JKHA marked Lag B’Omer as a day for community growth and giving. Students from EC3 through eighth grade gathered together for a day of Torah and Chesed in Rabbi Akiva’s memory, remembering the lessons of Rabbi Akiva and his eternal message—love your neighbor as you love yourself—this is the greatest rule of the Torah.

In the morning, older students paired with younger students to learn about Rabbi Akiva’s life and teachings in a chavruta format. Older students took on the role of teachers while younger students connected with and grew from their older role models. The entire school was buzzing with excitement, as students learned together in groups across grades. It was so heartwarming and beautiful to see children working and learning together.

In the afternoon, the groups reunited for a special chesed activity. Each Chesed cohort created different projects including decorating teddy bears for patients at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, packaging tea lights and cards for residents at Daughters of Israel, packing summer camp bags for Yad Leah, writing cards for patients through Chai Lifeline, packaging Kesher Kits for JRA and packaging Shabbat in a Box for members of Friendship Circle. It was a true merger of the Early Childhood/Lower School’s messaging of Middot Matter along with the Middle School’s mantra of Kushner CARES.