JOANNA BLOTNER

Joanna Blotner grew up at Temple Micah, attending religious school through her high school graduation in 2003. In college, at Indiana University, Joanna majored in Jewish Studies and Political Science and was IU Hillel president her senior year. Having just finished a year as a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, it is clear that Joanna's Judaism is rooted in social justice - a value she attributes to her Micah upbringing. She is very excited to be teaching again this year and greatly enjoys giving back to the temple and community that has so strongly shaped her Jewish identity. Joanna is teaching the Being Torah curriculum, as outlined below.

BEING TORAH

Being Torah brings students into Torah by inviting them to become biblical commentators. The book works with words. Based on a real translation of the biblical text, students are drawn into the words of Torah. Using colored clues, they focus on the number of times given words are used in a story, the changes between what one person says and what another person says that first said, and into the parallel words that link one story to another. This is not a book about Torah. It is actual Torah study made accessible and age appropriate. The Student Commentary facilitates this exploration by breaking the inquiries down biblical story into a series of individual inquiries. It is also designed specifically to create classroom community.

TALI RASOOLY

Tali Rasooly is currently a junior at the University at Maryland as a double major in Marketing and Psychology, with a minor in Jewish Studies. She is a Silver Spring native, and graduated from the Berman Hebrew Academy. She has always been an active member of the Jewish community, and was the youth honoree both by her synagogue and by the Jewish Federation. Last year, Tali taught 4th grade at Temple Micah. She is highly involved at UMD Hillel, and spent her last semester at Hebrew University studying abroad, and spent last summer at Machon Pardes (a transdenominational school of higher Jewish education) in Jerusalem. Tali is Teaching the I have Some Questions About God curriculum, as outlined below.

I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT GOD

Six rabbis were invited to write answers to tough common questions about God, many in the form of stories, to these questions. Exercises were added to expand the process and encourage children to reflect and share, looking at their experiences of God in the world. The end result is a collection of wonderful stories and hands-on experiences.

Twelve questions about God (and related issues) were collected from children.

1. How do we know there really is a God?
2. Where does God come from?
3. If there is one God, why are there so many religions?
4. Does God know what I am thinking or what I will do?
5. Can praying make someone well?
6. Does God care which team wins the World Series or the Super Bowl?
7. Does God understand Hebrew best?
8. Is the Bible true?
9. Does God really make miracles?
10. Why is there so much bad in a world created by a good God?
11. Does God punish people?
12. Where do people go when they die?

DANNY MOSS

Danny, who also wears the hat of full-time educator as Temple Micah’s Machon Micah Fellow, is a recent graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio, where he majored in Jewish Studies and Religion. Raised in the suburbs of Chicago,

Danny has attended URJ Camp OSRUI for the past fourteen summers-- as a camper, counselor, and songleader. Danny spent his junior year of college studying abroad at the University of Haifa in Israel. During his senior year he explored his primary academic interest—Jewish Mysticism—by writing a thesis about the enigmatic Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav. In his free time, he enjoys tennis, music of all sorts, and Chipotle burritos. He is thrilled be working at Temple Micah! Danny is teaching the Kid’s Mensch Handbook curriculum, as outlined below.

KIDS’ MENSCH HANDBOOK

At an age when students are thinking critically about right and wrong, the importance of the choices they make, and the role that Judaism will play in their lives, A Kid's Mensch Handbook provides a wealth of Jewish advice, experience, and answers. Presented in a modern format designed to engage your students' interest and imaginations, A Kid's Mensch Handbook provides each student with a unique and lasting connection to core Jewish values:

The book is organized into three sections—Mensch Basics, Be a Mensch to Yourself, and Be a Mensch to Others. Together, they help students understand basics of menschlekeit, how introspection and self- examination lead to self-respect, and how respect for oneself leads to respect for others and from others.

Real-life examples, midrashic and historical vignettes, and lively narrative make Jewish values tangible, understandable, and applicable to your students' everyday lives.

Interactive features such as "Mensch-Wise" (What do you think it means to be "created in God's image"?), "Mensch Top 5" (Check out these tips to becoming your own best friend...), and "A Note of Middot" (Connecting it all back to key Jewish values!)