Posted on 07/30/21
No more homework, no more books. . .
Summer is for fun, and Bnos is all about fun with a purpose. The less structured and academic days of summer offer opportunities to reach girls in new ways. During the Three Weeks at the beginning of this year’s vacation, Bnos programming showed girls of all ages how to make a difference during this time.
Fast Day Events
It’s not enough to make it through a fast day without a headache. We need to help our children tap into the power and potential of the day. With that in mind, Bnos held three call-in events on our recent fast days.
On Shiva Asar b’Tamuz, high school girls joined Mrs. Chani Juravel for inspiration to take into the Three Weeks. We always hear about “working on our middos,” but what does that really mean? Mrs. Juravel gave practical tips and strategies.
On Tisha b’Av, high school and post-high school girls came on the line when Mrs. Tehila Gailer spoke about the power of tears. Sincere crying unleashes our emotions to supercharge our tefillos. Then girls in grades 2-5 listened to Rabbi Mayer Erps tell a story about improving our middos to make a difference in the lives around us.
We had over 1000 participants each time, opening a second line on Tisha b’Av. Clearly, these events are filling a void.
Contest
Nationally, BBC (Bnos Bikur Cholim) encourages girls to connect with seniors. Since COVID’s onset, seniors are increasingly lonely and isolated. Even young girls can make a difference in a senior’s life with a visit, a letter, or a phone call. For the BBC Nine Days contest, any girl who called, visited, or wrote to a senior five times was entered into a raffle.
Programs
BBC also arranges day camp visits to nursing homes. This year, we facilitated over 30 visits to ten facilities during the 9 days . Some were in-person, some were virtual, but all made an impact on the residents.
And our new summer Pirkei Avos program was an instant hit. We developed a six-week curriculum, including the parsha, a perek of Pirkei Avos, a middah story, and a game. Over 10 sleep-away camps adopted the program, and many Bnos branches are using it for a summer Bnos session.
Would you like to be in on the action? Camps can still sign up for nursing home visits or the Pirkei Avos program. And this is the perfect time to think about starting a new Bnos chapter for next year. Email bnos@agudah.org or call 212-797-9000, ext. 353.