With just a few days remaining before the end of the year the Latin III class at Cardin elected to get a taste of ancient Epic poetry, as a prelude to next year’s study of Vergil’s Aeneid. The students, with a little coaxing from their teacher, decided to go with two selections from Ovid’s Metamorphoses: the stories of Pygmalion and Daedalus. We began with the tale of Pygmalion, the mythical sculptor who falls in love with his own creation, later brought to life by the goddess Venus after the artist's many prayers. This story holds particular interest to this class since it was the inspiration for George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion and thus the Lerner and Lowe musical My Fair Lady, this year’s theatrical performance. With little time to focus on the intricacies of style and language, we are looking at the broader theme of an artist relationship to his work and the way in which a poet can reflect on the process of writing while telling such a story. In other words we are taking a metapoetic look at Ovid’s Pygmalion. The students recognize the worry with which Pygmalion retouches his statue, fearing that a “bruise/blemish” might appear similar to the results a writer might experience from over editing. They appreciate Pygmalion’s dressing and decorating of the statue, as one might embellish a piece of writing, while he also sees that his work is no less beautiful bare, exemplary of the concise and straight forward narrative. In the end the creation, whether it be a sculpture, painting, essay, or poem, is no less alive to the artist, than Pygmalion’s statue come to life. It is something that its creator must accept and cherish, regardless of any perceived flaws, as representation and part of him/herself. And just as Pygmalion spends the rest of his days with his statue turned wife, so to an artist must live with his work.
The word development is a noun. In checking out the thesaurus, I was not at all surprised to find that synonyms include evolution, making progress, boost, buildup, spreading, maturing and growth. During this academic year, the development office at Cardin has indeed taken steps forward. Our initial goal was, in fact to boost and build up the image of the school. In conjunction with our marketing professionals, we have moved in that direction. Joining the Pikesville Chamber of Commerce certainly enhanced our visibility and engagement in the community. The Cardin school is clearly evolving. Advancing from the early disappointment at the loss of the Rosewood property to the wonderful news that we will build a permanent home at Oheb Shalom was indeed an example of progression and growth.
In many institutions the development office is called the office of advancement. Advance is defined as “steady progress”. What a perfect description of our school! In the past seven years, Cardin has grown, improved and gained in stature, all synonyms for advancing. Advancement suggests progression that is bigger, more or beyond expectations. At this juncture in our history, The Shoshana S. Cardin School is on the cusp of moving beyond our greatest dreams and expectations.
Clearly, the goals of this office include procurement of funds and to that end our Annual Fund Drive for the Shoshana S. Cardin School continues to solicit gifts to boost our general operating budget. We have been diligent about building a culture of philanthropy.
It has been a defining year at Cardin. As we move into the summer and construction plans begin to develop, we are proud of our advancement and look forward to continued positive forward movement. Let all of us who are committed to the distinctive mission of this school, continue to spread the word about our unique identity.
~Marjorie R. Hoffman
Director of Development and Marketing
Adina Shanholtz, Deena Lucas and Morah Zohara Chaban.
The Cardin Israeli Dance group recently performed at the end of the Amazing UnRace program sponsored by the CJE. In a thank you letter to Cardin, Amien Frost Kelemer from the CJE writes:
“Dear Cardin students.
Thank you so much for the special touch you added at the finish line of the Amazing UnRace. It was great to see you all decked out in your purple t-shirts inspiring others to dance and creating an “Israeli Avirah”!
You worked really well together as a troop... It was clear that each of you has special talents that I hope you will treasure and use often throughout your life! The treasures are not only the skill of dance, but the appreciation for a unique Israeli experience as well as the poise, self-confidence and leadership each of you exhibited.
Thank you for your efforts to get to the JCC on a Sunday and hope you enjoyed it as well."
It used to be that Shavuot, which we will celebrate on May 19-20, was the Rodney Dangerfield of Jewish holy days…it got no respect! That always bothered me because when you really think about it, Shavuot is IT! It’s the holiday of holidays marking the event of events – the revelation of God and the giving and receiving of Torah at Mt.Sinai. In essence, Shavuot is the most important of all our chagim and it is one deserving of our utmost respect.
Fortunately, Shavuot is getting more respect lately. Each year, it seems that more and more Jews across and beyond Judaism’s denominational spectrum celebrate the chag with tefillah/worship, family (dairy) meals and Torah study, often in the form of an all night Torah-thon called Tikkun Lel Shavuot. For those who participate, staying up into the wee hours to study Torah says that Torah is meaningful and indicates a desire and an openness/readiness to receive the Torah once again. One popular legend has it that the Israelites overslept on the morning that the Torah was to be given and that our staying up all night is a corrective to that original mishap.
