Connecting over their cultural differences

Lawrence School District officials believe that it is at the center of community unity in what they term as a “cultural mosaic,” and taking its mission statement to heart has embarked on a program of cultural sensitivity training.
The program kicked off with Charlie Harary, a nationally-recognized talk show host, motivational speaker and parent of Elisha, a Number Five School student, who spoke to teachers and administrators about Orthodox Jewish customs on May 26. The goal is to foster understanding of the diverse religious and ethnic groups that attend Lawrence schools.
Harary gave an overview on Orthodoxy customs and answered questions the middle school educators asked. “I’m just a regular guy,” he said. “I hope there are more presentations to do at the public school level, and open it up to parents. It has always been my pleasure to do this for people.”
Among the topics of discussion were how God is perceived, clothing, foods, high holidays and observances, and gender roles, to name a few. “God didn’t create the physical world,” he said. “It is everywhere. God is a source we can’t touch, as it moves and changes. It is a manifestation of a deeper physical world. Our goal is to find out how to touch the spiritual world.”
Rabbi Yaakov Reisman, whose four sons all attended Lawrence schools and graduated from the high school, said that his children received a quality public education, and noted the faith people have in sending their children, Jewish and non-Jewish, to attend Lawrence schools.

“While two-thirds of this community attends Jewish schools, 75 percent of voters in the district came out to vote and passed the 2015-16 budget,” he said. “This says we have confidence in what you’re doing to educate our children,” he added, referring to Lawrence’s administrators and teachers.
The next session in the sensitivity program will be held on June 11, again at the middle school. It will be an assembly for students, involving a panel discussion with representatives from selected staff, students, the police department, and what the district called a “Civil Rights Movement spiritual leader.” In the upcoming school year, the program is planned to extend to other district school, said Superintendent Gary Schall.
“We are on the cutting edge of the conversation about race,” he said. “We are each one piece of a bigger picture. After September, there will be more programs scheduled, as we need this at every building.”
Schall pointed to the district’s diverse population and the past year’s events in Staten Island, Ferguson, Mo.; Brooklyn and Baltimore, where race and ethnic differences resulted in fatal consequences, are the reasons why the district wants to address diversity.
Middle School math teacher Mary Karvellis thinks the diversity trainings are good for the community. “It unites other cultures,” she said. “We are a multicultural school. A positive outcome will result from this, as it’s all about the children coming together to learn.”