Adar Transitions

This past weekend, I noticed something basic about the Hebrew calendar that I had overlooked; in the Torah’s counting, Nisan is the first month of the year, which means that Adar is the very last month. I never really thought of Adar as the end of the year. When I think of year’s end, I think of conclusions, possibly coupled with some anxiety and apprehension about whether I met my goals set at the beginning of the year. However, that is not the message of Adar at all. With Purim at the center of this month, we begin to experience a time of joy and increased happiness. This caboose of months shows itself to be a time of transition, with a happy “ending.” What is the message for us who work in the day school field?

Let’s first take a look at the Megillah. Based on the text, we see that in Adar, the Jews of Persia suffered a capricious and horrific reversal of fortune. One moment things were wonderful, and the next, everything suddenly became so very precarious. In the midst of these dire circumstances, our people stayed together, with great solidarity and fortitude, and their resolve helped to bring about the transition to a new day of light and joy. Each person harnessed his or her inner strength to weather the crisis, thereby collectively augmenting the joy and happiness.

As we fast forward to our contemporary realities, we can thankfully say that we in North America have not known the depth of fear and vulnerability that the Jews of Persia experienced. And yet, we have weathered a changing and challenging economy – and we continue to be challenged. Our day schools are sensitive enterprises that can easily experience both ups and downs. What can help us continue to navigate successfully through these waters? I offer three responses.

First, we should focus on our resilience and on the challenges which we are already confronting head on. This is a cause for celebration, imitating our ancestors who turned bleakness to joy and light. Second, as we move into the second half of Adar, we are fast approaching the month of Nisan, which is not only the beginning of the cycle of months in the Torah, but also the month when spring bursts forth. The transition to spring is always a time filled with hope, promise, and the energy of new beginnings and new insights. May this year be no exception.  Spring can and will help to buoy our efforts. Finally, just as the Jews of Persia long ago harnessed their collective inner strength to weather their crisis, so too must we work in our communities to build a collective commitment to strengthen and grow our day schools.

At PEJE, we are taking the concept of harnessing collective power and bringing it to life in communities across North America where we are working to strengthen leadership, governance, and financial sustainability. In addition, the 2010 PEJE Assembly for the Advancing the Jewish Day School Field, taking place in Baltimore on October 24-26, will carry as its core theme “Harnessing Our Power.” (Registration will open mid-April; watch for details in the coming weeks.) It is through the collective that we can accomplish truly great things. We are committed, both at the Assembly as well as in our work year-round across the continent, to harness all of your power and the power of the hundreds of other leaders like you to create an energized, hopeful, and uplifting day school field in which we all come to recognize our collective strength to make our day schools irresistible and strong.

Just as Mordechai and Esther could not do it totally alone, neither can our individual schools. We need to develop robust collaborations, linking school to school and leader to leader; furthermore, we need to engage in national conversations in which we face squarely the major challenges facing our schools.

This is not a time to rely on old answers, nor is it a time to try to go it alone. The 21st century is the time for new thinking, alternative possibilities, new resources, and collaboration.

As the Biblical year draws to a close with joy and celebration in this topsy-turvy month of Adar, make it a point to be joyful – to celebrate your accomplishments, big and small. Hone in on the fact that spring is around the corner, and regardless of where you live, focus on the symbolism of spring which is so associated with rebirth, health, and growth – qualities that we want for ourselves and for our schools. Finally, acknowledge the energy and knowledge that you have within. Like our ancestors, seek out ways to work beyond the four walls of your school to envision and imagine a joyful and thriving future which awaits us, as long as we embrace and harness the collective power that we share as a day school extended family and community.

–Josh Elkin