Teach
Jewish education as more than a means to an end. He said many
of them come from Reform backgrounds and have plenty of
Jewish friends and neighbors, so he shares stories about growing
up as one of the only Jewish kids at his school to give them a
diff erent perspective on the meaning of community.

“If you get involved and be a part of it, it’s going to be a lot
more enjoyable for you,” he said. “I’m not over-religious, but I do
like the holidays and the customs, and this is what I try to pass
on to them.”
He appreciates when students come back to visit years later
and tell him how his classes impacted
them. “When you’re there, you don’t really
see how much of an impact you have on
them. But when you see them 10, 15 years
later, and they come back to you and say,
‘You know, it was a great year and I really
learned something from you,’ I feel I’m a
better Jewish person for it,” he said.

He is even more excited when his
pupils join him in the fi eld. Five of his
former students are now his colleagues as
Hebrew school teachers at Or Ami.

“Some students, when I fi rst had them,
had absolutely no interest in anything
to do with Judaism,” he said. “And now
24 MAY 6, 2021
when they come to me and want to be my classroom aide, I know
I did do something that impacted them. Even if they’re in high
school or in college, they want to come in, they want to be a part
of it, and that’s really exciting for me.”
Excitement and challenge oft en go hand-in-hand in the class-
room, and the need to switch to remote learning has made this
year especially challenging. Horwits learned how to use Zoom,
but many students don’t turn on their cameras or get distracted
at home during classes, which can be frustrating.

When parents approached him and said their children felt
lost and needed extra support with their
Hebrew, Horwits gave tutoring sessions
on Zoom to three or four students at a
time. Th e smaller group size is helpful for
kids who get easily distracted or feel shy
speaking in a class of 10. In spite of the
obstacles, he can tell they are learning
when they show him their reading skills.

He said Or Ami brought students
back for some in-person instruction in
April. Although it is near the end of the
Hebrew school year, he is excited to see
his students again now that he is fully
vaccinated. ●
THE GOOD LIFE
spanzer@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0729
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Sergey Peterman / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Continued from Page 9



“If you get involved and be a part of it, it’s going to be a lot more enjoyable for
you. I’m not over-religious, but I do like the holidays and the customs, and this
is what I try to pass on to them.”
STEVEN HORWITS
GlobalStock / gettyimages
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