Religious School

September, 2009 Ma'aseem - A New Year, A Fresh Start

10/2/2009
Shalom. It's always jolting to be writing an article in the middle of summer that speaks of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Please slow down the progression of time (a function of getting older no doubt)! But by the time you are reading this, we will have returned to the routine of school, work and the other activities that seem to encompass so much of our family life.

The fact that the High Holidays arrive just as we are settling back into our most-of-the-year routine, however, is brilliant. The overriding purpose of these days is to make us pause and reflect back on the year we have just lived and assess just what kind of person we have been: in the eyes of our family and friends; in our own eyes; and the "eyes" of God. Teshuvah, often translated as "repentance", really means "return". We are to recognize areas of our life in which we have not performed well, resolve to make positive changes, and then act on these resolutions in making the changes.

In a way, we pledge that we will perform in ways that will benefit others as well as ourselves. It is in this vein that I would like to reflect on my "pledge" in my professional capacity at TBI to serve our members, adults and children alike. I came across an article entitled, "A Jewish Communal Practitioner's Code of Ethics" written by Bernie Reisman, retired chairman of Brandeis University's Hornstein Program of Jewish Communal Studies. These are the parts of his code that I would like to pledge to our parents, teachers and students:

In my professional practice I will seek to:
Answer all phone calls within 24 hours (and emails sooner!).
Make sure there are introductions at the start of all meetings and social occasions.
Make sure to summarize at the end of meetings, both what occurred and steps which are needed for follow-up.
Personally greet and help connect strangers who enter groups of which I am a part.
Give recognition to people for their special achievements as well as for their consistent and dependable performance.
Be diligent about monitoring my own ego and ways it gets in the way of my empowering others to grow and assume responsibility.
Seek to risk and be creative rather than to be conservative and cautious.
Do my homework in preparing for all meetings and programs in terms of a clear agenda, knowledge of the issues and the participants.
Concentrate on learning people's names.
Concentrate on listening to people in an open and non-judgmental fashion.
Be attentive to my own psychological and physical well-being so that when I am at work I have available physical and emotional energy.
Finally, I am a role model. I am aware that I will have the greatest professional impact on the people with whom I work in the manner in which I conduct myself, both professionally and as a Jew.

Please feel free to adapt and use any of the above in your own life as well. And along with my wife, Deborah, I want to wish you and your family a great year and a Shanah Tovah U'Metukah...a sweet and healthy New Year.

Donald Cohen
Education Director
eddirector@tbibluebell.org


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