By Dr. Susie Tanchel I am excited to welcome you back to JCDS as we begin the 2017-18 school year! I hope that, like me, you have had the opportunity this summer to enjoy wonderful and rejuvenating moments of relaxation with family and friends. Spending time outside in awe-inspiring natural beauty has felt particularly meaningful for … More JCDS: An Antidote to the Voices of Hatred
By Ifat Bejerano, Parent of Danielle ’17 and Stav ’13 As my youngest daughter, Danielle, prepares to graduate from JCDS in a few short weeks, I find myself reflecting on my family’s nine years at JCDS. I think back to the first time I visited the school. My husband, Yaniv, and I were living in … More Reflections on a Bicultural Community
Dr. Susie Tanchel, JCDS Head of School was honored at Keshet’s annual OUTstanding! awards gala. Along with Rebekah Farber and Dr. Marc Kramer, Dr. Tanchel received the Hachmei Lev Award for modeling Jewish LGBTQ inclusion and equality in the Jewish Day School movement. Dr. Tanchel was, until recently, the only out head of a Jewish … More Dr. Susie Tanchel’s Remarks at Keshet Gala
By Dr. Susie Tanchel, JCDS Head of School Growing up, I loved candy. As a kid, I wondered why the adults around me didn’t eat candy all the time. I mean, they had the freedom to do it, so why didn’t they just indulge constantly? Though I did not know it at the time, I … More The Freedom to Eat Candy?
Last month, I made a presentation to 4th-8th graders, teachers, staff and my family at JCDS about my physical disability, Multiminicore Myopathy. Multiminicore Myopathy is a very rare hidden disability that affects the muscles and makes them fatigue easily. I was inspired to give this presentation to raise awareness about all physical disabilities and other … More Reflections
We recently had the honor of presenting at Prizmah – the North American Jewish Day School Conference – with our colleagues, Orit Kent and Allison Cook. Our presentation, Integration Through Strong Teaching Teams, examined how using the skills and strategies of the Pedagogy of Partnership (a relationship-centered pedagogy) in our work allows for us to … More Team Teaching in Action: Leadership at Prizmah Conference
By Dr. Susie Tanchel Since we are not together at school this year to honor the work of Martin Luther King, Jr., I wanted to share with you an excerpt from a speech Dr. King gave at the Ebenezer Church in Atlanta in March 1968 entitled “Unfulfilled Dreams.” Dr. King reflects on public historical figures … More Persistent Dreams: Reflections on MLK Day
By Dr. Susie Tanchel During the time that the Maccabees were at war with the Greeks, it took courage to be visibly Jewish. We recognize that in certain places around the world this remains true today. Likely in response to this historical reality, the Rabbis instructed Jews to place their chanukkiyah (the menorah for Chanukkah) … More The Power of Public Displays
By Dr. Susie Tanchel Originally posted on Jewish Boston Blog. The power we feel in belonging to something bigger than ourselves is an important part of what lies at the heart of people’s “just Jewish” identity.
By Samara Soiref, Fifth Grade General Studies Teacher For this year’s election unit, I wanted to find a way for the students to truly understand the process of electing a president, but I did not want to address the actual candidates or issues. I therefore decided to engage the students in a mock election for Class President … More Perspective-Taking This Election Season
