We are all on a journey throughout our lives.  We change and we grow, and our ideas change and grow as we do.  This applies to our sense of Jewish identity, and as one of our final projects in Judaic Studies at HDS, 5th grade students explore their identity as Jews. This project is based […] Read More

Of the many events and celebrations we participate in at HDS, our celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day) is among my favorites.  On that fun-filled afternoon, the entire student body is divided into multi-age groups, and the groups move from room to room to experience a variety of Israel-themed activities.  For over a decade […] Read More

Ocean Township Elementary School in Oakhurst, NJ – that’s where I spent the first six years of my academic life. It’s where I learned to climb on a jungle gym made from old tires and where my fifth-grade girlfriends decided which boy from “The Outsiders” they would marry. It’s also where my academic foundation was […] Read More

I love the HDS Talent Show.  That’s why, for the second year, I have (with help) produced, directed, stage-managed, choreographed, audio-edited, and performed in the show.  I am so enamored with the evening because it always lives up to its name to help us “Be Happy, It’s Adar.” By now, the students have all learned […] Read More

On Monday, we returned from our mid-winter break. It can be difficult sometimes to return from a vacation, but we were fortunate enough to begin our week by celebrating Rosh Chodesh Adar, which enabled us to return to school with real joy.  Each month, for our Rosh Chodesh celebration, we choose a different characteristic to […] Read More

When I was growing up, my family moved every 2 or 3 years. But each and every summer, we would live in Ann Arbor to go to the doctor, see my grandparents, go to our cottage up north, and swim at Huron Valley Swim Club. I had the same swim coach for 11 years. He was a taskmaster […] Read More

When the fifth graders enter the Gan classroom to meet their buddies for the first time, there is a palpable sense of excitement and nervous energy in the air. The fifth graders seem to stand a little bit taller as they realize that it is now their turn to be the leaders in the school.  They do a […] Read More

Over the past few weeks, our class has had an amazing time learning about one of the Rambam’s most famous works – Sefer HaMitzvot –the Book of Mitzvot.  In this book, the Rambam details all 613 mitzvot listed in the Torah and provides descriptions of each.  The students have now compiled their own Books of Mitzvot and are learning about […] Read More

Have you ever heard of the podcast Serial? Serial is a terribly interesting and addictive (true) story about a botched murder case in Maryland, in which a teen was accused and found guilty of killing his high school girlfriend based on faulty evidence. The show re-examined the decades-old evidence, re-interviewed the witnesses and all-around questioned the […] Read More

Our joyful Rosh Chodesh assemblies do more than just mark the first day of a new Jewish month and call attention to the progression of the Jewish year. These assemblies provide a warm communal experience for all involved—students and adults alike. When I prepare for such an assembly, I am often reminded of my experience […] Read More