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Tikvat's Tutor Extraordinaire.........posted May 5, 2010

On the occasion of her 18th anniversary as a tutor of synagogue youngsters preparing for their Bat Mitzvah or Bar Mitzvah, Tikvat Israel Bulletin editor Jay P. Goldman conducted an electronic interview with congregant Kate Jennes-Kahn. She marked the moment by chanting the haftarah at Shabbat morning services on April 3 and delivering the d'var Torah on the 7th day of Pesach two days later.

Jennes-Kahn, a convert to Judaism, joined the synagogue with her family in 1989. A native of Washington, D.C., she has been an instructor in the synagogue’s religious school for nearly 7 years. This followed her 6 years with Shema V'Ezer, a Sunday school for youngsters with special needs held at the Jewish Community Center. She also is a talented artist, specializing in sketches of Judaica. Some of her work appears in the Art Sites shop.

Q. You’ve counseled 127 students on chanting haftarah and Torah verses during the past 18 years. Were all at our synagogue?
All were at our shul. I have, in fact, tutored a few other children for simchot elsewhere (Har Shalom and Congregation Beth El, Bethesda).

Q. How many were traditional Bar/Bat Mitzvah age and how many were adult learners?
All 127 students were children. In addition, I worked with the eight women who celebrated their adult B'not Mitzvah this past November.

Q. Do you keep a running log of your students?
I’ve kept the paperwork for each and every student I have worked with over the years.

Q. Are you an educator by training?
I have very little professional training as an educator. However, teaching is something I have wanted to do since I was in college. Indeed, I almost went on to graduate school in art history so I could teach. This is what I now do for a living as a tutor and a Hebrew school teacher.

Q. What were the circumstances of getting started as a Torah/Haftorah tutor?
Nearly 19 years ago, I chanted a haftarah on a Shabbat morning at our shul. As I was preparing to leave after kiddush, Cantor Helzner approached me with the proposition of becoming the synagogue's first adult tutor.

Q. What sustains you in this role for so long?
Fundamentally, two things: my love for transmitting the religion and heritage so dear to me, and my enjoyment of the kids I work with.

Q. Has the tutoring work gotten any easier or has the changing nature of pre-teens made this a greater challenge? Are girls quicker learners?
I wouldn't say that tutoring has gotten easier; rather, it has changed. While some aspects are easier simply because I've been doing them for so long, with each new student, there are always new experiences and challenges. Girls are not necessarily quicker learners. Each child comes to me with his or her own unique style and challenges. I've had an equal number of boys and girls with learning or developmental challenges. It really is a very individual thing.

Q. Do you ever feel as nervous on a Shabbat morning as your pupil?
Absolutely!

Q. Did you tutor your own three children in preparation for their big days?
Only our youngest.

Q. What might you describe as your most memorable teaching moment or tutoring outcome?
Probably one of the very most memorable moments in our shul was the Bar Mitzvah many years ago of a young man with Down Syndrome. At the outset of our studies together, most people had very minimal expectations regarding his participation. As I -- and his mother, as well -- knew, he far exceeded those expectations. Not only did he do the blessings for his Torah aliyah, but he actually leyned a verse of Torah, did a Q&A for his drash and led the Havdalah service! My heart was so full that day that I had tears in my eyes.

Q. Do you have another 18 years of tutoring in you?
I'm 55 now. You do the math! No, seriously, as long as G-d gives me the strength, absolutely yes.

Q. Anything else the congregation might be interested in knowing about you?
Just this: Judaism is like a continually blossoming flower. Ever unfolding, there is always something new to learn and experience. Whether it be understanding something new in a parsha or doing one mitzvah in the home that you've never done, the possibilities for Jewish growth and joy are endless.