4 minute read
Cultivating Growth and Community: The Power of Partnerships
March 2024
By Megan Harkavy, Hebrew High Director
Creating and cultivating partnerships is one of the highlights and high priorities at Hebrew High. We believe that it is a crucial step in fostering growth and community engagement for our teens. Without these partnerships, our teens might not know that these programs exist in our community.
Some of our recent partnerships include:
Throughout the year we have several different service projects with Jewish Family Services of Greater Charlotte, including holding a food drive for the food pantry, packaging goodie bags and providing some entertainment for their Senior Chanukah Party and our cooking class prepares food for the food pantry.
We partnered with the Stan Greenspon Holocaust and Social Justice Education Center to offer a Hebrew High Jewish Heritage Tour through the Jacobs-Jaffa Charlotte Jewish Heritage Tour. It included a visit to Queens University to discuss Jewish life on campus, a scavenger hunt through the Hebrew Cemetery, a visit to the Holocaust Memorial, and a stop at the Friendship Circle.
In addition, all of our teens or staff who are present are invited to make announcements during dinner about any upcoming event or program. This is a great partnership between BBYO, LIBERTY and the Levine JCC because they can highlight their upcoming events. We have also had members from Chabad come and talk about the Chanukah concert and volunteer opportunities with the Friendship Circle.
Hebrew High recently formed a new partnership with Shalom Green to plan an all-school program for Tu B’Shvat, the New Year of the Trees. Shalom Green is a group of Jewish community volunteers who are dedicated to promoting an understanding of Jewish environmental values. Shalom Green is united in its commitment to sustainability and is energized to take meaningful action to preserve and protect Creation.
Our students experienced two unique activities that related to Tu B’Shvat and promoted environmental values. The first activity was a Tu B’Shvat Seder, led by some of our teachers. The goal of this seder is for the teens to learn or remember the miracle of nature and celebrate their relationship to it. During the Tu B’Shvat Seder, our students had the chance to taste different fruits that are grown in Israel as well as to reflect on their role in the world and how to be more committed to environmental values.
But why do we specifically eat fruit that is grown in Israel?
The teens learned that the seven species have played an important role in the food of the Israelites and the religious traditions of Judaism. Indeed, to the ancient Israelites, the seven species were not only evidence of the land’s great bounty, but evidence of G-d’s love toward them. Wheat fields, vineyards and olive groves are still a salient feature of the Israeli landscape today. Figs, olives, pomegranates, and dates are common ingredients in the cuisine of Israel. As part of this seder, they also enjoyed four cups (really sips) of grape juice, both white and red grape juice. The teens learned a lot and enjoyed this interactive and delicious activity.
The second activity was creating and decorating tote bags. While they were coloring and spending time with their friends, the teens learned about single use plastic and the importance of bringing your own bag when you go shopping. They were able to take home the tote bags that they created to use during future shopping trips.
Our students enjoyed this allschool program and we are so grateful for the partnership that was created between Hebrew High and Shalom Green. We hope to partner with them again in the future!
