What Freedom Means to Us

As we were getting ready to leave for Spring Break and prepare to celebrate Passover with friends and family, conversations throughout the school centered on freedom. Our all school Kabbalat Shabbat last week had the theme of Steps to Freedom and Middle School tefilah followed suit with more learning and discussion on themes of slavery and freedom during biblical times and in our world today. Students shared their understanding of the narrowness of Egypt- Mitzrayim (literally from a narrow place)  and were able to relate it to narrow places in our world today. There was much conversation about kindness, respect, love and care to help bring us all out of the narrow places in our lives to places of belonging and freedom.

In the 6th grade Humanities class with Ms. Harriet (Wingard), students were given an opportunity to listen to Sweet Honey in the Rock: Woke Up This Morning with My Mind Stayed on Freedom, and asked to respond to the following questions. 

• What would it mean for your mind to be “stayed” on freedom?  
• How do you walk with your mind on freedom?  
• How do you or might you contribute to the freedom of others?

Many of the students wrote poems and created beautiful abstract art to help them define what freedom means to them. Sixth grader, Jacob, wrote a very meaningful poem which he shared at the Steps to Freedom Kabbalat Shabbat. Thank you, Jacob, for providing us with these thoughtful words to take with us into our Passover celebrations.

Long drives through those city streets
With my head filled with thoughts 
Thoughts of right and thoughts of fair 
And Thoughts of freedom

Giving, taking things from others 
To give to yourself the freedom 
Of choice and the freedom of speech
Because freedom is sweet like candy

Walking down the sidewalk
My feet set the the rhythm of my head
Freedom, speech, justice, peace 
To carry me to home

All day long the trumpets blare and the horns honk
In the land promised long ago
The song of freedom is being sung
The conductor of the fair city symphony

Give to us, take from us, help us, hate us
That shows you care enough to act
But never ever don’t do anything
For it makes us feel like we can’t 

Long drives through those city streets
With my head filled with thoughts 
Thoughts of right and thoughts of fair 
And Thoughts of freedom

But never ever don’t do anything 
For it makes us feel like we can’t
Be free

As we contemplate the following words from the Passover Haggadah:
“Avadim Hayinu, ata b’nei chorin. Once we were slaves and now we are free”, may we and all people experience the true meaning of freedom and continue to do the important work of advocating for peace, justice and freedom for all.

Wishing the entire PJA Kehillah a happy and meaningful Passover.