JewishPV Blog
Rabbi Yitzie Visit PV High
Peninsula students probe interfaith panel
By Rebecca Villaneda Thursday, January 7, 2010 11:13 AM PST
Rabbi Yitzchok Magalnic of the Chabad Jewish Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, visited Palos Verdes High School teacher Bryce Stoddard’s comparative religion class on Tuesday, Jan. 5. Magalnic shared his beliefs of Judaism. On Jan. 12, students from both PV High and Peninsula High School will pose questions to clergy people of different faiths as part of the Dawn Unity Group’s Interfaith Discovery Series.
Peninsula News Peninsula and Palos Verdes high school students will take their comparative religion lessons to the real world in a panel discussion with persons who represent various faiths. Questions regarding beliefs, traditions, the afterlife and views on controversial subjects such as abortion and homosexuality will be on the tips of the curious teenagers’ tongues.
The discussion, open to the public, is hosted by the Dawn Unity Group and will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Congregation Ner Tamid of South Bay at 7:30 p.m. Bob Rothman, chair of Dawn Unity, said the idea behind the evening’s program is to spread knowledge about people and their neighbors’ faiths. “We thought that having the students ask the questions would put a different perspective on it because … it would come from the younger generation — the ones who are studying religion,” Rothman said. Having taught comparative religion since 1967, Jim Maechling said there was a time when his class was only one of two in the United States being taught in a public school. “That’s really a controversial issue because most teachers have always been afraid to introduce religion, because they don’t want to cross the line of advocacy,” he said, adding that his class was featured on the “The News Hour” with Jim Lehrer. “I don’t think the Founding Fathers meant that God should not be mentioned in the school; what they didn’t want … is … any one teacher advocating any one faith,” Maechling said. “Look around. [At] the last check there was, like, over 38 languages spoken at PENHI … Don’t you think it’s important to get inside the belief systems and mentalities of where these other people come from? “I think that as time has gone on, I’ve become more of a religious pluralist because I believe that all cultures and all religions have something to add,” he continued. Bryce Stoddard, incidentally, had Maechling as a teacher years ago and he now teaches the same course at PV High. “Ultimately, interfaith is something that is unique in a lot of communities,” Stoddard said. “The fact that rabbis and pastors are getting together and talking about faith and all the issues surrounding it, [it’s] bridging differences and broadening understanding, and for young people who are so full of questions, it’s an excellent opportunity for them to ask those questions.” Stoddard expressed that it’s the s
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Daily Breeze Article - June 23, 2007
Wesley Baer had a typical bar mitzvah on Sunday - reciting the Torah in Hebrew, chanting traditional blessings and prayers that mark the age of maturity in the Jewish tradition.
But Wesley, 13, of Torrance, is not a typical Jewish teen.
He was born with Down syndrome, a genetic condition in which an extra chromosome causes varying degrees of mental retardation.
Wesley was born in South Africa. His parents, Avi and Jessica, moved the family to Torrance more than a decade ago to provide him better access to educational and medical services.
At the time it was difficult for them to envision Wesley standing before the 100 guests that filled the room at the Fred Hess Community Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, some of whom traveled from as far as his native country to see him bar mitzvahed.
Chabad Palos Verdes Rabbi Yitzchok Magalnic, who officiated, said most special needs teens do not participate in traditional Jewish ceremonies because they can't put in the required time and effort to learn Hebrew and memorize the blessings and prayers.
"For families of children with special needs, this day is often painful instead of a celebration, because the child cannot go through the ritual," Magalnic said.
Magalnic said Wesley's case is rare.
"The accomplishment of this child is very unique," he said.
Wesley spent a year studying with Magalnic, learning not only Hebrew, but also about the significance of Jewish history, holidays and customs. To help Wesley learn the passages, the rabbi put them on a CD for him to listen to outside of their sessions.
Wesley's father is the son of a Holocaust survivor, and his mother was raised in a Jewish family. Both said they wanted Wesley to understand the importance of bar mitzvah.
"We wanted him to understand he's growing up and the responsibility of being a young man," Jessica said.
"Kids don't have an understanding of the legacy they are a part of," Avi added. "For me, seeing my son embrace his heritage was huge."
After nine surgeries and related medical problems, seeing Wesley into young adulthood has not been without its difficulties, but Jessica said it was a "team effort" from family and school staff that helped her manage. Wesley attends Calle Mayor Middle School in Torrance.
In fact, a former teacher and principal were among the attendees at the bar mitzvah.
"It really does take a village to raise a child," Jessica said.
Though Wesley has had challenges, Avi said, he has achieved in and outside of school because of his work ethic.
"From his blue belt in karate to learning for his bar mitzvah, he always does the necessary work to succeed," he said.
So when it came time to arrange the ceremony, Avi said he could have gone to a reform or a conservative synagogue - where the bar mtizvah is abbreviated and would have required less studying - but he knew Wesley was capable of doing the work.
Magalnic said 30 years ago, it was unheard of for a boy with Down syndrome to have a traditional bar mitzvah.
"We're living in a time when parents are more open to having the ceremony," the rabbi said.
During the ceremony, Wesley sat quietly. Afterward, when asked what the ceremony meant to him, he said, "I feel it in my heart."
His mom said watching Wesley's bar mitzvah reminded her of the importance of her own ceremony. "I remember having my bat mitzvah and its impact is still hitting me," she said.
Jessica Baer said she hopes her son will inspire more families of Jewish teens with special needs to put in the extra effort of a traditional ceremony.
"If Wesley can give other families hope, that's great," she said. "One of the worst things you can do is take away hope."
LA Times Article - June 18, 2007
A boy becomes a man in God's eyes
- Rabbi Yitzie Visit PV High
- Daily Breeze Article - June 23, 2007
- LA Times Article - June 18, 2007