At Strelitz International Academy, a love for tzedakah, kindness, and helping others is fostered at each grade level. As students learn new tefillot (prayers) they explore Hashem’s kindness, and brainstorm ways to care for others. Tzedakah, helping those in need, is a foundational Jewish value, and students take these lessons to heart, bringing coins for charity and organizing a wide variety of mitzvah and tzedakah projects throughout the school year.
On Tuesday, May 21, SIA Primary Years students went on a tzedakah field trip. Students were very excited as they headed to Greenbrier Historic Farms to pick strawberries. Arriving at the strawberry fields, the students got right to work choosing bright red, juicy strawberries. After a quick snack, students played on the playground and jumped in the inflatables.
The strawberry picking field trip was held in memory of Richard Glasser. Ahead of the field trip, students learned about Glasser’s motto in life, “to do the right thing at the right time for the right reason.” In his memory, the students not only picked strawberries for themselves, but also for children living in a family shelter run by ForKids. The students took this mitzvah very seriously and some even offered to donate their entire basket of strawberries to the ForKids families.
Once back at school, SIA students donated more than 600 strawberries to ForKids. What a beautiful and tasty mitzvah!
Rashi Brashevitzky is director of Judaic Studies at Strelitz International Academy.
