Through a collaboration between collaboration between RiseUP and the Grassroots Jewish Women of CT, an Able Table was recently installed at Solomon Schechter Day School in West Hartford.

Nava dances at the dedication of an Able Table at Solomon Schechter Day School in West Hartford. Courtesy photo

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The room fell into a deep silence as eighth grader Nava crouched down, ready to perform an interpretive dance she had choreographed herself. Set to quiet piano music and powerful Hebrew lyrics, her movements spoke loudly. Dressed in black, Nava leapt, turned, and reached through space, embodying both the heartbreak of children killed on Oct. 7, 2023, and a fierce insistence on belonging, dignity, and inclusion.

Her performance was one of several that expressed grief, hope, and responsibility during a ceremony that honored the children of Kibbutz Sufa while affirming a commitment to welcoming all people. Three Schechter students represented these themes with courage and tenderness. Caleb performed Bach’s Minuet in G Major on acoustic guitar; Sarah articulated some of the small, intentional acts that make people feel seen and valued in a community. Nava’s dance – at times soaring, at times curled inward – captured the emotional vulnerability of remembrance and resilience.

Kerry Rausch (right) and Robin Kipnis at dedication of an Able Table at Solomon Schechter Day School in West Hartford. Courtesy photo

The ceremony marked the culmination of a year-long effort by Grassroots Jewish Women of CT, a local Jewish women’s group, in partnership with the Hartford-based nonprofit RiseUP. Together, they designed and painted an Able Table – an accessible picnic table now installed on the Schechter playground. Inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night, the table is covered with sweeping skies and fields of poppies, symbols of promise and rebirth, and bears the names of approximately 40 children who lost their lives in the October 7 attack.

Matt Conway of RiseUp speaks at the dedication of an Able Table at Solomon Schechter Day School in West Hartford. Courtesy photo

Matt Conway of RiseUP spoke about the table as a living symbol – a place where community is built and no one is left on the margins. Schechter Head of School Rabbi Jonathan (Yoni) Berger echoed this message, grounding it in Torah. The Exodus from Egypt, he reminded those gathered, was rooted in the radical idea that everyone belongs – that liberation demands we ensure a place at the table for all. This Able Table, he said, will both honor the memory of the children who were taken too soon and challenge us to care more deeply for one another.

Rabbi Jonathan Berger at the dedication of an Able Table at Solomon Schechter Day School in West Hartford. Courtesy photo

The commitment does not end at Schechter. Kerry Rausch, a parent of three Schechter alumni, and Robin Kipnis, both of Grassroots Jewish Women of CT, said that they will be placing a similar table at the New England Jewish Academy (NEJA). A third table, honoring children and teens from a Druze community who were killed on a soccer field in July 2024, will be placed at the Jonathan’s Dream playground at the Mandell JCC – extending this circle of remembrance, inclusion, and shared humanity.

Able Table at Solomon Schechter Day School in West Hartford. Courtesy photo

Caleb plays the guitar at the dedication of an Able Table at Solomon Schechter Day School in West Hartford. Courtesy photo

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