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To the Mandel JDS Community,
I have had the blessing of being part of this community for the past 36 years. Like all long relationships, it has had its high points and its low ones. And like all lasting relationships, it’s often the challenges that make us pause, reflect, recharge, and reaffirm why we chose this path in the first place, so we can move forward again toward the high points.
When I was first hired by Michael Wolf, five heads of school ago, I was the youngest teacher on staff. I was newly married, had no children yet, and had just returned from many years living on Kibbutz Lotan in Israel.
I chose to work in the Jewish community very intentionally. I knew I wanted my life to revolve around the Jewish calendar. I wanted Jewish life to be woven into my everyday life, and this school made that possible. Over the years, my connection to this place deepened in ways I could never have imagined when I first walked through the doors as a young teacher.
One of my greatest joys has been watching my own children grow up here, learning, questioning, finding their voices, and becoming well-spoken leaders and mensches. There is something incredibly special about watching your children grow within the same community that shapes your own daily life.
Another joy, one that always stops me for a moment, is when former students return, this time as parents, bringing their own children to our school. It is a quiet but powerful affirmation that their time here meant something. That what they experienced here is something they want to pass on to the next generation.
And now, life comes full circle again and I am a grandmother to a future Mandel JDS student!
One of the things that has made these 36 years so meaningful has been the people. Teaching can sometimes look like a solitary job from the outside, but at its best, it is deeply collaborative. Some of my most meaningful moments here have been working alongside talented, passionate teachers, building a community together and sharing the responsibility of helping our students grow into thoughtful individuals, leaders, and people with strong Jewish identities.
Over these decades, I have seen Mandel JDS grow and change in many ways. But what gives me hope is not just how the school has evolved, it’s the values that continue to anchor it.
As I think about the future of our school, there are a few hopes I carry with me:
That we continue to educate our students with the Jewish values that have persevered through generations.
That even in, perhaps especially in, the age of AI, we remember that without creativity, perseverance, compassion, and integrity, our students’ education would be incomplete. That we remember our youngest students deserve the gift of childhood. While the trend may sometimes be to push harder and earlier, not every child thrives in a push-driven environment and that play based learning continues to be cutting edge education. That we learn to see feedback as a gift, and to give it as one. That includes administrators, teachers, parents, and students. This is not something that comes naturally to everyone. It is something that must be modeled and taught if we want our community to grow with honesty, trust, and respect. And finally, we continue to recognize that it is our differences, and our ability to dialogue, not our sameness, which makes our community richer and stronger, more vibrant and sustainable.
Thirty-six years ago, I arrived here as the youngest teacher on staff, just beginning my journey. I could not have imagined then how deeply this school would shape my life, especially through the more challenging times.
It has been a privilege to grow alongside this community, and I am grateful for every student, colleague, and family who has been part of the journey.
I think there is nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile!
With Love,
Karen
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