Next Wednesday Jews around the world will celebrate Tu B’Shevat, a relatively minor holiday that celebrates the “birthday of the trees.” In Israel it often marks the beginning of the spring season (which this year, feels not so distant from our own NYC experience!). In modern times it has become a holiday that has served to reaffirm our connection and dependence on nature. At the same time is is a time to focus our attention on eating and our relationship to food.

 

This past weekend I had the privilege of spending two days in Florida with close friends. Throughout our trip I noticed that much of our conversation consisted of the patter of our noting how gorgeous the weather was, how good the sun felt on our faces, how beautiful the ocean was as it altered color […]

When my eldest daughter was about three years old we were standing on the corner of 76th Street and Broadway, and she saw an extremely obese woman pass by. Gabriella pointed at the woman and said, “That person is fat.” I whipped my head around and said sternly, “Gabriella, don’t say that. That is not […]

Today marks the 14th anniversary of my mother’s death. My mother was among strongest forces to shape my perspective as a parent and educator and so it felt fitting to take this newsletter to share some of the lessons that have learned from her. I hope that through sharing her teachings I am able to […]

Throughout the past few weeks I have had numerous conversations with parents of current students and alumni about the Christmas dilemma. Parents struggle with how to respond to the dazzling allure of the Christmas season. We smell the trees when walking down Broadway, we see the glistening lights in every store window, and our children […]

In ten days we usher in the first night of Chanukah. I know that against the backdrop of the strong consumer culture in which we live, making this holiday meaningful is not easy. We compete not only with the loud advertisements and commercials that tell us to buy more but also the strong Christmas overlay […]

One in three children is living in poverty in America. Nearly one in three children will be born into a home where a parent will find it difficult to put food onto their tables. One in three children is living in a home where the family’s annual income, assuming a family of four, is less […]

51 parent-teacher conferences. That’s right, I have had 51 rounds of parent-teacher conferences for my three children over 11 years, beginning in the Fall of 2001 when I sent my oldest to Classroom 7 here at the JCC. And while you might expect that at this point I would feel nonchalant about the next round […]

On Wednesday evening I came home after a long day of work and after a quick dinner my 7 year-old son burst into tears and said to me, “Ema, they made fun of the way I speak and they made fun of science!”  “What do you mean?” I asked Daniel. And so he explained, “Today […]

It was so wonderful to experience a full week of school! The routines of the classrooms are falling into place and the Parent Nights that took place in each classroom were filled with such a warm sense of intention, community and learning. I loved watching parents engaged in paint, clay, blocks, water and so much else […]