Bringing Jewish pride into public schools

PJ Library Victoria & Beyond director Hila Ben Gera recently brought Rosh Hashanah into public schools through free interactive storytelling sessions, aiming to strengthen Jewish pride while building understanding in the wider community.

Each session begins with a question every child can relate to: “Who likes birthdays?” Ben Gera then tells the children that the world has a birthday too, sharing examples of how different cultures celebrate the New Year at different times and in different ways, before introducing Rosh Hashanah as the Jewish New Year.

During one session, a little girl stood up and said, “Oh, I celebrate that. I’m Jewish!”

“She was so excited and so proud,” Ben Gera recalled. “I realised I hadn’t heard a child say that with such enthusiasm in a long time. She felt completely safe to stand up in front of her classmates and proudly say who she was.

“In the climate we are living in, I think one of the most important things we can do is help build resilient Jewish children who feel happy and proud of who they are. At the same time, their classmates get to experience Jewish culture through something joyful, welcoming and relatable,” she said.