Seventh grade is a big year for students at the Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School in Foster City. The twenty seventh graders get to participate in the Wornick Tzedakah Project.

"Tzedakah" is the Hebrew word for acts that we call “charity” in English: giving aid, assistance, and money to the poor and needy, or to other worthy causes. The word “charity” suggests benevolence and generosity; however, Tzedakah is very different from charity. Literally translated, it means “righteousness” or “doing the right thing.”

In Judaism giving to the poor and needy is not considered a generous act, but rather an act of justice and righteousness. It is an obligation. Even those who are themselves in need are expected to perform Tzedakah. It is regarded as the highest of all commandments.

Wornick’s seventh graders learn how to make Tzedakah a way of life during the year-long project. Beginning in their social studies class, they study philanthropy where they identify causes they believe are important. They discuss societal needs both in their local community and around the world. The students investigate several organizations that support these needs, and pick both a cause and an organization to support. To gain a better understanding of how the agency works—including the role of volunteers, the budget, and how many people are served—students interview key people at the organization of their choice.
Throughout the school year, the students plan and run fundraising activities.

During presentations from executives of major foundations, they learn how major philanthropists select causes to fund. The kids set a fundraising goal and learn how to solicit money from donors, whether individuals or groups. The money raised is then pooled in a class-wide Tzedakah fund. The students present their organization and advocate for it with their peers, explaining why the focus of their agency is important and why it should be funded. The class becomes a nonprofit board and decides how to allocate the money they raised during the year. Every agency receives something. During a big celebration in May, the heads of each agency visit the school to receive their checks.

According to Dr. Barbara Gereboff, the Acting Head of School at Wornick, the program was developed by a former social studies teacher several years ago. The project is a coordinated effort between the teachers of Judaic studies, general studies, social studies, English, and technology. The essays and presentations the kids write are linked to state standards and satisfy part of the seventh grade curriculum. The students also need to reference Jewish texts in their essays. They learn valuable skills through their research, interviewing, writing, and fundraising.

They learn how to advocate for causes they believe in. Often, the eighth graders choose to continue with the agency they championed in seventh grade. The project teaches them significant life skills that the school’s graduates can draw on in high school, college, and throughout their lives.

This year, the Wornick Middle School faculty involved with the Tzedakah Project included Morah Jackie, Judaic Studies; Shona Schwartz, Social Studies; Jay Levin, English; Adam King, Delet Fellow*; and Dr. Gereboff. The students originally set a fundraising goal of $30,000. Several months ago, they lowered that goal to $19,000. The students ultimately raised $26,000.

The Wornick Tzedakah project is truly an incredible journey for each student who has the privilege to experience it. They are sure to remember it for a long, long time to come.

*Delet Fellows are in the process of earning a teaching credential from HebrewUnionCollege in Los Angeles. They are placed in schools during the year, take classes, and have two mentor teachers, one in the school at which they are working and one outside.