Ensures the Legacy of the Jewish People
For Sherrie Weiss, a Chicagoland resident, Melton is a family experience. Sherrie was a preschool teacher, and when her school asked its teachers to take a Melton course, Sherrie invited her husband along for the ride. Melton not only gave Sherrie and her husband a common language but also sparked her husband’s interest in Jewish learning and gave him a foundation from which to grow.
Melton has helped Sherrie build her own Jewish understanding as well. Sherrie grew up Reform, and while she was always very “Jewish minded,” her knowledge was minimal. When she divorced her first husband, she decided to learn more. “Being Jewish and Jewish learning is like a jigsaw puzzle,” Sherrie reflects. “We get pieces, but we don’t know how they fit together. Melton provides the framework, and then, all of a sudden, the puzzle starts to fit.”
For Sherrie, Melton’s travel seminars have taken the learning to a new level. “There’s nothing like sitting in the Valley of Elah and studying the story of the Philistines coming down, and you can almost hear it happening and visualize it. How do you not walk away feeling so proud of who you are and where you came from?” The Melton n community enhances the experience for Sherrie as well. Not only has she expanded her circle of friends, but she has encountered a variety of backgrounds and viewpoints, leading to penetrating questions and lively discussions.
Sherrie sees herself as a link in a chain spanning generations, with a responsibility to those who come after her. Melton has enabled her to fill this role. “I love that I have the knowledge to pass [my Jewish traditions] on to my children and grandchildren. These are the things I remember my grandparents doing for us.”
To Sherrie, Melton is a critical part of Judaism’s transmission and future. She donates to Melton “because it is ensuring the legacy of the Jewish people.” She cherishes that part of Melton’s mission is to adapt along with the community, and by giving to Melton, she is “ensuring that Melton becomes self-sustainable so that it will be there for the next generation and continue to change and evolve as generations age in.”
“Taking care of our own is a key part of who we are as Jewish people,” Sherrie says. “If we don’t perpetuate and create organizations that are self-sustainable, we can’t be self-sustainable. That’s what made us persevere throughout the ages: that we do it. We figure it out as a people.
“By giving to Melton, you’re helping to pass that torch on to the next generation, so that our values and way of life are sustainable for perpetuity, and we can continue providing the high level of adult Jewish education that Melton is known for.” Sherrie now plays a significant role in passing the torch as Melton’s Vice President of Development.