Yeshivas, day schools, shuls and other Jewish institutions may employ non-Jews in various administrative and faculty positions. The journey through the Jewish calendar can be lost upon the non-Jewish staff, and yet they commonly have questions about its meaning.
Rabbi Reuven Margrett at the Frankel Jewish Academy, West Bloomfield, MI, wanted his non-Jewish faculty to have a means to be informed about Jewish aspects of the school.
To this end, he created “Guides to the Perplexed” for various festival/times throughout the year.
These guides include one page summaries of key words, phrases and ideas. They are certainly not comprehensive, but are meant to give a flavor of the festival/event, and also include suggestions of questions to ask students.