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.
Lesson's title: WOMEN OF THE REFUSENIKS
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 first lesson we did was the “Women of the Refuseniks.”
All students, including both genders, were invigorated by this lesson, especially the included video and letter by Elie Wiesel. They were attentive and asked thought provoking questions. The connected was ever apparent that as Jews, we must always raise awareness and protect one another.
One student pointed out that without help from one other,
“The Jewish people never would have survived as long as we have.”
Another student acknowledged that even though Jews in general have had tough times in our long history,
“Jewish women may have even had it harder. It’s like a double prejudice.”
Overall, this was an engaging and worthwhile lesson for both me and the students. It sparked a fantastic discussion that we can continue on for the rest of the year!
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