Celebrating Jewish Faith and Intercultural Understanding at Poly

At Poly, faith and culture are celebrated as essential parts of the community’s identity. Each year, the Jewish Family Affinity Group and the Middle School Jewish Student Affinity Group bring families and students together to honor Jewish traditions in ways that reflect Poly’s broader commitment to inclusion, curiosity, and intercultural understanding.

This fall, the Jewish Family Affinity Group organized an apples, honey, and challah tasting to mark Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The celebration, held on the Lower and Middle Campus before the Lower School Community Meeting, featured short student presentations on the High Holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and invited classes to participate in a tashlich activity, a Jewish ritual of symbolically casting off regrets to start the new year with a clean slate.

“We love that so many families contributed challah, apples, and honey—and that Bridget B. ’34 was able to blow her family’s shofar in front of the entire Lower School to welcome the New Year,” said Thomasin Franken P ’31 ’35, who co-leads the Jewish Family Affinity Group alongside Brittany Rothe-Kushel ’34. “It was beautiful to see students learning about and experiencing the values of reflection, forgiveness, and community that these holidays represent.”

The Jewish Family Affinity Group was first formed during the pandemic, when families across the school sought meaningful ways to stay connected. “Our first event was a Zoom Passover Seder run by Poly seniors in 2021,” recalled Middle School faculty Amy Jaffe, who helped found and still leads the Middle School student group. “The group grew from there! We now have many active families, and our Seders are always very well attended.”

Since that first virtual gathering, Poly’s Jewish community has flourished. The affinity group’s goals this year include hosting a Hanukkah celebration and encouraging families to bring their own ideas for activities that build both Jewish identity and interfaith understanding. “In addition to the traditional High Holiday and Passover celebrations, we hope to organize a Hanukkah celebration this year,” said Thomasin. “These shared experiences help Jewish students see their traditions reflected in school life while inviting the entire community to learn alongside them.”

For students like Joe G. ’31, a member of the Middle School Jewish Affinity Group, these events offer a sense of belonging and connection. “It’s really fun to see the whole Jewish community come together,” he said. “We eat, celebrate, and learn about traditions. It’s also nice that Poly celebrates lots of different faiths—you get to learn how the whole world is, not centered around just one religion.”

Joe also noted that lessons about faith and culture appear in the classroom, where learning extends beyond holidays and affinity gatherings. “Last year in Ancient History class, we learned about the Jewish religion, how it developed, and how it connects with the history of the people. We did the same thing with Islam—it helps you understand people’s perspectives.”

That spirit of understanding comes together vividly during Poly’s Passover Seder, a K–12 gathering that welcomes students, families, faculty, and alumni. The group is looking forward to hosting the celebration in April 2026 for its fifth iteration.

“It’s amazing to see younger students searching for the Afikoman and older students helping to lead prayers and songs,” said Amy. “It’s a joyful, communal event where everyone, Jewish or not, gets to participate and learn.”