Building a Community of Educators

Big Tent Minyan

Every Wednesday morning, The Davidson School assembles to learn and pray together. Prayer is one of the primary activities of Jewish engagement. Our school is unique in that it is comprised of students from across the spectrum of denominational affiliation. This diversity is one of our school's greatest assets.

Our tefillot are inclusive and open. We work with multiple siddurim so that we can study and experience the traditions and liturgies from a variety of perspectives. Our prayer space is egalitarian; however, we experiment with many forms and types of prayer depending on who is leading and teaching each week. With every service, students have the opportunity to further develop their understanding of how the siddur is structured and to acquire a variety of essential prayer skills.

Mifgash

Mifgash means meeting, and all full-time first-year students are required to attend the Weekly Mifgash. Mifgash takes place every Wednesday from 8:30 to 10:10 a.m., following The Davidson School Big Tent Minyan.

The Wednesday morning Mifgash sessions begin with a school tefillah at 7:45 a.m., and continue with breakfast and conversations about professional goals and aspirations at 8:30 a.m. The First-Year Mifgash series is an opportunity for the first-year students to meet as a cohort in a weekly forum for community building and reflection on what it means to be an emerging Jewish educator.

In the first semester, the focus of Mifgash is on building community, preparation for the Vision and Voices of Israel seminar, and getting comfortable in New York City. The second semester focus is on identity as a Jewish educator. Additionally, during the first semester, students focus on crafting a personal mission statement as they review their pasts in order to determine their futures as Jewish educators.

Participants in the Mifgash are awarded practicum credit hours during the year that they are enrolled in their field placement in any of the three tracks equivalent to the number of hours they participate in the Mifgash.

For more information about the Mifgash, contact Rabbi Jonathan Lipnick at jolipnick@jtsa.edu.