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Isabel Saavedra-Weis

On Sundays, freshman Gabby Harmoning, works in the Childcare Room at her temple. “[Without a madrichim is the room] it would be really really rambunctious,” she said.

In the Child Care room at Mount Zion Temple, freshman Gabby Harmoning is cleaning legos. This Sunday is a quiet one in the colorful room she’s working in. She takes a break from wiping off duplos and sits down at a short table to play with a little boy. “[My favorite part about my job is] getting to bond with the kids… I think it’s fun,” Harmoning says.

A little ways down the hallway, freshman Sammy Reis is sitting in a room full of little kindergarteners and first graders during music class. As off tune singing fills the room, Reis smiles. “This is my day every Sunday,” she says, “And I get paid for it.”

Madrichim, the Hebrew word for guide, are student teachers who help the adult teachers in classrooms at Hebrew school. Classes range from teaching students important Jewish stories to learning about religious holidays to helping kids who have fallen behind in learning their prayers.

For Reis, being a madrichim has other advantages too. “I get a great experience, I learn how to talk to kids younger than me, and it’s my first job. It makes me more responsible,and I’m actually getting stuff done,” she said.

Junior Cara Pomerantz, who teaches Sex Education and Bar/Bat Mitzvah Preparation at her temple, Temple Shir Tikvah, has a similar reason. “I’m working with kids, so I have been able to get a couple other jobs by having that credential. My bosses will write recommendations, it is a really good experience. I learn how to teach someone something, which comes in handy a lot,” Pomerantz said.

Sophomore Ben Konstan works at his temple with a desire to pass on knowledge.  “I just graduated from the program myself,” Konstan said,  “most people in my position then go on to help it, because it is a cycle of furthering the program.”

Even though there is another teacher in the classrooms, a madrichim serves as a role model and mentor. “It is sometimes hard to go to a teacher when you’re having problems […] but I think it is a lot easier for them to talk to someone closer to their own age who has also had problems,” Pomerantz said.

“We were having a discussion about sexuality and this little girl decided to come out to her Sunday school class. It was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” she added.

Teaching at temple has also presented itself as a way to stay connected, especially for Harmoning. “I get to feel better about being a Jewish teenager. I feel closer with my temple,” she said. “I love going to temple. It’s just become like a second home.”