Call of Philadelphia: Ninth Grade

From the Liberty Bell – with its famous Torah quote, to the nation’s premier Jewish museum, to the historic Mikveh Israel Sephardi synagogue, 90 students spent the day exploring the roots of their American Jewish community.

After a trip to the bell – the nation’s symbol of freedom – it was off to the nearby National Museum of American Jewish History. But before entering, the students examined a large, marble statue. Back in 1876, the B’nai B’rith Jewish fraternal organization gave it as a gift to the United States to mark the nation’s centennial. Then, after a quick lunch inside, it was time to get to work.

While doing so, students paired up to find two items they had studied back in school and were charged with writing about the pieces’ significance. Then they had to find two more items they would send to the Smithsonian Museum if asked to pick artifacts that represented the history of Jews in America. As with the first part, they had to explain their choices.

Then it was off to the nearby Mikveh Israel, whose fame dates back to the Revolutionary War era; its members have included the legendary Haym Solomon, financer of the American struggle against the British. In the synagogue, the Egyptian-born Rabbi Albert Gabbai held the students attention with his explanations of Sephardi life. And then he opened the Aron Kodesh, revealing a dazzling display of Torahs, draped in colorful cloths and silver. Some of the sacred scrolls, like the congregation itself, date back about 250 years.

On the road back home, students were busy finishing their project, taking a well-deserved nap and taking in another day of the finest experiential education around.