Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on April 13, 2022

CANTON Antisemitism is not only alive and well, it's flourishing.

Because even Jewish children living in Stark County have not been spared, the local Jewish community isensuring that they learn about their faiththrough theChadashCommunity Hebrew Academy.

Julie Zorn is education director of the academywhich conductsweekly religion classes and activitiesforJewish children at Beit Ha'am at 432 30th St. NW.The curriculum includesinstruction in Hebrew, history, and Judaicaforpreschool through 10th grade.

Currently, 32 students are enrolled.

"We want to give them a Jewish experience," said Zorn, who grew up in Akron. "We talk about symbols, holidays, values and a lot about Shabbat."

More: Shalom: Jewish Community Center closes its doors

Zorn said what makes the school unique is, because the local Jewish community is so small, Chadashis community-based and not exclusive to one congregation.

Beit Ha'amhouses Temple Israel and Shaaray Torah Synagogue, which are Reform and Conservative congregations, respectively.

The arrangement, she said, enables studentsto learn about one another's traditions.

"We've made it work. We've had a lot of success with it," she said, adding that the school is kosher.

Lessons areage-based. For instance, grades 3 through 5 study Israel and the Jewish life cycle. Students in grades 6 studycomparative religionsand the Holocaust.

Zorn said that studies for the Confirmation class, which consists ofninth and 10th graders, covers "everything you want to knowbut were afraid to ask about Judaism."

Students actively celebrateJewish holidays such as Passover, which begins at sundown Friday. During Passover, Zorn said Chadash students do hands-on projects, includinga "Passover Fair" with learning stations.

Overthe last two years, school activities were virtual because of the pandemic. In-person classes resumed in November2021.

The word "Chadash" means "new," but anti-Jewish hatred is a very old problem. Zorn noted that, even in 2022, she's fielded stories from students about being mistreated and bullied because of their faith.

"I'm majorly, majorly concerned," she said. "The kids in the program share incidents about other kids who won't play with them on the playground because they're Jewish. My own children come to me with stories.

"There's antisemitism in this town, in Stark County."

A 2020 audit by the Cleveland office of the Anti Defamation Leagueconcludedthatanti-Jewishincidents in Ohio increased by 72%between 2019 and 2020. Though such behaviordeclined by 4%nationwide, 2020 was thethird-highest year on record, according to the audit.

Zorn points out that although Passover began more than 3,000 years ago, itsthemes remaintimely and relevant.

"They (Jews) were enslaved by the Egyptians just because they were Jewish," she said, "to the point where women gave up their children so they could live a better life. I internalize that. I think about modern times, what mothers have had to give up."

Zorn said Chadash students also have informed her about LGBTQ students being bullied in school. She'sin the process of creatingshow-and-tell"diversity boxes" which can be used as teaching tools in secularschools for children from pre-kindergarten through the sixth grade.

"Theyinclude activities teachers can do in class," she said. "Unfortunately,hate is hate is hate. Itdoesn't matter who the hate is for, it's the same problem."

Zorn alsotouts"No Place for Hate," a free, anti-bias curriculum offered by the Anti Defamation League.

"It's student-led and it's not done through a Jewish lens,"she said. "The cool thing is, it's financed by a private donor in Chicago. They're paying for any public schoolthat wants to use it."

Zorn said she's willing to visit schools and churches, and that Beit Ha'am welcomesvisits by non-Jewish groups to foster better understanding. Chadash also has a partnership with the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood, which sponsorsa yearly "Stop the Hate" writing competition for students.

"The impetus is, we've got to stop the hate," Zorn said, adding that she'd like to see more community emphasis on mental health.

Rabbi David Komerofsky of Temple Israel praised Zorn's understanding of "the value of supplementary Jewish education for kids who are often the only Jewish student in their public school. In a community as geographically diverse as Stark County, Chadash students bear the blessing and the burden of uniqueness during the week. On Sundays, they get to be with other Jewish students and learn the values of Jewish tradition and how they are universally applicable in our common search for goodness and kindness in the world."

LikeZorn, Komerofsky is a native of Akron. They attendedSunday school, consecration, and confirmation in the same class.

"I treasure the opportunity to help Chadash kids embrace their Jewish identities on their own terms," he said.

Zorn said that when a young studentinforms her about an antisemitic incident, she consults with parents.

"What we try to do in this school is teach differences and celebrate differences and what makes us unique," she said. "A 6-year-old is not going to understand bias training. Education and dialogue is the key to changing this."

The teaching staff at Chadash also makes sure that any class discussions about national tragedies such as the Tree of Life Synagogue mass shooting in Pittsburgh in 2019, areage-appropriate.

"We knew we would have to address it at religious school the next day, which was Sunday," Zorn recalled. "We start with a t'filah, which is prayer time. We had a special prayer for the people. Our kids made cards for them. We don't not talk about it. We don't want to instill panic, but we have to talk about it."

Despite the prevalence of antisemitism, Zornremains an optimist.

"I wholeheartedly believethat goodness prevails," she said. "I believe there are so many more good people in the world than loud, bad people. I think most people want diversity and inclusion;I really do."

Zorn has been director of Chadash since 2017. A Jewish song leader from age 13,she worked inTucson, Arizona, for 13 years as a Jewish music specialistand as theJewish living and learning specialist at the Tucson Jewish Community Center.

In 2017, Zorn earned master's degree in Jewish education from Hebrew College. In 2019, in addition toChadash, Zorn was appointed director of non-rabbinic duties andprogramming outreach director at Temple Israel. She's won several awards, including the Gerald and Marion Gendell Excellence in Jewish Education Award,the TucsonCoalition of Jewish Education's Innovation in Jewish Education honor, and Hebrew Colleges Friedman Scholarship Award in Academic Achievement.

Zorn said it's rewarding to see children learning and having fun with Judaism.

"I hated going to Sunday school," she confessed. "It was boring. I was resolved not to let that happen."

She said she's sometimes asked why she's devoted herself to Jewish education.

"I say, 'Would you rather teach common core math, or would you rather teach kindness?'" she said.

To lean more, visithttps://chadashcanton.org.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

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'We've got to stop the hate.' Chadash Academy offers Jewish children support, education - Canton Repository

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