Recently, my husband and I were talking with our two boys over dinner about our upcoming summer vacation and the topic of “memories” came up. Our boys are 7 and 9 years old so to help illustrate this concept we provided some examples and asked them to recount some memories of their own – this conversation diverged into a storytelling account of our earliest childhood memories. My oldest son who is a Shalom pre-school graduate recounted what he believed to he his earliest memory of sitting with his class at Shabbat and witnessing an incident where someone accidentally knocked one of the lit Shabbat candles off the table. The pre-school teacher, thinking quickly, caught the candle just before it hit the floor keeping the candle lit!
I was taken aback first by my son’s detailed description and his observation that the teacher had “saved” Shabbat by catching the candle; but I also paused at the revelation that my son will carry this early childhood memory with him for the rest of his life (along with many more I hope). My husband and I have reflected upon this several times since our son first shared this story and we are so grateful that this memory includes a connection to our son’s Jewish heritage and that the setting of this memory was at the JCC and included the people who had cared and nurtured him in these early years. It makes us value the JCC and our community all the more – a special thanks to all.
Affectionately,
Shannon Tuch
