The One School Practice That Unites Everyone—So Why Not Use It?
A Moment of Silence: A Simple Practice That Can Quietly Strengthen Our Schools
By Rabbi Anchelle Perl – Director of Chabad Mineola NY.
In an age filled with noise—digital noise, political noise, emotional noise—we have created school environments where students rarely, if ever, get even a moment to simply breathe. Last week in my Newsday guest essay, (Newsday Dec 4, 2025, Page A25) I wrote that children today are “inundated with noise,” and that there is powerful value in giving them “one minute of stillness” before the school day begins. Not silence for the sake of silence, but silence that allows children to access conscience, purpose, and inner grounding.
Yet the idea of a Moment of Silence still raises concerns for some people.
And I understand why. Whenever something new enters the school day, communities rightfully ask:
Will this divide us or unite us? Will it impose something or simply offer something? Will every family feel respected?
These questions deserve thoughtful answers, not dismissive ones.
So let us address them honestly—while looking at the reality of what our schools are already doing so well.
We Already Embrace Reflection—Just Under Different Names
Walk into many Nassau County schools and you will find mindfulness corners, Zen rooms, breathing exercises, SEL lessons, restorative circles, and full wellness programs designed to help students calm themselves, regulate emotions, and enter the day centered.
This is wonderful. This is progress. This is compassion.
But it also raises an obvious question:
If guided mindfulness is acceptable, why is a content-neutral Moment of Silence controversial?
A Moment of Silence tells no child what to think.
A Moment of Silence instructs no one to pray or believe anything.
A Moment of Silence simply offers a minute of inward stillness—a practice fully in harmony with the quiet reflection already happening in schools.
It is the most inclusive form of reflection possible.
Children Are Hungry for Inner Space
In my Newsday essay, I wrote that the real purpose of silence is not what is said, but what is allowed to be felt. Children today carry heavier emotional loads than any previous generation. Anxiety, overstimulation, and distraction affect learning and behavior in every district.
Teachers know this. Parents know this. Students know this.
A Moment of Silence gives children something they desperately lack:
a pause.
A moment to reset, to breathe, to think about kindness, gratitude, responsibility—whatever speaks to their family’s values.
It is not instruction; it is permission. Not a mandate; a moment.
Understanding the Concerns
Some worry that a Moment of Silence may be a “backdoor to religion.”
Others fear it may blur the line between church and state.
Still others simply don’t want yet another new element added to the school routine.
These concerns come from a place of care—not resistance.
But the United States Supreme Court has already clarified this:
A neutral Moment of Silence, without directing students how to use it, is fully constitutional.
Students may think, reflect, breathe, plan their day… or simply enjoy one quiet minute.
Nothing is imposed. Nothing is suggested. Nothing is taught.
The school provides the silence; the student provides the meaning.
This neutrality honors every family, every background, every belief.
A Time to Bring Calm, Not Division
Schools today face an overwhelming number of emotionally charged issues—from curriculum disputes to the highly publicized legal battles over gender-based bathroom policies in districts such as Massapequa and Locust Valley. These topics are difficult, and the debates around them often leave communities strained.
But a Moment of Silence is the opposite of those conflicts.
It is not political. It is not cultural. It is not ideological.
It is a minute that brings everyone together—not because they all think the same, but because they all stop together.
A school district that can navigate complex social issues, legal directives, and heated board meetings can surely find common ground around the most unifying practice of all: a shared moment of quiet.
Building Conscience, Character, and Community
When children begin their day with a minute of silence, something subtle but profound happens:
- Their minds settle.
- Their hearts open.
- Their behavior improves.
- Their learning becomes more focused.
- Their sense of identity deepens.
And perhaps most important, they begin to associate school not only with academic achievement but with inner character and moral development—the very values our public schools say they want to cultivate.
A Moment of Silence is not the solution to every challenge.
But it is a small, grounding, daily ritual that strengthens everything around it.
An Invitation, Not a Demand
My call for a Moment of Silence is not a command, not a criticism, and not an accusation. It is an invitation—to openness, reflection, calm, and community.
It is an invitation to give our children a quiet tool they can carry into the rest of their lives.
A tool that asks nothing of them, but gives them space to become the best version of themselves.
In a world where so much noise divides us, one minute of stillness may be the one thing that gently brings us together.
Let us offer our children this gift. Let us trust them with quiet. Let us allow the silence to speak.
And perhaps, in that brief moment, we will discover that a stronger, kinder, more centered school community begins not with what we say—but with what we allow ourselves to hear in the silence.
