Birthday+Project+Description



October 1, 2009 Dear Chaverim Parents: // Partners in Mitzvah // is working with the North Shore Congregation Israel Religious School to develop a program for Chaverim to make birthday celebrations more meaningful from a Jewish perspective. The idea behind the program is to build upon the Jewish teaching that our lives have significance because we can impact the world positively through the actions we take. Birthdays provide a special opportunity to remind ourselves of our own significance, through acts of Tikkun Olam. This year, Partners in Mitzvah is emphasizing the importance of feeding the hungry. We are asking that you help your children to do a mitzvah project, ideally related to this theme, in honor of their birthdays. The children will then share the stories of the projects they did at Sunday School. We are trying to help make this as easy as possible for you by providing you with a suggested list of projects ranging from very simple to more complex, as well as contacts, and links so you can find or invent your own projects (see attached). We know life is busy and time is at a premium, but we also know from experience that it can be immensely fulfilling for children and families. Each month we will honor all of the children who have a mitzvah project to present with a special birthday celebration. We hope children will bring pictures from their projects, which we will post on a prominently displayed mural in the new school entrance. We want the children to be very proud of the mitzvot they do, and to share the excitement with the school community. How it will Work About one month prior to your child’s birthday, you will receive a reminder letter about this project with instructions. Children with birthdays in August and September will celebrate in October. June and July birthdays will celebrate in May. You can choose whatever project feels interesting and manageable for you and your child (or your whole family), and do it whenever it is convenient for you during that month. We’ll ask you to document the experience with images, such as digital photos and/or video, as well as printed photos. With your permission, we will post the digital images on the Chaverim Wiki (http://nscichaverim.wikispaces.com) and the school website (http://nscireligiousschool.org), as well as the TV screens in the school hallway, and we will put the printed images on the Partners in Mitzvah. On the last Sunday of Religious School each month, beginning October 25 (for August, September and October birthdays) we will celebrate all the birthdays for that month, having each child present his/her mitzvah to the class. We look forward to the stories the children will tell and the pride they will feel, and we thank you in advance for your participation. The Partners in Mitzvah Committee