Jewish Studies Innovation

Hebrew teacher Linda Parmet continues to innovate with a special "Only at Weber" approach to Jewish Studies unique to our school. Ms. Parmet has been collaborating with The Teacher Institute for the Arts program (TIA), which provides Hebrew, Jewish Studies, and Art educators with innovative Toolkits to explore Jewish texts and values through the visual arts. The toolkits provide a stimulating resource to cultivate creativity and kindle intimate connections to Judaism. The founders of this venture are world-renowned artist David Moss, Rabbi Matt Berkowitz, and Elyssa Moss Robinowitz. Ms. Parmet has used this approach to design several interdisciplinary classes at Weber, where students explore Jewish texts using creativity and design theory to inspire curiosity about Judaism and encourage creative expression.
 
The latest class in this category is Jewish Studies Comparative Lit Honors, where students will be working on their own toolkits with the goal of having them published for use by other Jewish students. Their toolkits will be juried by TIA educators and must meet the following criteria: fresh, original, reproducible, and downloadable.
 
The class meets by Zoom with Rabbi Matt Berkowitz in Jerusalem, a colleague of David Moss and an expert in the development of the toolkits. As a group, they delve into an advanced text study of Torah and commentaries around the selected topic for the toolkit project, which is based on a poignant Hebrew quote that translates to "One earns respect by showing their respect for others." Following each discussion, the students do independent research on the topic and also collaborate to find additional text to build out the components of the toolkit. Students will be asked to apply the topic to their own lives as a reflective component of the project.
 
To date, the topics included in this study are: prison and incarceration, treatment of animals, and respectful discourse among coworkers and peers

The students add new topics as their studies illuminate additional issues suitable for the toolkit.
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The Weber School, a Jewish Community high school serving students from all Jewish backgrounds, prepares students for success in college and in life with comprehensive academic and co-curricular programs that inspire student exploration, leadership, and Jewish social consciousness. Many of our programs and academies are unique to Weber and can't be found at any other Atlanta-area high schools.

The Felicia Penzell Weber Jewish Community High School admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin.
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