Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

The book of Proverbs states: "It (the Torah) is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it, and all of its supporters are happy." (Proverbs 3:18) One explanation of this verse is that Torah is rich with advice and contains many valuable and important life lessons.

Each month, the Jewish Academy of Orlando offers a parenting class which is open to its school community and to the Jewish community at-large. The class, titled "Parsha and Parenting" examines the Torah portion (or "Parsha" in Hebrew) of the week and relates it to a specific issue which many parents face today raising their children. Past topics have included sibling rivalry, the blessing of acceptance and dealing with obstacles and character building.

This engaging program is led by Alan Rusonik, head of school at the Jewish Academy of Orlando. In addition to being head of school at the Jewish Academy, Rusonik is a master teacher and has been teaching Torah classes in various capacities for almost 30 years. Rusonik is also a parent of four children, whose youngest son is in the seventh grade at the Jewish Academy. Joining Rusonik in this endeavor each month is Shoshana Vigorito.

Vigorito is a Jewish Academy parent and licensed marriage and family therapist. She too is a highly regarded teacher with many years of experience in counseling and leading parenting classes.

The class takes place in the library of the Jewish Academy on the first Thursday of each month from 8:15 to 9 a.m. The next class will be Thursday, November 5. No reservations necessary. Bagels, coffee and cake are served. Please join many in the community who have made this interesting and beneficial class a monthly ritual. You do not have to have a student at the Jewish Academy to attend. Parents, grandparents and anyone raising children are welcome.