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This program is co-sponsored By the Jewish Federation.
“Public schools should not be hostile to the religious rights of their students and their families," said Education Secretary Rod Paige in a February 7th letter to public elementary and secondary schools. The letter was part of the new Federal guidelines for prayer in schools, which say, among other things, "students may read their Bibles or other scriptures, say grace before meals, and pray or study religious materials with fellow students during recess, the lunch hour, or other non-instructional time to the same extent that they may engage in non-religious activities."
Several Chabad rabbis in California have taken advantage of the new ruling to encourage the formation of "Jewish Clubs" in public elementary schools and high schools. Rabbi Shmuel Marcus of Cypress has sponsored Jewish Club at the Los Alamitos High School and at the McAuliffe Middle School, which meets weekly during the students lunch hour. He calls the clubs the "Los Al Chai Club" and the "The McAleph Middle School Club" respectively.
Twice a week, Marcus loads up with kosher pizza and upcoming Holiday materials and heads to the schools. He has a lot material to cram into the all too short lunch hour. A few words about the weekly Torah reading, info on an upcoming holiday, answering any questions the students may have and of course, eating the pizza.
"It’s not unusual for us to have upwards of 40 people on a Friday night" says Bluma. "Parents call us and say, ‘you don't know how much your club is helping our children with their Jewish pride.’"
The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Y. Schnnersohn in 1941, when the New York Dept of Education allowed for “Release Time Programs” in the public schools, pioneered the concept of Jewish education for public school children.
In an interesting aside, Rabbi Shmuel Marcus recalls that "one of the teachers vividly remembered Chabad rabbis coming to her school in the Bronx when she was a child in the late fifties, so she knew right away what we were doing and wanted to be part of it."
For more info call 714-828-1851
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