aaeds/blog

Wednesday night, downtown San Francisco, the class of 2020 gathered together sharing their favorite experience of their current trip with eager anticipation of what the subsequent day will bring. The sixth grade trip to San Francisco began months ago with deliberate planning.  We focused as a group with a mission to provide the students with an experience both memorable and with components of Design Thinking. This combination would come to include mission aligned educational opportunities such as visiting the Exploratorium, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, Chinatown, and Stanford’s d.school, which serves as the inspiration for our own Design Lab. In addition, the students had the opportunity to visit such sights as the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, riding the BART and the cable car up San Francisco’s famously large hills as well as exploring Pier 39.       

In this week’s Torah portion Terumah, the Jewish people were commanded by God to “build a sanctuary that I may dwell among them” Ex 25:8. This serves as the backbone for the idea that holiness is everywhere. Our students showed us just that, that they were able to find holiness moments in every aspect of our itinerary. From bonding with their friends during our (sometimes very long) walks together to finding moments of quiet and reflection in their hotel rooms, our students showed us that they were ready and willing to build a sanctuary wherever they go.      

And within just a few months these students will be challenged with building that new sanctuary as they graduate Adat Ari El. These precious weeks that lie ahead, beginning with their experience as a group and individually in the Bay Area leading up to graduation provide the students the opportunity to reflect on the vast array of experiences they’ve had as Adat students. They have the opportunity to see how their time at Adat has built them into the capable, thoughtful individuals that reflect the schools mission of raising young mensches that KNOW themselves, SERVE others, and ACT to improve the world.