Burnaby kids introduced to Judaism

KYLE BERGER REPORTER

We've heard of courses called Judaism 101, but have we ever thought about a class called Judaism in an Hour? That wasn't the official title, but that's the best way to describe what 185 Grade 8 students from Alpha secondary school in Burnaby were treated to Feb. 11.

The students paid a visit to the Vancouver Lubavitch Centre to learn some of the basics of Judaism from Rabbi Yechiel Baitelman. The program was part of their World Religions Day, where the kids visited four religious institutions: a Hindu temple, a Protestant church, a Buddhist temple and the Lubavitch Centre.

"We're exposing the kids to the diversity and the multicultural aspect of our communities in the Lower Mainland," said Dale Lintott, head of the school's social studies department. "Many of them have never stepped into a place of worship before. So I think it is a great way for them to gain a respect for and gain a better understanding of the different faiths that make up our society."

Baitelman began his presentation with an explanation of the kippah. He used the topic to ask the students to consider their own decision-making abilities.

"The reason I wear the kippah on my head is because, notwithstanding the fact that we are intelligent human beings and notwithstanding the fact that our ability to think is very important," he said, "when it comes to matters of right and wrong, there is a higher authority.

"We do not have the ability to choose what is right or wrong, we only have the ability to choose if we will do what is right or if we will do what is wrong," he continued. "If we left it up to us then we all have different ideas and there would be no sense of what is right or wrong. Then the only thing that's left is what I want. And there are 185 different wants right here in this room."

The students asked Baitelman questions about Jewish holidays, how a Torah is made, what the star of David represents, when the Jewish religion was established and what a bar or bat mitzvah is. For many of the students, like Ria Renouf, this presentation showed them how much more there is to Judaism than what they see on TV or in movies.

Renouf, who acknowledged that most of what she knew of the Jewish religion was what she learned from the movie The Ten Commandments, said that Baitelman's talk really opened her eyes.

"You think you know things, but it's amazing how there's lots more to these religions than the stereotypical stuff you see on TV," she said. "I learned a lot today."

Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer living in Richmond.

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