A look back at the "old" BT Day School

When we graduated from Beth Tfiloh, we dispersed throughout Northwest Baltimore City and into Baltimore County.  In 1961, we were in the middle of a social movement of white flight.  While it wasn’t like we were leaving Anatevka in the old country for America, many of us had not seen each other in all that time. 

We had badges with our pictures from the second and third grade to help us recognize who we were.  All of us had aged, but we all seemed to have kept our basic personalities.  The smiles and laughs and good will were electric.  After all these years, it felt right to reflect on our times and our childhood together.  Many of us never felt closer to our junior or senior high school classmates then we did to the people in that room.  These were some of the most important years that shaped and molded our emerging personalities and lives. 

We were born in the heart of the Baby Boom--1949-1950- a time of high hopes after winning WWII. 

I’ve often wondered why our parents chose BT.  (We never referred to Beth Tfiloh at BT.)   For Jewish parents the choices for schooling were Public School, same sex Jewish day schools, or elite private schools like the Park School which was a bastion of liberalism and Reform Judaism.  These choices didn’t fit into our parents’ view of what was right for us.  Something drew them to send their progeny to a new type of Orthodox Jewish Day School- one that was Modern.  The highlight of this modernity was that it was co-educational.  It was the first of its kind.  It wanted to provide a Jewish education at the same time deliver a first class secular education too--two goals that they felt were blended successfully at Beth Tfiloh.  Modern and Orthodox- that was their goal.  Trying to live in the secular and live in the traditional at the same time. 

Modern orthodox education created a duality of purpose that was reflected in our day-to-day classroom activities.  From second grade on, we had a traditional English curriculum in the morning (most years) and Hebrew in the afternoon--- English and Hebrew--arithmetic and prayer--the rational and the spiritual.  While there was an opportunity to blend the “ying and yang”, how many of us ever achieve the harmony of blending the two components that made up our daily study at Beth Tfiloh?  A few that’s for sure.  I suspect that we have each chosen one over the other because the art of compromise of living in both worlds at the same time has been lost in the last 50 years.

Our class’s religious beliefs were eclectic.  There weren’t too many we would consider “traditional” orthodox whose families went to shul and observed all the Shabbat laws- no turning on switches, no riding, no TV.  I know that was the case with Doris’s family and Barry’s family.  Then there were the Modern Orthodox who may have observed some of the laws.  Then there were families that actually went to conservative shuls.  

For the majority of our families, we interpreted the Orthodox/Conservative religious practices broadly.  Under these rules, Kosher could mean:

                  -- Separate milk and meat dishes in the house

                  -- No mixing of meat and milk

                  -- Kosher in the House but non- kosher outside ---as long as you didn’t mix meat and milk- example--the Toddle House for breakfast was OK as long as you didn’t get the bacon; Bowling Alley Pizza was OK

                  -- Kosher in the kitchen and dining room, but crabs in the basement

                  -- Kosher in the House but non- kosher outside including “High Treif” -as my step-mother used to call it- Cheese Burgers or Pork Spare Ribs, seafood-- the works

How we celebrated non-Jewish holidays at Beth Tfiloh in 50’s would be an embarrassment to today’s Beth Tfiloh Day School establishment.  I’m not talking Thanksgiving or the 4^th of July which we were very patriotic about.  I’m talking about the other religions’ holidays-- Halloween and Valentine’s Day.  Both have Pagan and Christian roots. 

I don’t remember Halloween celebrations during school, but we weren’t encouraged not to celebrate it.  No one came in the day after going out “trick or treating” and whispered about the secret stash of candy they scored the night before- like we were talking about a purchase of an illicit street drug.  It was accepted.

Then there was Valentine’s Day.  Do you remember how we celebrated Valentine’s Day?  We gave Valentine cards.  Today, that’s a big no-no on a number of fronts.  First it is “Politically Incorrect”.  Today everyone in the class would have to get one.  Everyone is “special”, so why bother?  Second, it sends a mixed message of what holidays are really important.  Did you give them?  I remember that I’d have a pack of small one sided valentine’s cards that I’d write who it was to and who it was from.

In the upper grades, the ritual was like an opinion poll in reverse.  Instead of someone asking us who we liked, we shared our views by giving out the cards.  Did we secretly count the number of cards we got and relish or anguish who gave them to us?  Did you feel hurt if you didn’t get 1 or 2?  If so, I would like to apologize.  My only excuse is that we were kids.  We were basically very good kids. 

One thing I do remember is that our class was younger overall than similar classes in public school.  Lots of us were born after September of 1949 and in to early 1950.  Our parents wanted us to get a head start in our education.  

Way before there was “Wheel of Fortune”, we had our own word game--- hangman.  (Looking back with political correctness--Hangman seemed a little harsh for young, impressionable children).

Every week, we gave tsedakah to Keren Ami(that is the Jewish National Fund). 

In second grade we had these savings bank booklets specially designed for us where you brought in some money and the booklet would be put into these white cloth bags and taken to the bank where our accounts were credited?  

In Gym, we had marching with Hermie Feldman calling out “left-right, left-right, company halt”.  We laughed a lot about that.

On Friday afternoons the entire school would go down to the chapel for Friday Shabbat Services.  We would pray from these 8 ½ x 11 inch booklets with a pink cover that had the entire service in it.  Remember L-Cho-Dodi where, at the end, we would all stand face the back and welcome the Shabbat Bride.  The imagery of the Shabbat as a bride was lost on me.  I didn’t know what a bride was supposed to look like.

We spent Lag B’omer days at Beth Tfiloh Camp, and in the 6^th grade we had a class trip to Washington.

So we were young.  We were very well behaved overall.  Even our worst “Gangsta” moment (in today’s vernacular) would be a character in a scene either in a “Peanuts” comic strip or “Archie” Comic book.  My personal “baddest” moment was sticking my tongue out at Mr Maneshewitz z'l in 6^th grade. I don’t remember there ever being a fight among the boys.  Barry told me that he and I fought in the 3^rd grade.  I had no recollection.  Louis says he remembers one among the girls. 

The reunion started at 12 noon on July 14^th.  There were great embraces and shouts of joy as we greeted many of our classmates.  Some people were easy to recognize.  Others we looked at the nametags.  Many brought pictures to share from school and camp.

 

Everyone was surprised how tall Jesse was.  He hadn’t had his final growth spurt until after high school. He and David went back to back to see who was now taller. 

 

Richie brought up Mrs. Baker who was our first grade teacher for the majority of the group.  He teased her-- telling how Louis had a “thing” for her in first grade.  Louis then said it was Richie who was projecting.  Mrs. Baker took it in stride and had a great time.

 

Norm made a toast for good will and good health.  Alan recalled the memory of our only classmate who had passed. 

 

Candi, our hostess, told us how excited she was about the reunion and that we should spend all the time we had left getting reacquainted with as many of us as possible. She and Linda were fighting to hold back the tears --which was very meaningful to all of us.   

 

While Jesse couldn’t remember all our classmates from the second and third grade pictures, he recounted everything there was to eat in great detail.  In his own words, “I tried everything”.

We ate and then Barry came in and greeted and charmed everyone.  Barry had stopped by to say hello and get into the group picture.  After the picture, the reunion started to break up. 

 

The Reunion was over.  3 months prior to this date, no one in the room had any idea that we would be getting together.  It was obvious that this getting together was so important to many of us.  There may have been much unfinished business among us.  During the waning moments of the reunion, we talked about getting together again- time to be determined- definitely not waiting another 52 years.    Now, with our rediscovering our classmates after so many years, it will be interesting to see where the BTOS Class of 1961 goes from here.