In 1995, when my boys were 11 and 14, I purchased a lovely book called Eight Nights, Eight Lights: Family Values for Each Night of Hanukkah, compiled by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky. It contained short inspirational passages to be read aloud as part of the candle-lighting ceremony. Some sections were written by modern rabbis. Others came from older Jewish texts. But each one provided a meaningful moment of reflection which added to our Hanukkah celebration, making this family time together more than just a gift-giving event.

As we mourn the deaths of those in the Tree of Life Synagogue tragedy, it’s comforting to know that there are many good people in the world who stand with us. November 9 will mark the 20^th anniversary of the Paper Clips Project in Whitwell, Tennessee, in which the teachers and students of this small rural community undertook to understand the magnitude of the death of the six million Jews who died in the Shoah. Our book, “Six Million Paper Clips,” which documents this project, continues to sell well throughout the world. Here are the remarks by our good friends and authors Peter Schroeder and Dagmar Schroeder-Hildebrand, which will be read at the 20^th anniversary event.        

            I know you're going to chuckle and think yeah, yeah when I say Jews have been trailblazers from the word go, but think about it. Long before environmental protection topped the world agenda it was an issue embedded in the bible; long before the “mosaic society” became part-and-parcel of 21^st century life, Jews were a multi-cultural people by virtue of the diaspora. Then seventy years ago, a Jewish state with an entrepreneurial spirit was born embracing both.  By the end of its first decade the country had become a collage of cultures, its scientists exploring ways to harness solar power and create technology for maximizing limited water resources.

Rabbi Kerry Olitzky has held many leadership positions in Jewish organizations.

This book is set in ancient Egypt. Let me set the scene for you: a marvelous boy filled with curiosity and optimism is enamored by every single thing that catches his eye. He finds beauty in all things. This boy, Bezalel, turns out to be, with other Israelites under Egyptian rule, a slave. However, his genuine curiosity and appreciating for all things--mostly forgotten things--is refreshing. His clinging to his ‘beautiful things box’ definitely hits home.

Moving from a familiar place to a new one in the hopes of a different life can be a difficult concept for children to understand. 

To read, the mind must make meaning from symbols. The letter “A” represents a particular sound. That sound combines with other sounds to become a word. The process is not easy, and for many children, reading must be broken down into discrete parts before it can be mastered.