Students Attend High Holiday Workshops

by Shir Levenson, SSLI '26

This morning, students participated in workshops related to themes and ideas of Rosh Hashanah and the upcoming chagim (high holy days). The workshops were each led by different teachers and included activities about self-reflection, high holiday music, Yom Kippur metaphors, poetry about forgiveness, and Teshuvah (repentance).

Leora Cohen, the school social worker, led a workshop titled “Cheshbon haNefesh: Making New Year's Resolutions Jewish.” She focused on guiding the students in identifying their strengths and challenges as they approached the Tishrei 5785 and discussed how Cheshbon HaNefesh, which means recounting of the soul, differs from New Year's resolutions in January.

Mikey Benlevi, a junior, attended Cohen’s workshop. He explained, “We discussed our personal goals for the new year that would impact our lives and our goals that would impact the lives of others.” To think about these goals, students “made a Venn diagram to show the relationship between the two,” explained Benlevi. Benlevi added that this activity “got [him] in the mindset of the chagim and ready for the new year.”

Student wrote goals for the upcoming year. (R. Rogers)

Ms. Stern, the music teacher and lower school program director, led a workshop where students sang songs typically sung on Yom Kippur and learned different cultural tunes of Jews from around the world.

Talia Herbst, a senior, explained that “Ms. Stern taught us three different melodies that relate to Rosh Hashanah. I very much enjoyed it because Ms. Stern was…my teacher seven years ago, so it was a full circle moment.”

Students played instruments and learned Yom Kippur songs from Spain and Yemen. (J. Jurmann)

Mr. Pitt Stoller, one of the high school English teachers, led a workshop where students read and analyzed poetry about the theme of forgiveness and then wrote their own poems. Mr. Pitt-Stoller shared that they “looked at [three] poems by William Blake, Mary Oliver, and Emily Dickinson. [Students] read them out loud and reflected on how they connected with the themes they had identified.”

By the end, three students shared their poems with the group. Mr. Pitt-Stoller feels that this activity helped students “build a bridge between the religious concepts and the things that they feel in their hearts.”

Herbst shared, “[The workshops] got me more in the feel for Rosh Hashanah, and I’m excited to see my family tomorrow and enjoy all my grandma's good food.”

The workshops were a big success and helped everyone get their minds and hearts ready for Rosh Hashanah. Paw Print Now wishes everyone a Shanah Tovah U’metukah, a happy and sweet new year, that brings besorot tovot, good news, for all.

Shir Levenson is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since December 2022. Shir is currently a junior at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: slevenson26@schechterli.org