As Yom Kippur approaches, I look back fondly upon my days in Jerusalem in the German Colony, celebrating the Chagim. Yom Kippur is one holiday in Jerusalem that stands out for its beauty, but not because of the prayers said in the beit knesset (the synagogue) or anything having to do with shul specifically. It is a beautiful Jerusalem holiday specifically because of what happens outside of shul on the evening of Kol Nidrei and the day of Yom Kippur itself.
In Jerusalem, Yom Kippur is also Yom Ofanayim (Bicycle Day). On this day, there are practically no cars on the street. Not a single one. And as such, children of all ages and all backgrounds take over the city, riding their bicycles through the streets, zooming past the adults and other shul-goers on their way to or from the beit knesset.
Secular Jews and observant Jews walk amongst one another. Ashkenazic Jews, Sephardic Jews, Ethiopian Jews, Moroccan Jews and all others wish each other a tzom kal, an easy fast. Jews dressed in white for the holiday walk past Jews dressed in everyday clothing. Restaurants, cafes and stores are all closed. And all along, children of various ages ride their bicycles through the crowds of people, who are walking on the street itself, making room for the children.
It is a picture of peace.
Yom Ofanayim is what I sometimes think about when I listen to the words of the prophet Isaiah, which we read on Yom Kippur morning during the haftarah. “Is this the fast I desire,” (Isaiah 58:6), the prophet declares in the name of God. No, it clearly is not, he answers. Instead of a fast and afflicting one’s soul through the abstention from eating, which often will not lead to any substantive change in a person, go out and make a difference in the world. Get rid of wickedness. Open the gates of justice. Let the oppressed go free. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Don’t ignore your brother in need. Isaiah implores us to not stand idly by and focus on our own selfish needs by fasting, while others around us are suffering.
Building a peaceful world, both within the Jewish community and within the larger global community, is not a simple endeavor. Nor will it be achieved in a day. But if that day should ever come, I imagine that it will look something like Yom Ofanayim, when children on their bicycles take over the streets of Jerusalem and their sounds of joy and happiness ring loud through the city.
With warmest wishes for a meaningful fast,
Rabbi Lesack
A year ago, Amanda and her school team were working with the DigitalJLearning Network on blended learning and technology integration. An important part of the plan was to facilitate the development of a tech-savvy group of students and to integrate technology to meet curriculum goals. In her 9th grade History classroom, Amanda went after both these goals, using technology to enhance her classroom and also training her students to be skilled technology navigators who are ready and willing to help others. From the initial work with DJLN and her History classroom experience, Amanda created the Tech Fellows program, affectionately known among the students as the SWAT (Students Willing to Assist with Technology) Team.
Reactions to the Tech Fellows have been overwhelmingly positive from both teachers and the students themselves. Amanda explained that the Tech Fellows love their role in the school, because it gives them ownership over their learning and they feel incredibly proud when they help their teachers and fellow students. The program gives them a skill set that is unique and valuable, and there are so many different ways they can apply their experience later on. Although a majority of the current 15 Tech Fellows are Amanda’s former students, some are not, and they were attracted to the program by their peers who have had positive experiences. Any student who wants to be a Fellow must have a willingness to help everyone in the school community with technology, including faculty, staff, and other students. They also need to show they are adept at using the technology itself. Some students demonstrate their abilities by showing initiative and taking on a technology project. For instance, some students made an end-of-year video for the senior class, and other students created a Prezi collaborative project for a science assignment. Through these projects, the students showed their initiative amd desire to help others, and proved that they had the skills it takes to use technology to expand and enhance curriculum goals.
Amanda Dawes has over twelve years of professional teaching experience. In 2010, she received her Master's Degree in Educational Technology from the University of Michigan. She also holds degrees in Psychology and Religious Studies from the University of Miami. In addition to teaching with infused technology, as the EdTech Professional Development Programs’ Director at the Claire and Emmanuel G. Rosenblatt High School at the Donna Klein Jewish Academy, she also specializes in establishing IT strategies and implementing education-centric solutions. Amanda enjoys learning with teachers and students about the best blended learning practices using Google Apps for Education. She is also the proud mother of two Indiana University students. Visit Amanda’s blog at 