Eighth grade boys at JKHA were all “tied up” during a tzitzit making program. After an inspiring tzitzit story and a tutorial on how to make your own tzitzit, students got right to work on making their own. It was impressive to see how they worked diligently and with excitement to finish their tzitzit. A remarkable number of students walked away with complete tzitzit and the rest are on their way with this new skill that they can take away for a lifetime. One student remarked, “I never knew making tzitzit could be so fun!” This program will have many “fringe” benefits and there has already been renewed excitement for this important mitzvah.

Eighth grade girls at JKHA had a chance to focus on their names and the influences their namesakes have had on them. They began the programming with a source packet on the meaning of names. They discussed the importance of their names, who they’re named for, the character traits of their namesakes and what has been passed on to them. They followed the session with an art activity where they made representations of their names and what it means to them. To conclude the programming, they did an exercise on priorities in their lives. They played a game, laying out all the different priorities, what they mean to them and what is important to them based on what’s been passed down to them from their namesakes, their family, community, school and more.