NICK GREENE BIO
Nick Greene has worked at Valley Beth Shalom for eight years in several capacities. His tenure has included Hebrew School Teacher, Summer Camp Assistant Director, Shevet Achim Cohort Leader, Israel Educator, Teen Tuesday Facilitator and more. He’s also a professional Writer and Actor, playing Aiman Haddad on ABC’s CASTLE and appearing in THEM: COVENANT on Amazon Prime. He is an Associate Artist for Theatre Dybbuk, performing in large scale productions based on mystic and ritualistic Jewish theatre and is also an Education Facilitator for the company.
For the past several months, the halls of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino California have been draped in photos and recollection of the Refusenik endeavor.
This installation, which serves to salute the struggles and successes of a generation, has awed our community and provoked discussions and indeed action on the behalf of justice. The students of VBS have been interested in the topic of the Refuseniks, so these lessons came at a wonderful time.
The second lesson we conducted was “Sing in Hebrew.” This lesson was perfect for our students. As 8th and 9th graders, music is an integral part of their lives. For them, culture is indeed the driving force for the world around them, and music can be considered their most important cultural aspect.
We learned the song “Kachol Ve-Lavan” and sang it as a class. Some students are more advanced than others in Hebrew, but none are fluent speakers, so we spent time going over all of the words and dissecting the importance of each line. By the end, each student felt that they had a connection to the lyrics and in turn, the Refuseniks who championed them. It takes a lot for thirteen and fourteen year olds to be vulnerable, and singing a song they aren’t familiar with is certainly a vulnerable situation. The fact that they sang with gusto and pride proves that they connected to the lesson and of course their Refusenik brothers and sisters. A video is included to show them singing.
The learning did not stop here, we continued on talking about how art and culture can influence the world around us. Music, theatre, film, poetry, and more are extremely important to the progress of society. Now as much as ever, our young students can relate to this.