Jewish Disability Awareness Event

was tragically killed in the Oxford High School shooting.

The program is part of Hillel’s fifth grade project-based learning unit on heroes. Students study the qualities of everyday heroes in their Tanach class through a close analysis of Exodus 2. In the biblical text, students learn about the heroic qualities of the midwives who defied Pharaoh’s order to kill all firstborn boys and kept the children alive. They then learn about the daughter of Pharaoh and her willingness to go against her father’s decree and save baby Moses.

As the year progresses, students write formal pieces in their Language Arts class about their own heroes. The learning unit culminates in the spring when the students’ heroes are invited into the school for a celebratory reading of the students’ writing.

The panel was a huge hit, with many of the fifth-grade students feeling inspired.

“I think you can really achieve anything you want to — it’s what you put into it,” said student Eli Panza. “Do better in the world and make it a better place.”

Student Reemone Chudnow said, “I found out people I could walk by every day, people I could walk by on the street are heroes.”

“The main takeaway is we’re really surrounded by heroes, and sometimes you just have to look close enough to see them,” said student Esther Matthies.

Clara Gaba, longtime Jewish Studies teacher who launched this learning unit many years ago, said, “It started with our Bible studies, and teaching the kids that heroes are not necessarily born but can grow up to be heroes.”

Gaba said one student last year told her that all they want to do is to grow up and have a lot of money. When Gaba asked them why, they said they wanted to be like Bill Farber and be able to give it back to the community.

“That’s a lesson by itself,” Gaba said.

Added Renee Liberman, Hillel language arts and social studies teacher, “It’s all about taking that time to look at humanity and all the moments we can rise to the occasion and really support each other. And that’s what we look to instill in our students, that value of community and supporting anyone who may need it in any way that you can.”

Hillel faculty member Nicole Miller, a close relative of Tate Myre, a student who was tragically killed in the Oxford High School shooting.

JCC’s Opening the Doors welcomes award-winning guest speakers.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

In celebration of Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, & Inclusion Month, JCC’s Opening the Doors is holding an inspiring virtual event, “Changing The Norm: Celebrating the Beauty of Different Abilities,” on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.

The event features Tony Award-nominated director and choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge and award-winning dancer and actor Evan Ruggerio.

Dodge will discuss creating her own authentic productions, celebrating inclusivity in all forms, including in her recent take on Olney Theatre Center’s Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Ruggiero, who portrayed “Beast” in her production, will highlight his triumphs on the stage when returning to dancing and performing after losing his leg, which was amputated above the knee after he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, at age 19.

Ellen Maiseloff, senior director of Opening the Doors, has known Dodge for years. When Maiseloff spoke with Dodge about her take and casting on Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” she was impressed with the choices she made and her philosophy, and also how it mirrored so much of what

Opening the Doors strives to do; by providing Jewish education classroom experiences for children of all abilities. “When (Dodge) creates a play or musical, she really doesn’t want to replicate what’s already been done,” Maiseloff said. “She likes to rebrand and reimagine, and when she does that, she really looks to find a Marcia Milgrom Dodge way to be inclusive of all races, ethnicities, body shapes and abilities in her casting.” Maiseloff says Dodge believes any child should be able to come to the theater, look at Evan Ruggiero the actors and believe they might play any role, even if they have different abilities. Dodge, who grew up in Southfield, won a Tony Award nomination for Best Director of a Musical for her revival of Ragtime in 2010. “I was thrilled and honored that she would share with us what she’s done in the world and how our world’s go together in recognizing, including, celebrating and helping people with different abilities to belong,” Maiseloff said. “I would like people to recognize there shouldn’t be barriers for people with differing abilities to be included, and that they can do anything,” Maiseloff said. To register, visit https://jlive.app/ events/1520. The fee is $5.