Hosting the General Assembly in Nashville last November created many opportunities for Tennesseans to become more involved with their local Federations and the United Jewish Communities internationally.
For Akiva Community Day School in Nashville, having the GA just twenty-five minutes from the school allowed their students to put a real face on the Federation movement. The students watched as the community prepared and they watched as their parents volunteered to help with the planning.
Akiva’s students also wanted to contribute. Together with their art teacher, Lisa Mingrone, the fifth grade class decided to create a paper quilt that included artistic depictions of the support that UJC offers to communities around the world. The students interviewed Federation lay and professional leaders, and they spent time discussing how to represent all of the great work of the Federation movement. The resulting piece of artwork incorporates student artwork and writing into a beautiful quilt that prominently displays the Star of David.
During the GA the resulting piece of artwork was prominently displayed in the vendor fair. GA participants were able to purchase posters and T-shirts that included a reproduction of the artwork. The original piece of art was sold at the GA for $3500 and then donated back to Akiva by the purchasers. Most of those who walked through the vendor fair were impressed by both the quality of the art and the effort that Akiva made to connect with the work of UJC. Most importantly, the students felt as though their efforts helped further connect the entire school community with the thousands of people who came to the General Assembly. ♦
Those who would like a copy of the poster or who are interested in learning more about the project can contact Ashlee McKinnon at 615-356-1880 or amckinnon@akivanashville.net.
CAT, RAVSAK’s online, highly participatory middle school program in Jewish history, will have four new schools taking part in the fall:
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