Kehillah Fund
Dr. Yosef Walder z”l made a point of dedicating his life to the success and health of the Jewish community. Now, Women of the Kehillah has continued his legacy and recently completed the 8th Grade Hakaras Hatov Project in his memory. Thanks to this initiative, eighth graders of our community were able to reflect on the things that truly matter in life — love, support, education, and most importantly, gratitude.
This project was led by Robin Loeb, Associate Director of Kehillah Fund, in collaboration with Walder Education. After learning about the value of hakaras hatov (Hebrew for appreciating the good), groups of eighth grade boys and girls each had the opportunity to create lawn signs that expressed their feelings of gratitude towards their family, friends, teachers, and Hashem (G-d). Thanks to the Women of Kehillah, the art supplies were provided to the students to ensure they could create works of art the entire community could enjoy. By taking the time to reflect on their educational journey so far, the 8th graders could truly get a sense of what mattered most to them and express thanks to all those who have helped them along the way as they prepare to begin high school. Students were able to work independently or in collaborative groups to design colorful lawn signs reflecting all the things that they were thankful for. Taking pride in one’s faith and in Torah values is an amazing thing to see in the classroom!
More than 100 total signs were completed just before the Jewish holiday of Shavuous, and were placed in four main neighborhoods, with a few in the suburbs. The impact of this project was immediately clear — people in the community loved the positive message that the 8th graders had to share. Robin was able to speak to many people in the neighborhoods where the signs had been placed over Yom Tov and Shabbos, and they were thrilled that the signs were up. One community member even offered to buy one of the signs because she was so touched by its message! It’s evident that gratitude for the love and support of a community goes far beyond the 8th grade classroom.
This is the first year that we worked on this community sign project with students and teachers, but we hope this is a tradition that will last for years to come. After all, a project like this aligns perfectly with the mission of the Kehillah Fund. It’s an opportunity for us to celebrate Jewish education and Torah values and make educators in our community feel valued. Even something as small as a sign can make a big difference for people walking by!
May this project truly honor the memory of our founder, Dr. Walder, who truly understood the value of education. We’re grateful to him as well for creating the Kehillah Fund and allowing so many great works to be put into motion.