Julie Oxenhandler is a Teach For America alumna and is currently teaching in Baltimore. She participated in the 2011 REALITY Israel Experience for Teach For America corps members program. Julie recently used a Make It Happen Project micro grant for REALITY Israel alumni to host a her first Shabbat dinner for 19 teachers.

As a teacher, Friday afternoons mark the start of many occasions: the weekend, a time to catch up on grading or lesson planning, or simply a night where you go to bed, knowing that you can sleep in the next day. Many of us, deeply absorbed in our work weeks, see the weekend as a time to get caught up or ahead on work.

We are less likely to use our time for rest with the alluring nature of being overly prepared for the week ahead. Thankfully, Shabbat gently reminds us of the true purpose of our time away from work—to rest, to reconnect and to rejuvenate our minds and bodies. Read More »