TAP

by Eitan Monson, Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El In the last few months we have felt in the Jewish community a new sense of togetherness. It is at these times that our roles working with kids at Hebrew schools are of a greater importance than ever. I have made it a point to show the kids I work with how to embrace Hebrew and Jewish topics and be proud of who they are. With TAP I have learned many new techniques for working with kids. For example, during Parashat Noah I was tasked with explaining the story to a group [...]

by Jacob Shubert, Adath Israel I have learned so much about life and myself throughout my journey as a TAP Teen. By working with kids with learning difficulties in a place I never thought I would return to, I grew a lot as a person. One of my students proved to have a lot more difficulty focusing on his work, and often disrupted class. However, about a month ago, I learned that while it doesn’t always seem like it, he has a very strong connection to Judaism. I work with the 3rd grade, so it pleasantly surprised me when he [...]

by Alexandra Young, Temple Shalom in Broomall   One thing I learned from Wendy Elliott-Vandivier is that someone with a disability doesn’t define who they are as a person and doesn’t mean they are incapable of doing things people do. This can be from asking what happened to you to parking in a wheelchair accessible space when not needed. There is also nothing wrong with using the word disabled. There is something called person-first language and disability-first language. It depends person to person what they prefer. Just because they are in a wheelchair doesn’t mean they are incapable. And that [...]