Lo Ta'amod: A Jewish Values Family Education Program

In this family education program, we apply Centropa’s stories from our past to reflect on our values, and translate that learning into action for the present and future. The goal is for families to learn a wide variety of Jewish values and for each family to consider which values they want to consciously live by as a family, and then commit to them.

Viewing two Centropa stories – one about two Sephardic sisters saved by a Catholic priest, and another about how Jews worked with their Muslim and Christian neighbors to save each other during the Bosnian war of the 1990s – parents and teens will identify and discuss the Jewish values illustrated in each film.

Then, together they will create a family values mission statement – along the lines of the ethical wills of the Middle Ages – that identifies the values they consider most important for their family. They will write up their declaration so they can place it somewhere in their home where they can be reminded of their commitment. Finally, each family will choose one value to focus on for the rest of this year and name three ways they will realize that value in their lives.