Printer-friendly versionI am a bad Jew.
My knowledge of my heritage is anecdotal. My practice of my culture is reduced to lighting the menorah at Hanukkah. While I have great respect and appreciation for any person who contributes vitally to our society, I don’t have any special respect or appreciation for someone just because of his Jewishness. So I had a lot of nerve getting my hackles up because Back to School Night was held on Rosh Hashana.
Here’s what I know about Rosh Hashana: Nothing. I get it confused with Passover and Yom Kippur. I’m pretty sure one of them is the Jewish new year, but I’m not really sure why that should be an especially big deal. Then again, New Year’s Eve, in general, is a pretty big deal, so maybe Rosh Hashana has that kind of significance to Jews.
A few days before Rosh Hashana, one of our administrators reminded the staff that we were not to assign homework or give tests in order to respect our Jewish students. I read and promptly deleted the email, primarily because I hadn’t planned to give homework anyway, but also because I had never heard of any students in our school who observe the High Holy Days. (I realize that just because I hadn’t heard about them doesn’t mean they didn’t exist.) Nonetheless, I dismissed the email as something that didn’t pertain to me or my students and went about my day.
While it didn’t pertain to me or my students, it did pertain to a colleague. Although we were told to respect the students who might be observing this holiday, little or no thought was given regarding how it might impact the staff. I don’t believe this was purposeful, but it still got my aforementioned hackles up.
My colleague has been a proud, observant Jew all of her life. Back to School Night is an important evening, and she is serious about her job. She is also serious about her commitment to her Jewish roots. I can only imagine how she must have wrestled with whether to attend her family’s traditional dinner or be present at one of the most important nights of the school year.
The idea of respecting religious and cultural practices is noble and well-meaning. There is also a long way to go. Recognizing the importance of Rosh Hashana was a good thing. It just needed to extend to all members of the school community.
In preparation for writing this article, I did a bit of research on Rosh Hashana. Turns out it’s a pretty big deal. So is Ramadan, Diwali and several others. There are dozens of religious and cultural practices that are never recognized in many schools. Yet if a school wants to truly respect all members of its community, an interfaith calendar is a good idea. After all, the point is that no one’s beliefs should be diminished nor should their ability to practice those beliefs be left out.
Shana Tova. May it be a good new year for all of us.
Sofen is a middle school writing teacher in New Jersey.
Comments
This comment although helpful
This comment although helpful to those who do not understand the importance and the struggles some face to celebrate their holidays without getting fired or in a large amount of trouble, is also very enlightening to those who do not realize that these holidays are important to some. What really makes it right to have Christmas off for the Christians but Hanukkah for the Jewish is of little importance just because the large majority celebrates Christmas. We must make ourselves more aware of others and more flexible to those and their personal lives and heritages.
Well said. For twenty-two
Well said. For twenty-two years I have had to use up sick/personal days to take off for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I am not sick; I am simply trying to recognize my heritage in a traditional manner. To truly show "tolerance" and respect all people should be presented with equal opportunities.
Note: I have offered to work on Christmas and Good Friday but the fact that the buildings are locked up seems to complicate matters a bit.
I want to "ditto" Michael.
I want to "ditto" Michael. Every year I fight an internal battle. I too am required to take personal leave. This year I took Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur without pay so that I have a personal day down the road. I don't fuss because I love my job and don't want to become a nuisance. It would just be nice to have the district administrators recognize the dilemma I and many others have to face annually.
Hopefully, Laura, you will
Hopefully, Laura, you will investigate your past and connect with it. I have trouble with that . However, the fight for inclusion is a fight for everyone-not just a slect few. We who celebrate Jewish holidays shouldn't feel like we're a nuisance, but that we represent whole groups of Jehovah's Witness, Hindu, Muslim, atheist, etc who can get overrun by mostly well-meaning people celebrating their holiday. It is an important lesson for our students to realize they live in a diverse society, and that we're just getting our place at the table.
I agree, that there is a need
I agree, that there is a need for awareness of many groups that celebrate specific holidays. In Westborough MA, the school district recognizes two Jewish holidays and two Christian ones. However, though one in five children are Asian, there is NO recognition of Diwali or Asian New Year. There is no Asian administrator, educators are less than 2% Asian (and those part-time) and no Asian representation on School Committee (though all administrators and school committee members are white and either Jewish or Christian as are all administrators). In fact, when asked about including an Asian holiday (which would be cultural, not religious) not ONE school committee member responded despite personal contacts to each of their emails. The cultural insensitivity of the school district in Westborough MA is so disturbing--suggestions on actions for families and children. My thought is to propose a charter school that would be both inclusive and include instruction in Asian languages at the elementary level.
I smiled as I read your
I smiled as I read your article. Secular and religious authorities have been at odds for centuries and citizens have had their loyalties challenged by each authority as the citizens strive to determine who they will obey. As our society becomes more secular, the question arises: How will secularists view the holidays and the faithful who get privileges on these days because of their faith? Another fact that few people recognize is that there are faithful religious students and teachers who do not celebrate any of these holidays, yet are bombarded with various salutations and expectations of how people should act this time of year. Nevertheless, unless our society gives exemptions for every single “holiday” imaginable [impractical], someone somewhere will be affected. There will always be some conflicts, and the individuals affected will have to make the difficult decision of which is more important to them — their job or their faith.