Kitah Zayin

Dear Kitah Zayin families,

In Morah Betsy's class we continued exploring our immigration unit. We defined and discussed 'refugees' and 'reluctant immigrants' as we looked at the wave of Jewish immigrants at the turn of the century. Last week we focused on the response of public opinion to the large influx of refugees. This week we looked at the government response to immigrants in the form of anti-immigration laws. We created a list of the push and pull factors that caused many Eastern European Jews to seek refuge in this country. We finished class with a postcard analysis, looking at a Rosh HaShanah card sent to the Old Country in 1909. We compared the overly positive view of America portrayed in the card with the way some people use social media today to paint a perfect picture of their lives!

In MorahsStacy’s class we continued to explore Judaism through music. In our continuation of Torah, community and prayer, we discussed community. We touched on topics such as, what makes a Jewish community, what is a Kehilah kedoshah and when and how are you part of one, how has Jewish community benefitted us? The students ask such interesting questions and we discussed topics such as the former role of sacrifice in the Jewish community and the role of mikvah. We ended with the Beth Schafer song, In This House, which is all about community! Listen to it on youtube!

The students made heartfelt cards thanking Sisterhood for helping to fund the yad project. They each shared what becoming a bar/bat mitzvah meant to them, speaking about becoming a Jewish adult, carrying on a family tradition or sharing an important day with friends and family.

**Need some community service hours?! MITZVAH OPPORTUNITIES: (Please RSVP to these as early as possible to ensure we can fully staff trips. )

**Share-A-Shabbat Friday February 1st , 5:30 at The Bernstein House in Ossining. This program brings Shabbat dinner, story and song to a developmentally disabled adult home in Ossining.This is a monthly program facilitated by Temple Israel. If your 7th grader is interested, please reach out to me for more info.

**Midnight Run Saturday February 2. 1:00 sort clothing and make sandwiches.8:00 pm join the drive to Manhattan to distribute clothing to homeless individuals. Please reach out to me if your 7th grader is interested or email pgoldich555@atco.com to reserve a space.

**HUC Soup Kitchen Monday 2/18/19 Presidents Day weekend: Join our bus ride to Hebrew Union College where Rabbi Jaech and Rabbi Pein got their rabbinic degrees! We will learn about the issue of hunger and homelessness and serve a respectful dinner to the many who come off the streets for a hot meal. There's even music provided on a grand piano! Many 7th graders came with us last year, found it meaningful and enjoyed the experience.

l'shalom

Morah Betsy and Morah Stacy