Kitah Zayin

This week in Morah Stacy’s class we began to explore Judaism through music. We discussed how Torah, community and prayer are connected. We had a great discussion about studying and practicing what is in the Torah, how this affects all aspects of one’s life and began our discussion of community and prayer. We went on to discuss different Torah blessings, specifically the blessing for studying Torah at any other time than when we formally take out the Torah scrolls. We learned the blessing and then sang it in a song, “Sweet As Honey.” We will continue next week with our discussion of community and prayer and learn a song that relates to each.

L’Shalom,

Stacy

Dear Kitah Zayin families,

In Morah Betsy's class, we briefly reviewed Jewish life in the Pale of Settlement from the end of the 18th to the end of the 19th centuries. We then began our new unit, Becoming An American: History of Jewish Immigration. Using the curriculum from the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, we learned about waves of immigration to the U.S. during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We talked about various responses to the different waves and everyone enjoyed evaluating political cartoons as primary resources. (We are planning to use political cartoons more in the future when we study the Holocaust.)

Kitah zayin had a special visit with Rabbi Jaech at the end of the day. She presented a session entitled, "Why Are We Here?" She shared a very difficult, personal experience from her childhood and shared how important a community of faith was for her family during that time. They provided comfort and support and helped her family move slowly forward. She explained to the students that both in good times and in difficult times, Temple Israel is their community. Our community connects us to our ancestors and to something bigger than ourselves.It is a place to seek the answers to some of life's big questions like 'What kind of world do we live in?' and 'What is the best way for us to live and act in the world?' Rabbi Jaech finished by asking the class what some of their big questions were and challenged them to continue exploring these questions as they move forward on their journey.

*Mitzvah opportunities: 2/2/19 and 3/9/19 are the last 2 Midnight Runs for the year. Students should email their reservation request in a timely manner before all slots are filled. pgoldich@atco555.com
l'shalom,

Betsy Deckert