Our 7th grade year-long project is the Tzedakah class, which meets twice a week. We start by studying Jewish values by way of the mitzvot, and each student investigates which values mean the most to them personally through exploring the depth and breadth of these commandments. Then we dive into social issues in the world today that they are concerned with, which started the research phase of the project.

After identifying a value and a social issue that they feel aligned with, they are tasked to find a vetted non-profit organization that actively works to correct that issue. This involves understanding internet resources, investigating reliability of information and sources, how nuanced search terms work, and new vocabulary such as “board,” “foundation,” “philanthropy,” “revenue vs. expenses,”and “programs,” not to mention how to search, read, and extrapolate information from many pages of a website.

The project then turns to building communication skills as the students must reach out by email to the organization they chose to interview a staff member. They must come up with questions, conduct the interview online, and consolidate the information. Thank-you and follow-up emails are included in this process. Then it’s time to write their persuasive essay on their issue and their organization, and then consolidate that into a five-minute slide show presentation on their issue and organization to the class, including a class Q&A. This demands summary and public speaking skills to be honed.

All the money that the 7th grade class parents raised is now gathered into a fund, and that becomes our Brandeis Foundation working budget to allocate. We gathered in the Rodef Social Hall and spent two full mornings learning about consensus, rules of discussion, and the goals we needed to achieve over the course of our time together. Student-led discussions (and a few robust debate points) got the group to the final allocation decisions for all the non-profit organizations that were researched and presented!

Finally, the Tefillah for the Tzedakah project was held on May 22, and representatives from each organization were invited (by the students) to attend and receive their check in person. This is always a wonderful moment when the students see that their real-life decisions, with real-life money, have an actual impact on the world. We are so proud of these students! It's been incredibly rewarding to watch them grow and move forward with energy, passion, courage, and determination to see this important project through for what they care about in the world.

Trish Tillman, Drama & English
with Steven Friedman, Social Studies, and Stephanie Stavsky, Jewish Studies & Tzedakah Coordinator