WE ARE YOUR SCHOOL!
“It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 125 years.” These are the opening words of Talmud Torah’s 125th-Anniversary Video, produced earlier this year in recognition of our significant Twin Cities milestone. Just as our Jewish community has been in a constant state of growth and transition, so too has your school. And yet, through all of the transformative changes that we have all experienced throughout the years, some things remain the same. A case in point is seen in the Star Tribune article, published on Sunday, March 3, 1907, under the heading “The Talmud Torah Succeeds”:
“The Talmud Torah of North Minneapolis established an institution in 1893 for the purposes of providing for the Jewish education of this and future generations of Jews. Should this provision be neglected it would not be long before Jews and Judaism would share the fate of other ancient peoples whose traces are now scarcely discernible…The object is not merely to teach the children Hebrew, that in itself is the least, but to teach them religion and morality, and a love for their people, and to revive the national sentiment that has laid dormant for so long in the Jewish heart…The institution should have as much commendation and material support that can be given, for it is here that the Jewish spirit of the future, in whose hands the fate of Judaism rests, is instilled.”
Sound familiar? 125 years ago, our founding leadership recognized the same challenges and aspired to the same results as we do today. The echo of their voices resounds in what many members of the community have recently said about your school:
“Talmud Torah has no bigger responsibility than to prepare the next generation of Twin Cities’ Jews to be knowledgeable, ethical Jewish citizens and leaders…We’re committed as a community to teaching the next generation what it means to be Jews” [Dan Weiss]. “In the mid-1940s (following the end of the war) our parents realized that we had to solidify our Jewish education and our Jewish connections” [Norman Pink]. “Talmud Torah helps me connect with my friends and connect more with Judaism…You can learn a lot while still playing fun games” [Eliana Weiss, 5th grade student]. “They are the ones who continue to develop our raw material that will become our Jewish community in the future” [Mike Fiterman]. “It’s helping me develop something that I don’t know that’s inside of me, so that I can find a better me” [Zachary Berman, 3rd grade student].
With your partnership, we continue to serve as an access point, engaging our community’s families and students of all backgrounds in educational experiences that provide the foundation and lifelong tools for living an intentionally Jewish life. We accomplish this through nurturing relationships and building skills. Together, we create a space for everyone to learn and succeed through our remarkable educators and unique, hands-on experiences.
“We thank the Jewish parents of our community for the last 125 years, for not only making sure that this institution is here, but to make sure that it is embraced and recognized over the years as one of the best Talmud Torahs in the country” [Mike Fiterman].
We are your school…let’s learn and celebrate together!!
Hazzan Jeremy Lipton
Head of School
P.S. To view our 125th-Anniversary Video, please click here.