Local Jewish Day Schools Commemorate First Anniversary of Oct. 7

Students at the area Jewish day schools participated in age-appropriate assemblies and learning opportunities in honor of the anniversary of Oct. 7. They heard from guest speakers, sang Hebrew songs and recited prayers for soldiers in Israel.

Berman Hebrew Academy
Middle and Upper School students at Berman joined together on the morning of Oct. 7 for “Berman Community Remembers.” Organized by the school’s Kollel, the event featured student, staff and alumni speakers, including members of Berman’s Kollel who served in the Israel Defense Forces and an alumnus who recently completed a 10-month service in Gaza. The Berman community lit memorial candles and sang songs in unity.

Fourth and fifth grade students participated in a virtual program to commemorate the anniversary of Oct. 7 in conjunction with 16 participating Jewish day schools in New York and New Jersey. They heard from two rabbis, one of whom is an IDF reservist. Rabbi Uri Meyers said a prayer for the hostages during the program.

Lower School students engaged in a day of teshuva, tefillah and tzedakah, the theme of the period between Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot. For teshuva, each student chose a mitzvah to make in honor of Israel, which they wrote on a blue ribbon – the ribbons were put together to make a giant ribbon that graces the hallway. For tefillah, students learned the prayer that is recited for the soldiers in Israel and took home a decorated prayer card. For tzedakah, students ran a “tiny toy drive” for children in Israel in partnership with the Torah School of Greater Washington.

Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School
Rabbi Matthew Bellas shared special morning announcements to start off the day in CESJDS’ Lower School. Second graders recited prayers for peace and Israel chosen specifically for the anniversary of Oct. 7. Third through fifth graders came together for a brief ceremony and tefillah that integrated elements of Oct. 7 focused on peace and Israel. Upper School students said special prayers during Z’man Kodesh, and middle and high school students commemorated the day with assemblies — the high school assembly was student-led by both American and Israeli students.

“Our approach at CESJDS [is] to mark this day with solemn testimony, special prayers, remembrance of those who lost their lives on that day and with a commitment to foster the next generation of proud Jews,” Rabbi Mitchel Malkus, head of school, wrote in an email to the Washington Jewish Week.

Gesher Jewish Day School
Gesher used its physical space to honor those lost in the Israel-Hamas war and those still in captivity with a small-scale replica of Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. Students discussed specific themes and topics surrounding Oct. 7. Middle school students discussed zachor — remembrance — and participated in a special tefillah and ceremony. Elementary school students in second to fifth grades talked about gevurah — courage — and focused on the heroes of the past year and how we honor their courage. Lower elementary school students focused on the idea of shema — listening. Students and their families were encouraged to wear yellow clothing or ribbons to represent the connection of all Jewish people.

“Developing our students into empowered supporters of the state of Israel and a love for the country are vital to the Gesher mission and values. Therefore, our community is marking this day and making space for our families, faculty and students,” said Leah Blasko, a spokesperson for Gesher Jewish Day School. “In the classroom, we put great care and thought into our plans ensuring that we are honoring the heroes of that day in a way that is age-appropriate for each group of our children.”

Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School
Second through eighth graders had a morning assembly on Milton’s North Campus, which included a special prayer service and a song that students have been preparing, “HaBayta.” Middle school students participated in a longer program, reading biographies of people who were killed on Oct. 7 to learn more about them and discuss how to memorialize them in coming years. This program tied into one of the school’s core values of ayin l’tzion – “looking toward Zion” – or helping students foster connections to Israel, its history and people and the Hebrew language, according to a spokesperson for Milton.

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