Download Word Document: Click Here
Virtual Storytelling with His Grandmother Helped Alex Nasberg-Abrams Create and Share Jewish Heritage Story During Pandemic Lockdown
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J., June 12, 2020 – Every year, the fourth grade religious school students at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel (TSTI) in South Orange participate in My Family Story, an international Jewish heritage program sponsored by the Museum of the Jewish People of Beit Hatfutsot in Tel Aviv, Israel. The program is designed to connect students to their families’ personal stories and the broader story of the Jewish people. Two projects are selected annually by an anonymous committee for submission to the global competition. One of TSTI’s students, Alex Nasberg-Abrams of Maplewood, is a finalist in this year’s competition.
Alex’s project, about his great-great-grandfather’s escape from Poland in 1913, will be exhibited in the museum among the final entries from around the world. Although finalists traditionally travel to Israel for the exhibit opening, this year Alex was part of a virtual ceremony from the museum on June 10, at which the grand prize winner was announced.
Alex turned the necessity imposed by the pandemic lockdown into creative invention, using technology to help tell his family’s story. His grandmother, who lives in Florida, was filmed narrating the story via video on a computer as Alex depicted the events with Lego models. The result was a virtual presentation that bridged distances and generations.
“This year’s project presented challenges for our students, since the religious school was taken completely online in March, but we had the tools in place to support them in completing their projects at home,” said Education Director Mindy Schreff. “Alex was able to reframe his original plan and use technology to help his grandmother participate and create an engaging presentation.”
Alex, age 10, said, “I heard the story from my grandma about her grandfather’s escape and since then, I’ve always had an interest in it. I learned that he swam across a river at night, tricked guards at a checkpoint about his identification papers, reunited with his family and eventually got to America. I’m happy for myself about being a finalist but also happy for my grandma for doing the story with me.”
Alex’s parents, Susan Nasberg-Abrams and Jason Abrams have been members of TSTI since 2014, and are understandably proud of their son’s ingenuity and accomplishment. Alex attended the TSTI preschool and has attended religious school there since kindergarten. His older brother Samuel, who became bar mitzvah at TSTI last year, implemented the technology, helping Alex become the third student to represent TSTI in Israel since the religious school began doing My Family Story eight years ago.
Nasberg-Abrams has served for several years on the religious school board and will join the temple’s executive board in September. She noted that the virtual learning environment presented unforeseen opportunities for connections in new ways.
“I loved how three generations of our family were able to work on this project together, even though we were physically apart, said Nasberg-Abrams. “This project was a wonderful way for my kids to learn about their family history, and it even sparked my mother’s desire to record additional family stories. We are so grateful for this opportunity to participate.”
She added that the way Alex was supported to complete his project reflects how TSTI shows support for all its members. “I love how much TSTI reaches out to every family and how much the clergy, faculty and staff really care about everyone. Our members are always made to feel a part of this wonderful community, which is always so important, and never more so than now.”
Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel (TSTI) is a dynamic, inclusive Reform congregation that offers numerous ways for members to connect with and celebrate being part of the Jewish community and the world. Welcoming Jews by birth or by choice, interfaith, traditional and non-traditional families, and children of all abilities, TSTI provides lifelong learning and enriching programs for all members through a full complement of religious services, early childhood and religious school education, cultural programs, and activities that foster connection, engagement and community outreach in a joyful, judgment-free environment. TSTI is located at 432 Scotland Road in South Orange, drawing members from Maplewood, South Orange, West Orange, Short Hills, Millburn, Livingston and surrounding areas. For more information, visit www.tsti.org.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Alex Nasberg-Abrams of Maplewood, 10, was a finalist in the international My Family Story competition. Alex’s project will be exhibited at the Museum of the Jewish People of Beit Hatfutsot in Tel Aviv, Israel.
###
About My Family Story
Now in its 25th anniversary year, My Family Story (https://www.bh.org.il/family-story-around-world/) is a meaningful and fun Jewish heritage program that involves 20,000 Jewish youth from over 30 countries around the globe. Students research their roots and use their creative skills to design original, artistic installations that capture the essence of their family history. Top entries are selected for display in an international exhibition.
About Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel
432 Scotland Road, South Orange, NJ 07079
Follow TSTI on Facebook and Instagram
Media Contact:
Caryn Starr-Gates
Caryl Communications
(201) 796-7788
Email: caryn@caryl.com