrong response; and each school and community has its own particular requirements and characteristics. But lets always keep in mind that part of creating teachable moments for our children must include the power of Jewish pride, kiddush haShem and resilience.

Lets also always be mindful of the differences between resilience and defiance

How we react and  respond to these challenges as adults may be somewhat different than the manner we suggest for our student. As school leaders we have an awesome and  profound responsibility to inform and protect our students at every cost.

Faculty, Teachers and Instructional Staff

As our day schools and yeshivot try desperately to navigate the impact of the current matzav on students, it is equally essential that our principals and heads of school focus their attention and energy on their staff.

Although the approaches vary, the one commonality is that our faculty, teachers and instructional staff also require supportive environments which are sensitive to their individual and collective needs.

These may include, but not limited to:

• individual and total faculty consultations and supervision which focus on how to effectively respond to student and family needs during this period of time;
• training in student identification and early intervention when students require extra support;
• training as to how staff should not over-react, but rather create  positive environments that are safe spaces for students,
• the creation of faculty venues which provide faculty with opportunities to interact and share concerns with one another;
• the offering of mental health counseling and support for teachers who are currently struggling with the current matzav in Israel
• the creation of achdut moments that  help bring staff together in order to share, reflect and problem solve;
• the creation of Jewish orientation sessions for non-Jewish faculty in order to help sensitize them to the challenges and concerns currently facing our Jewish community.
• the identification  and implementation of new teacher pre and in-service professional development programs and curricular materials which help support, inspire and scaffold learning and teaching; and
• the creation of faculty volunteer opportunities in support of Israel. These role model activities are very powerful and impact our students tremendously.

End Note

As I have indicated in many of my articles and blogs, there is no “one-size-fits all”, especially as it relates to the aforementioned challenges.

To this end, every student and family, every school and every faculty are unique and therefore must develop responses in concert with their individual and collective needs and uniqueness.

It would have been too way easy and convenient for me to address this topic with more positive energy, disposition and mind-set. But today’s daunting and relentless events in Israel and in our diaspora communities demands direct and candid responses which are responsible, realistic, time-sensitive and transparent.

In another several weeks, in addition to school openings, world Jewry will be memorializing the one-year anniversary of the October 7th  massacre. Have we advanced the needle on the gauge that promises peace and the release of hostages? I think not. Have we increased or intensified our levels of achdut in Israel and in our community? Only peripherally. Have we succeeded in combating antisemitism and  anti-Israel demonstrations? Not at all.

The difficult and harsh  lessons learned from these unprecedented events in history will mold and shape our future and destiny as a Jewish community

What better or more effective venue or institution to embrace our community during this  difficult period of time in our history than our Jewish day schools and yeshivot. These are the institutions that  serve as beacons of hope for our future; these are the true influencers for Torah study, emuna, bitachon and achdut. And these are the institutions that will help our students and their families through this very difficult period of history and help us move closer to the geula.

It is our hope and prayer that HaShem watch over achienu bais Yisrael; that our IDF chayalim and chayalot remain safe and are successful in their missions; that our hostages are released in good health, that our families living in southern and northern Israel will be able to return to their homes safely and securely; that our enemies will be dealt  permanent destruction and annihilation; and, that we all exhibit more intensified and permanent achcdut  towards one another as an ohr lagoyim, mamlechect kohanim and as an am kadosh  – all created btzelem Elokim .

Am Yisrael chai!