My Family Story: Eighth Graders Explore Their Family History Through Art

Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School’s 8th graders have been participating in Beit Hatfutsot --The Museum of the Jewish People’s- My Family Story project, a global educational program where students explore not just their personal family history, but their connection to the Jewish people. Under the guidance of 8th grade advisor and history teacher Ms. Liz Shrier, music teachers Mr. Russell Kirk and Ms. Sherry Benedek, Creative Arts Department Director Mr. Jason Dougherty and art teacher Mrs. Shelly Spector, the students are telling their stories through a variety of media and forms of artistic expression– sculpture, painting, video, music performances and more.

Students from countries around the world are participating in this initiative, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, USA and Venezuela. The purpose is to enhance each student’s “Jewish awareness, identity and a connection to family, the broader Jewish global community and to Israel,” according to the program’s mission statement. It is an important Jewish Peoplehood initiative which allows the next generation to connect to their roots, heritage and culture - a generation that envisions itself as part of the story of the Jewish people.

The projects, which were funded and supported by Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Fund for the Enrichment of Jewish Education. were on display at the Jewish Museum of Maryland on March 12 where they were evaluated by a panel of judges, including Beth Tfiloh High School history teacher Mr. Paul Bolenbaugh, High School Jewish history teacher Dr. Valerie Thaler, as well as a professor at Johns Hopkins, a Jewish Museum board member and Ms. Shula Bahat, CEO, Beit Hatfusot of America.

Two of the submissions, The Special Guests by Eitan M. ’19 and Fighting for Judaism by Rivi G. ’19, will be sent to Beit Hatfutsot--The Museum of the Jewish People in Israel, where they will be judged by a panel of representatives from the Israel Ministry of Education, The Constantine Family School of Education of Tel Aviv University, the Douglas E. Goldman Jewish Genealogy Center, the Education Department of Beit Hatfutsot, and experts in the field.

The exhibit will be on display through Sunday, March 15th, at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, 15 Lloyd Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.

Learn more about the My Family Story program.
 
Read the Curator Notes explaining all the projects here.
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Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School

Learning together. For life.
Baltimore’s only Jewish independent preparatory school serving PreSchool through Grade 12.