Here we are collecting quotes from people that attend our events – if you have a story to share, please tell us!
A couple images from a recent Shalom Baby reunion..,.
Here’s one participant of our Sh’ma pillowcase project whose pillowcase and parents have taught her the Sh’ma!
I remember you talking about creating traditions wtih your children, even if they are simple ones, and you saying that you said the shema with your daughters at bedtime. Brad and I loved that and do that with Roan each night.
-Tiffany, Shalom Baby participant
“Participating in the inaugural Shalom Baby class was a wonderful experience. Not only did Shalom Baby provide my wife and I with practical (and necessary) information that continues to come in handy as we grow with our daughter, but the various speakers showed us all how we can implement important Jewish traditions into the way we raise our children — even at such an early stage. Perhaps most importantly, my wife and I have become good friends with three other couples in the class, and we look forward to all of our families growing, physically and spiritually, together. We are so grateful to The Open Tent for presenting us with such a wonderful opportunity.”
-Etan, participant in the first Shalom Baby class
“…Two sessions ago we talked about Mitzvot (literally ˜commandments,’ but we use this to mean ˜good deeds’), and I asked/encouraged everyone to go home and be on the lookout for ‘catch you being good’ moments for their kids (or even their spouses). This was a huge success – they really took the challenge to heart and brought back such beautiful verbal snapshots of their children demonstrating mitzvot. I realized that having the mom’s identify these Jewish “teachable” moments was really a double mitzvah. First – that their children were actively involved in doing an act of kindness, and second, that the mom’s could take secret delight that the lessons they hope to impart are actually being learned and practiced – without coaching!
These women are motivated and highly engaged in their children’s Jewish learning. They want to know, understand and be authentic. They ask thought-provoking questions and are looking for nuanced answers. Several women struggled with Passover Seders (held at family members’ homes) that did not measure up to what they were hoping for. We talked about how to work through this difficulty, and they liked our eventual solution. First night with the extended family and 2nd night seder at their own home, so that they can control the flow and provide the Jewish learning they found lacking the night before.”
-Linda, facilitator, Mother’s Circle