Still, there is a way to go. Shavuot is not as popular as the other two Biblical pilgrimage and harvest festivals, Pesach and Sukkot, nor does it have the appeal of a Chanukah or Purim. Something is missing.
Perhaps seeing Shavuot in relation to the holiday which precedes it on the calendar may help. There is no escaping the connection between Shavuot and Pesach. The Torah has us actually count the days between the two holidays. It may not seem like the most significant ritual but it is both significant – and fundamental.
The Exodus is great story. It tells of how a crushed and afflicted group of slaves could triumph over tyranny and oppression. It elevated human dignity and freedom into ultimate values cherished by all who would consider themselves civilized. We then count the omer, because the freedom story, at least for us, does not end there. It culminates seven weeks later, on Shavuot, when we stood at Sinai in covenant with God.
Shavuot transforms the Exodus from a great story into OUR story.
Allow me to quote these words from Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth, and one of our time’s most erudite and eloquent spokesmen. In discussing the relationship between Pesach and Shavuot, he writes,
Freedom...is not just the overthrow of a regime, the end of a period of persecution. It is the long slow process of building a society that respects the human person, built on the foundations of law and righteousness, justice and compassion. No people, no faith, have had a more exalted vision of law as the architecture of freedom - law as the word of God, the defence of liberty, and the guarantor of the equal dignity of rich and poor, strong and weak. Without law and the ethics it embodies, freedom becomes the possession of the few, not the many, the manipulative but not the vulnerable.
That was the towering insight of the Torah. It was as if God had said, "By bringing you out of Egypt, I have given you the possibility of freedom, but now you must make it a reality. I cannot do it for you, but I can show you how it is to be done. Here are My laws, My statutes and commands. Live by them and you will create a great society. Abandon them and you will become like every other nation in history. You have only one thing that makes you different - My Torah, your constitution as a people."
This is the deeper significance of Shavuot. The message of Shavuot is the essence of Judaism. This is indeed a holiday that deserves our utmost respect.
My tenth grade Modern Western Civilization class is involved in an oral history project focusing on a grandparent’s family history developing stories that relate to immigration experiences, family life, social activities, education, religious practices, community involvement, or other pertinent activities that impacted this person and their family. The model for this exercise is taken from a wonderful website, http://www.centropa.org/. Centropa has generated over a thousand narratives of survivors of the holocaust ranging throughout Central Europe. Centropa has developed tools to create narratives utilizing family pictures as a foundation to explore their stories. Their techniques are quite effective in exploring family histories, and I encourage all to explore the website to learn about Jewish culture before, during, and after World War II in Central Europe.
Cardin students have continued the Centropa tradition and have forged wonderful bonds with grandparents in the exploration of their family histories. It has been fascinating how many of our families at a small school have histories that connect with each other in a myriad of ways. Our students enjoy this activity and always seem eager to share their stories with the class. Family stories provide tremendous opportunities to personalize history and enhance understanding of the events of the twentieth century. Ask any of our tenth graders to share their stories with you.
~Bob Cantor
Modern Western Civilization and Psychology Teacher
The Internet is amazing. It offers us access to vast information, opinions, and perspectives with simple clicks and keystrokes. Yet as it goes with most good things, too much can be a bad thing. Relying too heavily on the Internet can hinder our ability to think independently, to make solid judgments, and to learn constructively.
There are sites out there that can tell you how to be a better parent, or how to write a paper, both of which can be very practical and helpful. The problem arises when we allow ourselves to rely so heavily on outside resources such as these that we lose our ability to think critically. If we can't develop our own processes to solve a problem or, for instance, even create a thesis statement, what results is diminished individual convictions or, worse yet, an absence of any real opinion or point of view whatsoever. In short, information on the Internet can go from guiding your point of view to actually being your point of view.
Just last night, my husband and I had a lengthy conversation about this very topic. He feels that I have grown so dependent on external resources that I've started to lack the ability to make my own opinions and question my own beliefs. As hard as it is for me swallow, he may have a point. I'm a big believer in authenticity and passion, and I shudder at the thought of this electronic thing, the Internet, making decisions for me, yet I can see how it can happen. So, it's something I need to monitor and regulate. This doesn't mean I'll stop using the Internet; I just need to make sure that it's complementing my own thoughts, not manipulating them.
Luckily, our students are at a point where they can create habits of independent thinking and genuine learning. As the significant adults in their lives, let's encourage healthy use of the Internet to help ensure we raise a generation of educated AND independent thinkers, as opposed to either/or.
