While Andrew may not completely realize it today, his religious school experience is practically Ivy League.
Growing up in Fargo, Danny attended Sunday school at Temple Beth El. He was joined by three or four other kids, and occasionally more when a Jewish family moved to town affiliated with NDSU or the hospital. Unlike my Beta tape tutorials, Danny got the full experience. He learned about the holidays, Israel and occasionally goofed off with the other kids.
When it came time for Danny's Bar Mitzvah, however, the experience was more rote than trope. While Andrew's training began in third grade, Danny's began about nine months before the big day. Andrew spent months learning trope, the musical notes Torah readers follow when chanting the Torah. Danny was given a cassette tape, and was tasked to listen and memorize the melody.
In our opinion, Andrew's Bar Mitzvah training has been top rate. For the past five years, Andrew has attended Talmud Torah -- and not via video. For three years, he's attended Saturday school with more than 50 or so kids. He was given a DVD to familiarize himself with his portion, however, his instructors have made sure that he not only reads the words but also understands what the words mean.
The similar thread that runs through Andrew, Danny and my experience is the value placed on being Jewish. Our parents, Danny and I would agree that it doesn't matter how the experience is packaged -- the number of kids in the class, the method for learning the melody. It's just a gift we are proud to share.
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