May 13, 2024
Dear LGA Community,
I am writing this note to you, having just returned from a glorious LGA Shabbaton, which was filled with games, deep conversations, laughter, food, songs, spontaneous performances and seemingly endless cartwheels – my heart is full. And while holding the joyful fullness and hopefulness, I would also like to take this opportunity to communicate with you all about a topic that is fraught and complex: namely, the question of talking, and teaching, about war, and peace, at LGA. Today, on Yom haZikaron/Israel’s Day of Remembrance, it feels like a meaningful moment to share a few thoughts with all of you. In addition to this email, I am also recording this message as a video for accessibility and convenience.
I admit: all through this year, as the Head of School and also as a parent, I’ve been thinking endlessly about the educational philosophy and direction of teaching the current Israel-Gaza war to our children: What is age-appropriate and what isn’t? How much can we shield our students? How far do we go to teach nuance? What do we want them to remember for years to come? Why does this war feel so different from all other wars?
Many of you have reached out to me directly, throughout the course of the year, to discuss these issues privately. I felt honored by these encounters and conversations, even as I’ve been open about the fact that what I could offer was listening and understanding rather than offering a whole lot of answers. Not only do we hold a wide, wide range of opinions here at LGA: I’ve observed that many of us, as individuals, hold a broad range of opinions within ourselves.
That said, something crystallized for me last week, when we convened a panel with five guests – including parents and other community members – who were, or currently are, involved in peace-building initiatives between Israelis and Palestinians. The panel members addressed our 4-6th graders in what was a deeply moving conversation that drew on much accumulated lived wisdom, sincere emotion, years of hard work, and an unwavering commitment to building a better world, through dialogue, for our children. At one point, one of our speakers, Tamar Fields, asked: “What actually IS peace?” The simplicity and the force of the question really struck me. Whatever peace is, it isn’t merely an absence of war, and if we want change, we must teach our children actively and mindfully about peace, holding peace as the center of our educational philosophy, whether we are talking about war, or playing basketball outside. And, I might add, we must teach them what productive peace activism looks like.
Today, on Yom haZikaron, I want to remember that it is the desire to live peacefully that underlies so much hardship endured during the difficult times. Yet, opening a newspaper or logging in on social media we barely ever see any references to those who are working to build enduring peace and safety. And so, I am thrilled that today the Hampshire Gazette captured some of what was shared on the peace LGA panel in a recently published article, and I encourage you to read it. You are also invited to watch this recording of the panel.
It is also very clear to me that in order to truly learn about peace, and do good work in the world, our kids need to have a strong and nuanced understanding of themselves as members of the Jewish community. Studying our sacred texts, history, languages, ethics; sharing our greatest stories; understanding our relationship to the land of Israel; holding our traditions with pride and joy; doing all of this with love while encouraging critical thinking is crucial: without this, conversations about peace, and our efforts toward realizing it are meaningless.
I think we can all agree that this is a very hard moment for the American Jewish community as a whole. And in such moments, being in community with others is more important than ever before. I want to affirm that wherever you stand, as a member of the LGA family, you have a home at our school. The rest, as Rabbi Hillel famously said, is commentary.
Warmly,
Jake Marmer
Copyright © 2024 Lander-Grinspoon Academy. All rights reserved. Website designed by Addicott Web.
