Baltimore Jewish Day Schools

Read one father’s very candid (and humorous) description of his joys and fears about sending his daughter to a Jewish day school, in the blog post “Seize the Day School” by Ken Gordon, Editor of JBooks.com, who asks the question, “Am I Jewish Enough for My Daughter?

The Day School at Baltimore Hebrew held its annual Fine Arts Festival on Thursday, May 12th.  Along with a silent auction and dinner, children’s artwork was on display.  To highlight the event, students in pre-school, lower school and middle school performed on stage in a wide variety of genres, showcasing their talents and curricular commitment to the arts.  Drama, dance, recorder, song and movement were all part of the show.

Not only is The Day School committed to the arts, we value them as part of life and therefore as part of each subject.  Teachers integrate the arts throughout the curriculum in creative and meaningful ways.  For example, the 7th grade curriculum includes a study of the Renaissance.  In social studies classes students played a simulation game taking on the personas of people who lived during that time period.  In Judaics, they learned how Jews in Europe lived during the Renaissance and in music they studied the recorder (renaissance flute) and composers of the period.  In art classes, students practiced calligraphy and illuminated letters, beautifying their favorite quotes from Shakespeare, the Torah and prayer books.  Language Arts classes read Romeo and Juliet, and students performed scenes from the play wearing authentic costumes and using realistic props. Our girls learned a medieval dance, thus integrating movement and rhythm, which they performed during our festival.

When subjects are integrated, they come to have real and profound meaning to the students.  Connections are made and learning takes place on a variety of levels.  The Day School at Baltimore Hebrew embraces this technique and our students reap the benefits.

By Joyce Franklin

View photo essay and video by BaltimoreJewishLife.com.

Although the skies were overcast on Sunday, April 10th, the enthusiasm and energy of the Beth Tfiloh School community was palpable as more than 500 runners, walkers, and strollers gathered together to support the first ever Mitzvah Miles Race for Yad B’Yad, and raised over $30,000.

The Yad B’Yad Fund is a Chesed Fund (Hebrew for “kindness”) which was created by concerned parents to help Beth Tfiloh school families and staff members deal with unforeseen circumstances, such as a serious illness or death of an immediate family member, as well as other emotional or financial circumstances. Monies from the fund are distributed through a strictly confidential process managed by an oversight committee, consisting of both school parents and administration. The mission of Yad B’Yad represents the very essence of the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community Day School – a warm, caring and supportive school family.

The tremendous outpouring of support from students, parents and teachers for the Mitzvah Miles Race was overwhelming, but hardly surprising. Anyone familiar with Beth Tfiloh knows about the strong emphasis placed on Jewish values and the importance of helping others. This was an opportunity for our community to demonstrate its commitment to those principles.

Under the capable leadership of the Mitzvah Miles Co-chairs, Shari Cohen and Harriette Wienner, we raised over $30,000 for Yad B’Yad. The festivities included a post race party, complete with music, food, a moonbounce, other games and fun.

The Yad b’Yad Fund is chaired by Joyce Franklin; Mitzvah Miles co-chairs were Shari Cohen and Harriette Wienner. Special thanks to our Mitzvah Miles sponsors. Donations to Yad b’Yad can be made on the Mitzvah Miles Fundraising webpage.

The hard work and dedication of the many volunteers and supporters of Mitzvah Miles truly exemplifies the warm and caring spirit of Beth Tfiloh. How fortunate our children are to be educated in this wonderful environment!