JEWISH LIFE AT EMANUEL

Emanuel wouldn’t be Emanuel without the incredible opportunities we have to participate in the overarching Jewish Life of the School. It changes Emanuel from just a school to a community, and a family.

Emanuel wouldn’t be Emanuel without the incredible opportunities we have to participate in the overarching Jewish Life of the School. It changes Emanuel from just a school to a community, and a family.

Weekly Shabbatot provide a glimpse into the supportive and participatory culture that is integral to Emanuel life, with students singing, dancing and celebrating as a community. The opportunity to plan and lead these activities has taught us skills that can’t be learnt from Mathematics or Chemistry – leadership and creativity.

Where else could you do a dance battle at Shabbat or a Purim parody of The Office? Through the Social Action and Sustainability Va’adot (Committees), students live the Jewish principle of Tikkun Olam, or Repairing the World.

Emanuel’s Jewish spirit is spread across the School, encouraging students to get involved, engage and have fun celebrating Chaggim, customs, rituals and traditions.

As an egalitarian, pluralist Jewish school, Emanuel faces a major challenge in its practice of Judaism: how can a school maintain its Jewish identity while fostering growth and individual acceptance? And yet, it is this very struggle that creates such a powerful Jewish education.

Through the Shabbatot, pe’ulot, festivals, school camps and general school culture, every student is provided with a space to grapple with their personal connection with religion. Discussions about the role of modern Jews, the adaptation of Jewish law, and the symbolism behind Torah stories are central to this growth, encouraging a strong personal identity. As a modern Jewish school, we have relished the opportunity to never blindly accept but rather grapple with the entirety of Judaism.

Additionally, Emanuel’s egalitarian values are integral to the School’s culture of acceptance and equality. All religious opportunities are presented independent of gender or sexuality. In the modern day, these values are vital in creating a safe, welcoming space for all.

Emanuel’s Jewish education has given us the tools to approach the world with a perspective of acceptance and understanding along with a powerful Jewish identity founded on discussion and community.

By Eden Glass and Jesse Herdan Class of 2022