Kitah Zayin

Dear Kitah Zayin families,

In Morah Betsy's class we took some time to explore Temple Israel's connection with Martin Luther King Jr.. When an African American church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, Temple Israel of Northern Westchester's Rabbi Michael Robinson organized a rally at the temple which raised $7,000 in one afternoon. In addition, the congregation helped provide money towards the purchase of a van for Freedom Riders. Temple Israel's Social Action Committee adopted a "Call for racial justice." Rabbi Robinson marched with the Reverand Martin Luther King Jr. in the Deep South and was arrested for participation in a demonstration for civil rights. I wanted the students to understand that this history helped set the tone for who we are as a congregation, with justice and compassion guiding us as a community.

The 18th century Baal Shem Tov said, "The object of the whole Torah is that a person should become a Torah." The students thought long and hard about what that could mean. Kitah Zayin thought a person could 'become' a Torah by reading from the Torah, studying the stories in the Torah, acting like our ancestors, caring for the earth, being kind to each other, being respectful, being fair and honest, and doing mitzvot! We traced a physical Torah Person and filled it with the 48 qualities a Torah person should possess, according to the Talmud.

In Rabbi Pein's class, we completed our unit of studying the Aleinu prayer. First, we listened to Matisyahu's song, "One Day" and compared it to the theme of a more perfect world in the Aleinu prayer. We then reviewed the traditional Jewish concept of the Messiah and compared it to the Reform view of creating a Messianic age. Finally, we watched the Maccabeat's mash-up of "One Day" and the Aleinu prayer. You can also watch it by clicking here. Next week, we will begin our "Jewish Lens" curriculum through the Israel Diaspora museum.

MITZVAH OPPORTUNITIES:

**There are only 2 Midnight Runs left this year. Please be sure to RSVP to midnightrun@tinw.org ASAP if your 7th grader plans to collect clothing, sort and attend the Run.

**TINW will provide a bus on 2/18 for students to participate in the HUC Soup Kitchen Service Day. Please RSVP to Betsy Deckert bdeck75456@aol.com if your 7th grader plans to attend. This is a great anchor project for their mitzvah hours and we would love to spend the afternoon together with your 7th graders!

l'shalom,

Betsy Deckert and Rabbi Wendy Pein