Kitah Zayin Update

Dear 7^th grade families,

Last Sunday, CSZ religious school teamed up with Jewish Family Services and the larger community to participate in Fall Fix Up. Together, we helped more than 40 area seniors prepare their homes for winter, while also making an impact at important sites in our community. If you didn’t have a chance to participate this year, I definitely encourage you to get involved next year. It was a rewarding way to give back to our community – thank you to everyone who helped!

This week we also had a few visitors in our class. Larry Oleinick, founder and president of Heart 2 Hart Detroit, came to speak with us about his experience not only feeding but also truly getting to know those in need in Detroit. By asking questions, being active listeners and empathizing with those they serve, Heart 2 Hart embodies the Jewish value of B’tzelem Elohim – understanding that we are all made in God’s image. We packed bags of hygiene products to be delivered to individuals in need but also included messages of hope, such as “smile,” “you are special” and “have a nice day.”

Katie Triest, Animal Care Manager and Director of Education at the Wild Bird Fund in NYC, also came to speak with us this week. As part of our current unit, Tzaar Baalei Hayyim, or kindness to animals, Katie opened our eyes to the world of wildlife rehabilitation. We often think of kindness toward animals as treating our pets well, but we learned that everything we do has a direct or indirect effect on wildlife in our area. Katie taught us to see our responsibility toward animals more broadly – it’s important to care for all animals, even those that we can’t keep as pets.

As you hopefully know, this coming Sunday we will be going on a fieldtrip to the Detroit Zoo. As an extension of caring for animals, we will discuss animal behavior and what we can learn from different species. Wildlife rehabilitator Katie Triest will be joining our class at the zoo as well so come with questions about animals and conservation.

Have a wonderful weekend and a Shabbat shalom!

Rachel and David