Community Magazine October 2019

28 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE The women in our community work hard every day to keep their households, jobs, and marriages going. Day-to-day challenges come and go, and memories of the knowledge gained from school and other learning fade as life moves forward. Thankfully, since The Well NY opened up in 2017 this no longer has to be the case. The Well is a place of renewed learning for women, and run by women. Girls right out of high school to great grandmothers, and everyone in-between are invited to come, to learn, and to grow. Classes for Everyone The Well offers classes in a wide range of subjects, all catering to what the modern Sephardic women would want to know. Options range from classes in cooking, sewing, painting, and interior design, to courses that offer mental challenges, such as in-depth Torah and Judaic studies, psychology, and lots more. Each semester The Well evolves, and along with that comes an array of new class options to choose from. The beauty about this school is that, unlike other college- or adult-education programs, you need no prior degree or knowledge about a subject, you simply choose what piques your interest, and sign up! The Well also happily welcomes women of all religious backgrounds and observance levels. You aren’t expected to belong to a certain synagogue or anything of the sort to join in the fun. The Well schedule is based around the Jewish woman’s schedule as well as the Hebrew calendar. At the start of each semester, The Well holds a class launch event where women are invited to hear a small introduction about each class, and afterwards they are able to register for them. The Well’s educational courses are in high demand, and some classes fill up within days, and some within just hours. The Well has reported that the most popular classes relate to psychology and anything that takes place in the kitchen. Some classes are filled to capacity and there is standing room only! It’s truly an exciting thing, the thirst for knowledge amongst community women. Many women lean towards reviewing subjects that they learned as adolescents in school. To internalize a subject on an adult level is a completely different experience.  Benefits Beyond ClassroomLearning There are so many different points to ponder when one considers the benefits of furthering one’s education in adulthood. One consideration is that it makes a person stop and take time for themselves. Self-care is so important, especially to those who take care of others. To metaphorically put on your oxygen mask before assisting others can make all the difference. Stopping your busy week to come into The Well, learn something new, and interact with others can be all the self-care one needs to get through the rest of their week with a pep in their step. Secondly, a mother is one of the most significant, if not the most important role model in a household. If you’re preaching the importance of your children going to school and getting an education, what better way to model that for them other than with your own actions? One way to do this is to consider how you spend your days. Are they filled with mainly mundane things, or do you stop and take the time to do things that will push you to think and grow? Another amazing benefit of taking classes at The Well is the boost to dinnertime conversations, and any conversation for that matter. Picture this: you ask your children to go around the Shabbat table and discuss something interesting they’ve learned in school that week. Wouldn’t it be incredible to pitch in on one In loving memory of the Sassoon Children Challenging the Mind, Nourishing the Soul FRIEDA SCHWEKY TheWell -