April 26, 2025

Quote of the Week

"The only way to deal with this life meaningfully is to find one's passion and use it to serve others." - Leo Tolstoy

Learning And Teaching From The Heart In Troubled Times

In this deeply reflective piece, Rabbi Dr. Ariel Burger explores how educators and parents can foster compassionate, morally grounded learning during times of global crisis and conflict. Drawing from his time with Holocaust survivor and educator Elie Wiesel, Burger emphasises the importance of balancing moral ferocity with humility and tenderness. He advocates for the celebration of questions over answers, arguing that curiosity nurtures empathy and guards against fanaticism. Children and students can become more self-aware and compassionate through literature, history, and genuine human encounters, especially with those different from us. Burger stresses that education must humanise; it must prepare young people not just to understand suffering, but to respond with moral courage. He insists that teaching from the heart—infused with vulnerability, openness, and mutual questioning-can plant the seeds for a more connected, hopeful future in a fractured world. [read article]

Reading Corner

Title: The Red Pencil
By: Andrea Davis Pinkney
Ages: 9-12

"Amira, look at me," Muma insists.

She collects both my hands in hers.
"The Janjaweed attack without warning.
If ever they come-- run."

Finally, Amira is twelve. Old enough to wear a toob, old enough for new responsibilities. And maybe old enough to go to school in Nyala-- Amira's one true dream.

But life in her peaceful Sudanese village is shattered when the Janjaweed arrive. The terrifying attackers ravage the town and unleash unspeakable horrors. After she loses nearly everything, Amira needs to dig deep within herself to find the strength to make the long journey-- on foot-- to safety at a refugee camp. Her days are tough at the camp, until the gift of a simple red pencil opens her mind-- and all kinds of possibilities." - Publishers

Be the Change

Once a week, gather as a family and ask one big question—about kindness, justice, or what it means to be human. Listen deeply to each other without trying to solve or fix. Let the question guide a small act of compassion you take together that week.