Parent Spotlight: Mrs. Rivka Goren
Mrs. Rivka Goren has four children in The Jewish Academy in Miami, Florida. When they were young, they attended the JCC, which the children and their parents loved; “They were happy, we were happy, there was tradition and Kabbalat Shabbat,” recalls Mrs. Goren fondly. But when it came time to find an elementary school, the Jewish day schools were just too expensive, and the Goren children went to public school instead. They still liked it, but for Mrs. Goren, “it was a pinch in my heart.” When after 5th grade the oldest went to a new public school, the Gorens experienced anti-Semitism from both teachers and students. They knew very quickly that the time for change had arrived.
When they were put in touch with Rabbi Kornfeld, Chinuch Yehudi’s Florida director, he asked them, “If you had the money, if you had the financial support, would you move them to a Jewish school?”
Their response: “of course.”
When they moved the children to The Jewish Academy, it was a different world. “In this school they have a neshama,” Mrs. Goren explains. The children blossomed in the Torah environment, where they learned to daven, made friends, and started learning Torah. The public school had put too much academic pressure on the children, and in The Jewish Academy they were able to study and also have a healthy childhood, playing with their friends after school. They became leaders, initiating games and projects among their friends. The energy of the school was different, which was important for Mrs. Goren’s oldest daughter, who is very sensitive to the people around her. Their new school gave the Goren children warmth, acceptance, and love.
On the children’s third day in Jewish school, the kindergarten teacher sent Dr. and Mrs. Goren a video of their 8-year-old Yosef, saying Shema. “This is amazing!” exclaims Dr. Goren on recalling the video. When the school shifted to remote learning due to the coronavirus, Mrs. Goren had her first opportunity to watch her children pray: “It was so moving. I had tears in my eyes to see them pray with passion, with intention.” On the first Friday of remote learning, they joined a Zoom meeting with the whole school to sing Kabbalat Shabbat together.
The Gorens also participate in Chinuch Yehudi’s other community programming. Monthly father and son learning gives Dr. Goren quality time with his boys. They have fun being with their friends and fathers, playing games, getting prizes, and eating pizza. Rabbi Kornfeld organizes a lecture once a month for the mothers, which develops a community among the women. This creates an environment in which mothers that support each other and have fun together. Mrs. Goren has also become very involved in the Jewish community; she opened a Girl Scouts branch with the support of local community leaders. When three Israeli girls were having trouble rejoining their classroom after several weeks of private tutoring, the school brought in Mrs. Goren to talk to them and help them reintegrate back into their classrooms.
When asked about their feelings on the transition, the children talk about how nice everyone is, from the teachers to the students. But the best proof is the change in their morning behavior. Mrs. Goren recounts: “In the morning, you know you go to school and you’ll have homework to do and you don’t like it, but you’re going to see your friends and have fun. It’s easier to manage them in the morning.”