Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide

children. The first is God as a wise leader, a leader who arranged the world so that
everything we need is here. This allows the children a sense of security. This metaphor of
God encourages children to appreciate the gift of life that they have been given, and to
look for evidence of God’s work in the world around them. Wachs also suggests the
metaphor of God as friend. Not just any friend, but the friend who never gives up on you.
Thinking of God as a listener, as someone who understands, can be extremely comforting
to any child who sometimes feels as if the people in his or her life are not listening.
The list of names referred to by Dr. Wachs includes names such as Adon Olam/Eternal
Master); Avinu Malkaynu/Our Father, our King); HaKadosh Baruch Hu/The Holy One
Blessed be He); Oseh Shalom (Creator of Peace); and Shechinah (the feminine aspects of
God). More commonly we use such names as God, Adonai, and Elohim. It is always
important to use God’s name with respect. Some people chose to use the actual names,
such as Adonai and Elohim, only in prayer, and substitutes, such as Hashem (literally the
Name) in more casual discussions, although this is not typical in Conservative settings.
As a school, decide what name or names you are going to use for God. When all the staff
uses one name for God, it can be less confusing for children and families. Older children
– the 4- and 5-year-olds – can understand that God has different names because God is
special to us in different ways.
A Conservative teshuvah (an answer based on Jewish law) clarifies the Conservative
stance on the written name of God. In a loosely bound document such as this guide, the
name of God printed in English or transliteration (Hebrew words written in English
letters) is written out and not considered sacred. When God’s name appears in Hebrew, it
is printed in a changed form, either as a indicating “the Name” or with a dash
separating the aleph and the lamed, no longer forming the sacred name of God. Thus, the
pages of this guide may be recycled. They do not have to be buried, as is the halachah
(Jewish law) for paper containing the sacred names of God.
A note about God and gender language: We believe that God has no gender, yet the
English and Hebrew languages both lack respectful ways to address a being without
gender. As a staff, you must make a decision. Will you refer to God as He? Will you
avoid pronouns in reference to God (as in text above)? Will you sometimes use He and
sometimes use She? In the introduction to the most recent version of Sim Shalom for
Shabbat and Festivals, the Conservative movement siddur, the editors chose to remove
terms such as “Lord,” “Father,” and “King.” While the editors continue to use He in this
siddur, they did so only when they felt it was the only choice consistent with the literary
and traditional criteria they had established.
When children ask about God, they usually have their own theories. First listen to their
theories and then reflect the questions back to them. “Tell me what you think about God.”
Be confident when you have a conversation about God. It is all right to say that you do
not know and that you also have many questions and do not have all the answers. Consult
the Tanach (Hebrew Bible) with the children. Invite the rabbi to join your class when you
have a discussion about God, or go with the children to visit the rabbi and bring a list of
Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide
USCJ Department of Education
Maxine Handelman
Handelman@uscj.org
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