TDSA’s Chessed Continuium Focuses on Kindness

Torah Day School of Atlanta (TDSA) has engaged in a year-long study of the character trait of kindness as part of their core values program. The Chessed Continuum – an exhibit that included multi-media presentations from every grade from kindergarten through eighth – which was held on May 27, was a culmination of this study. It was a truly impactful presentation of how chessed (kindness) is an important part of who Jews are as a people.

TDSA’s core values curriculum encompasses seven critical character traits teaching students to care for one another, engage respectfully, and contribute to the greater community. At a time when the world is more divided than ever and our fellow Jews worldwide are under attack, it felt critical to embrace the themes of kindness and unity – two of the pillars of this program. These values were woven through the school curriculum through a multi-disciplinary approach. Students learned that chessed (kindness) means to step outside of ourselves and work to build up our communities. Achdut (unity) focuses on our commonalities. Together, these ethics help Jews appreciate the individuality of their neighbors, be responsible for their well-being, and embrace all those around them as extensions of ourselves.

At the Chessed Continuum, the outcomes of this year-long study were on display. Students were asked to reflect on Jewish history as a whole and examine how chessed is baked into every aspect of the Jewish nation. The Chessed Continuum transformed Torah Day School’s gym and the surrounding hallways into an enormous, interactive museum with each class contributing exhibits relating to the material they had learned this year. It was a truly multidisciplinary event, blending ideas from the Torah with critical reading and math skills gained in the school’s general studies classes. This event was spearheaded by TDSA’s Charlie Lewis, Irina Pelishev, and Rabbi Avi Rubin who helped students express their concepts of chessed meaningfully and tangibly.

The exhibits traced the path from creation all the way to modern times and demonstrated how the values of kindness and unity are inherent in the Jewish experience every step of the way. Some truly impressive displays were put together by the students and the staff. The second grade created a replica of the matriarch Sarah’s tent, and the fourth graders put together a scale recreation of the streets of the lower east side. In one of the hallways, the first graders and kindergarten students reconstructed the experience of leaving Egypt and crossing the Red Sea with a giant walk-through display. This led into a depiction of the kindness G-d showed the Jews during their wandering through the desert with a life-size model of the Jewish camp in the desert.

In all of these displays, the students connected these historical figures, places and events with the kindness that took place or that these individuals showed. The students used the content they learned all year in the Torah, Talmud, history, and science and combined it with research, writing (in both Judaic and general studies) and mathematics skills to create moving and relatable exhibits for everyone to experience and explore.

The final portion of the program was entitled: Chessed in Exile. In this section, students from all grade levels delved into real, lived acts of kindness being performed daily in the here and now. The students looked into the various ways the Atlanta community and Jewish communities all over show kindness to one another and demonstrate unity. There were displays sharing amazing acts of kindness including the rescue of Ethiopian Jews, support for Ukrainian refugees, and the formidable aid provided by many organizations in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. The eighth grade explored acts of kindness during the Holocaust, framed through the poem, “The Butterfly,” by Pavel Friedman. Their exhibit traced the path of Jews through the ghettos to concentration camps. Along the way, they highlighted the personal stories of young teens who experienced and survived the Holocaust and the chessed they encountered along the way that made their survival possible.

The Chessed Continuum was a formidable undertaking on the part of administrators, teachers, students, and support staff all over the school. Torah Day School came together to create something uplifting and relevant in today’s fractured world. One of the most important takeaways of the Chessed Continuum was the application of chessed in our daily lives. Almost every exhibit incorporated practical suggestions for improving our acts of kindness towards others.

“The goal of the Chessed Continuum was to make the ideals of chessed (kindness) and achdut (Unity) tangible to the students,” says Head of School Rabbi Meir Cohen. “Throughout the school year, from kindergarten to eighth grade, students were immersed in the study of chessed. As their study progressed, we saw them initiate new acts of kindness among their peers, for the faculty and staff.  Working together to create their exhibits for the Chessed Continuum and experiencing the exhibits the other classes put together, we see that they have truly internalized these values. This is just the beginning– and I feel confident they will carry and build upon these lessons as they mature. This is a program that will stay with them and will impact the rest of their lives.”