I recently shared our story not to seek empathy, but with the hope that I can help other couples experiencing infertility feel less alone, embrace their emotions, and feel empowered to advocate for themselves. For this week’s ‘Jewish thought,’ I offer two suggestions for how you can be supportive to those in your circles who are trying to fulfill one of our most important mitzvot: to be fruitful and multiply.

My husband and I struggled with infertility for half a decade and learned lots of lessons along the way… One in eight couples battle infertility, so if you’re on this rocky road to parenthood, know that you’re not alone. My hope is that sharing my story can help others navigate this uncharted territory.

Buffalo Commons Charter School is an academically rigorous, creative, and collaborative K-8 learning community that uses research-based teaching practices and innovative programming to eliminate the opportunity gap and to prepare a diverse student body for successful lives that strengthen their communities. As the founding board chair I was instrumental in designing the school, securing a charter from the State University of New York, and recruiting and leading the founding board of trustees.

Through my work as a board member for the Bureau of Jewish Education, the vice chair and then chair of LiNK Jewish Buffalo (formally the Center for Jewish Engagement and Learning) I helped develop the plan to merge the two organizations. As the chair, I lead the team at LiNK to develop strategic goals and a robust annual survey.

For the last few decades in the education sector, innovative teachers have experimented with things like a flipped classroom and project- or problem-based learning that turn the traditional style of teaching and lecturing upside down. Here in the local Jewish community, we’ve seen a few examples of this type of innovation and learning, too.

In partnerships with Dallas Independent School District and Richardson Independent School District, I designed and facilitated 20+ hours of teacher training and professional development and provided technical assistance to the districts to prepare for curriculum rollout and conduct ongoing course evaluation and revision.

After the Jewish people were freed from slavery in Egypt we wandered the desert in search of the promised land. We walked, we camped, we ate manna, and — believe it or not — we kvetched and at times, longed for our days as slaves. Being tired of manna, we craved the foods of the land we escaped: “We remember the fish that we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.”

In partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education, my team worked with 25 teachers and principals from across the state to develop a new, innovative career exploration course serving 30,000+ students. I provided technical assistance to the state to train teachers, prepare for curriculum rollout, and conduct ongoing course evaluation and revision.