Dear Friends,
It is with a mixture of heartfelt emotions that we are writing this letter to our loyal and committed friends of the Syracuse Hebrew Day School. As the weeks of the school year wind down, we have begun to take an introspective look over the past 14 years of which our children have spent at this fine institution. A multitude of thoughts enter our minds as the youngest of our three daughters will proudly read her graduation speech in front of classmates, teachers, family and friends.
As with any rite of passage, we analyze “how did we reach this monumental milestone as we exit the physical boundaries of the Syracuse Hebrew Day School?” Is there a roadmap ensuring our child’s success and educational fulfillment during their formative elementary schooling while at our Hebrew Day School? We’ve all traveled down this road before and realize that each child has their own innate qualities and characteristics which help to define their unique persona. However, are there one or more notable experiences that can best highlight a child’s Syracuse Hebrew Day School education which will lead to continued success in their academic arena?
We decided to question our youngest daughter Kara as to some of her thoughts on this very complex subject. When asked what she liked best about the Day School, she immediately stated it was her role as an elected officer on the student council for the past two years. It may be a stretch, but… do the leadership skills she ascertained at the Day School equate to a future role as a spirited community leader?
We believe she has learned the fundamental worth of being part of a small group of students who can make a difference. The student council, along with the rest of the student body at SHDS, immerses themselves in the role of philanthropic good deeds or tzedaka. The word tzedaka is a derivative of the Hebrew word tzedek which translates to mean justice. Performing acts of justice is one of the most important tasks or services any Jew could impose upon themselves. Teaching our children these basic principals mirrors the qualities of an honest and decent person, which translates to the ethics being taught at the Syracuse Hebrew Day School.
Reflecting upon our oldest daughter Dana, now finishing her freshman year at the University of Massachusetts and Rebecca, a junior at Fayetteville Manlius High School, we are inspired by the clubs and activities they involve themselves in, both within their school and community. Their high school and college activity resumes reflect all the characteristics of leadership, tzedaka and that of being a mensch, including such commitments as Child Life Assistant at University Hospital, after-school tutor and teacher at Mott Road Elementary, Master of Ceremonies at FM Dance Marathon to raise money for Camp Good Days and Special Times, Peer Helpers, Friend to Friend Club, National Honor Society and a Core Member of the Character Education Steering Committee. The commonality of these commitments stem from the moral philosophies they learned at the Syracuse Hebrew Day School. Character enhancement, leadership skills and academic success are just a few of the many attributes our children learned at SHDS.
We recently attended our last academic fair and were excited with what we saw in the 6th grade classroom. Kara proudly showed us the repertoire of Hebrew and English projects completed by her 18 classmates. We were presented with beautiful models, graphs and reports on Ancient Egypt, the Middle Ages, the Solar System, Pre-Algebraic equations and a presentation on Jewish Life Cycles. It was at this point that the light finally dawned as to how our children have developed and will continue to mature into courageous leaders of their school and community with an understanding of the importance Judaism has in their young lives. As our students have learned through reading Anne Frank’s diary in their Jewish Social Studies class, “human worth does not lie in riches or power, but in character or goodness…if people would only begin to develop this goodness.”
Anne Frank’s statement speaks volumes for the morality of what we feel our children have achieved while attending the Syracuse Hebrew Day School. As our oldest daughter pursues a career in education and our high school junior continues in her quest for a successful senior year followed by her passion in the field of medicine, we feel triumphant with the knowledge that it all began at the Syracuse Hebrew Day School. Throughout all the trials and tribulations which life has in store for our children, we are confident that the examples set forth while at SHDS can serve as a powerful reminder of what it means to be an intuitive, thought-provoking individual who can truly make a difference in their quest for peace and fulfillment of life.
Please help us to support our Syracuse Hebrew Day School and the opportunities it presents for each Jewish child of our greater community.
Shalom
Sondra and Steven Goldberg
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