וַיֹּ֨אמֶר ה׳ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה קַח־לְךָ֙ אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ בִּן־נ֔וּן אִ֖ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־ר֣וּחַ בּ֑וֹ וְסָמַכְתָּ֥ אֶת־יָדְךָ֖ עָלָֽיו׃ וְהַֽעֲמַדְתָּ֣ אֹת֗וֹ לִפְנֵי֙ אֶלְעָזָ֣ר הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְלִפְנֵ֖י כׇּל־הָעֵדָ֑ה וְצִוִּיתָ֥ה אֹת֖וֹ לְעֵינֵיהֶֽם׃ “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man to whom there is spirit, lean your hand upon him and present him to Eleazar the priest and to the entire community, and charge him before their eyes” (Numbers 27:18-19).
This week we read Parashat Pinchas, which includes the beautiful verses above about succession planning from Moses to Joshua; from one accomplished leader to another. The value of passing the torch is relevant to us, not only because this week marked a monumental moment of President Joe Biden passing the torch to the next generation of political leaders as well as the start of the Olympics, but because we all find times in our lives to step back and make space for new leadership, fresh ideas, and the next generation.
Today we wanted to let you know that our education department will have a moment of passing the torch. Amanda Eckert, our Education Director, has decided to take a new position in the central offices of the Denver Public Library. We are so appreciative to Amanda for her leadership, wonderful sense of humor, and warm presence. She has grown the HEArt Religious School tremendously and brought such joy into the walls of HEA in her time serving as Education Director. We look forward to staying connected with her and Grant in the coming months and years as active members of HEA.
We are excited to announce that Mallory Bustow will be assuming the role of Education Director beginning August 5th. She and Amanda are already working closely together to ensure a smooth transition in our youth programs and religious school, while also meeting the ritual and b’nai mitzvah tutoring needs of our community with support from the rest of our HEA team.
Mallory is uniquely qualified for this position. As a lifelong member of HEA and product of our educational systems, Mallory has an incredible passion for bringing Torah, joy, and Jewish education into the lives of HEA families. Mallory has served for many years as our Ritual Coordinator and as a beloved B’nai Mitzvah tutor for so many of our families. Over the last few years, she has worked towards completion of a Masters in Jewish Education from JTS on top of her MBA from DU. Before dedicating her career to Jewish Education, Mallory worked many years in non-profit fundraising and volunteer management.
RASHI, the 11th century commentator explains the language in the above verse of “asher ruach bo” – to whom there is spirit – as meaning that Joshua was someone who could support the individual character, needs, and gifts of each member of B’nai Yisrael, the children of Israel. We are confident that Mallory will bless our community by supporting and empowering future leaders of the Jewish community, our HEA children, in partnership with our teachers, Youth Program Coordinator Chaviva Sands, and families.
Please read the message below from Mallory, and feel free to reach out and congratulate her at mallory@HEAdenver.org.
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A Message from Mallory Bustow
Dear HEA Community,
I feel incredibly honored and energized to deepen my service to the Hebrew Educational Alliance community by assuming the role of Education Director next month. As a lifelong, fourth-generation member of our shul, I have built my foundation as a Jewish educator from the experiences of learning, teaching, davening, and celebrating here with so many of you. I am eager to continue the HEA’s legacy of putting education at the heart of Jewish life in Denver, and doing all I can to ensure that our traditions and values live on l’dor vador, from generation to generation.
In the first paragraph of the Sh’ma, which we will read in Parashat Ve’etchanan in a few weeks, the Israelites are commanded to “veshinantam levanecha,” or teach Torah to their children (Devarim 6:7). RASHI explains that we are to understand the term “children” as students – in other words, the relationship between teacher and student has the potential to be just as profound and essential as that of parent and child. It is my goal that all of the students in our HEA family – which means each and every one of us – experience many soul-broadening connections to each other through Jewish learning in the years ahead.
