Every other Friday, the 9th grade Jewish Studies classes each sit in a circle in the middle of the room. At the front of the room, a neatly pressed white cloth neatly covers a table with two Shabbat candles and two snacks. We start the period with a song and then dive into the heart of the student-led activity. This is what the kids have come to know as “Jewish Journey Friday.”  After lighting candles and distributing snacks, the two students hosting that week each ask a carefully constructed question. The questions are designed to elicit a specific and personal story that will reveal some element of a person’s Jewish Journey. “Tell a story about a particularly memorable Passover experience.” “When was a time when you felt particularly proud to be a Jew.” “Tell about a specific way in which you see your Judaism differently today than you

I had an aunt and uncle in Atlanta; their home was filled with antiques—even mundane things like a laundry detergent bucket from the 1940s. It was just something that I found deeply resonant. I’m deeply interested in material culture; it transports me to a different time. When my mother and I were cleaning out my grandmother’s house after she passed away, we came across this envelope that my mother, when she was a kid, received from cousins who lived in Alabama. Attached to the letter inside was a Confederate $5 bill, with a paperclip rusted on the bill itself. That was so exciting; I had a personal connection to the civil war. Shortly after that I learned that when Lincoln was assassinated, he had a Confederate $5 bill in his wallet.