Everyone has a story to share. Some tell theirs more fervently and with more conviction than others. The story of The Shoshana S. Cardin School demands that its telling be filled with enthusiasm and passion. After all, there is no place else in our community where a pluralistic Jewish education for high school students is available. That, in itself, is an amazing tale. Do you know the narrative of how our school evolved? Could you share the Cardin story with someone easily and tell it with conviction? If there are gaps in your knowledge about our history, please stop by and I will happily share details of how a small group of committed lay leaders, educators and rabbis had a dream that is now a reality.
In the world of philanthropy whether you are interested in ensuring a child’s Jewish education, providing crucial services to those in need, or concerned about a strong community, a combination of facts, narrative, personal experiences and emotion are necessary to inform supporters.
With the recent announcement of a generous matching grant from the Herbert Bearman Foundation, it is possible to make contributions to the Annual Fund Drive for The Shoshana S. Cardin School more effective. From now until June 30, 2010, The Bearman Foundation will match every new dollar from current donors at a level of 1:1 and every new donation at a level of 2:1 on all donations up to $25,000.
In the words of Head of School, Barbie B. Prince, “All donations raised from the Bearman Foundations’ generous matching grant will go directly to help us recruit exceptional faculty and sustain an enriching array of academic, visual and performing arts, athletic and co-curricular programs.”
As we move into the concluding weeks of this year’s campaign, you are encouraged to learn the Cardin tale and then tell it often to anyone willing to listen. As we engage friends and family in the Cardin story, we are asking them to become a part of it, writing the next line helping to be certain that while our students are Jewish today, they will be educated Jewish leaders tomorrow.
Now is a good time to ask/solicit/speak to others for their support. It’s not too late to make a difference. A gift in any amount is greatly appreciated.
Once upon a time…a great way to begin!
~Marjorie R. Hoffman
Director of Development and Marketing
In honor of Rabbi Seltzer's message about Israel, I have decided to create my own countdown. Many of you know that I will be going to Israel for the first time this summer-- 26 years later, I will have the opportunity to spend a month in the holy land, traveling around the country for the first week and studying in Israel for the next 3 weeks.
For this post, I have decided to share some of my pre-trip thoughts:
1. I have studied about Israel for most of my life. Since I was young, my family took me to Israel rallies and Israel advocacy events. For most of my life I have advocated for a country on a map-- one that I only knew through others' stories, stories of the land and people, stories of the zionist vision, and stories of modern Israel.
2. Will I feel at home? Often, after visiting Israel, many of my friends have told met that they felt “at home”, in essence, they felt an extraordinary connection to the land. Will I, too, feel that connection? Will I be moved to call in my home? And what will that do for my beliefs in a Jewish state?
3. How will my visit change my Jewish identity. Until this point in my life, I have had a strong Jewish identity: I keep the mitzvot, volunteer in the community, and support Jewish institutions. How will this change after I visit Israel? Will my Jewish identity be strengthened? How will I see myself as a member of the Jewish people? Will my responsibilities change?
As I look ahead to the experience, I am struck with a sense of awe-- I am inspired at the progress the state of Israel has made in its 62 years. From the early zionists who dreamed of a homeland, to the modern state-- filled with diverse religious and cultural groups-- where do I belong?
As Rabbi Seltzer said at the end of his blog, “so the countdown begins...” Well, my countdown has begun, and June 20th is around the corner. June 20th is the day I will depart New York and arrive in Israel, the homeland of my faith. But before I go, I am asking for advice, suggestions, and tips: What would you tell a first time visitor to Israel? What advice would you give?
My Israel countdown has begun: a dream, in its own right, is going to be fulfilled.
The countdown begins as I start to get ready for this years' 12th grade Israel trip. Now is the time I usually create a list of things to do before the trip: buy a new bathing suit, get a haircut, shop for toiletries, refill prescriptions, go to Barnes and Nobles to buy books for the plane, etc. As I make my checklist of important things to do, I want to remind my fellow pilgrims to remember a luggage name tag, a passport, and a water bottle.
I hope that whenever you travel, your luggage name tag will remind you of the lessons you have learned at Cardin, remember that your Jewish education is a suitcase that can serve you just as well as the one you will take to Israel. I also hope that the Jewish identity you formed at Cardin, in your homes, at your synagogues, at youth groups, at HaZamir rehearsals, and at summer camps will be as much a part of your identity as the passport you will carry.
Don’t forget to pack a water bottle. The rabbis often compare the Torah to water, the source of life. Whenever, you get thirsty, take a sip. Its values, lessons, and teachings will sustain you.
And make sure you keep refilling the water bottle. Take a Judaic studies course when you get to college, attend a Hillel event, study abroad in Israel, and come home for holidays and families simchahs.
So as the countdown begins and you start to get ready for your Israel trip, be careful not to over pack. As you approach the end of the trip, you will be leaving with much more!
