Kitah Zayin

Dear Kitah Zayin Families,

         There were many interesting activities for Kitah Zayin Wednesday night!

We started the evening with our special guest speaker, Betty Knoop. Betty was born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She was 8 years old when the Germans invaded her country. Her whole family was arrested and sent to camp Westerbork and on to Bergen Belsen concentration camp. She was liberated by the Russians and returned to Amsterdam. Her mother survived the camp but died 3 days after she was liberated. Betty was a contemporary of Anne Frank, lived in the same neighborhood and was deported to the same concentration camp. Betty's presentation covers life in Amsterdam, Westerbork, Bergen Belsen, concentration camp, life after liberation. (HHRECNY)

          After Betty's presentation, we had a short class session. The students wrote amazing notes to Betty thanking her for sharing her history with us. They let her know that we are all now witnesses to her life story. (She told the students that Survivors who witnessed the atrocities of the Holocaust are now elderly. They speak to students so their stories will be carried on and the lessons of being an up stander and a caring citizen of the world will move forward to the next generation.)

        We also talked about the upcoming MITZVAH PRESENTATIONS on April 24th. I have attached the worksheet they should fill out and return to me ASAP. After filling the form out, you can either scan and email back or send to class next Wednesday. Any questions, please reply to this email. The students should make a presentation poster with pictures and information about their participation and about the issue they worked on. Students will present BRIEFLY on April 24th at 5:45 and parents are invited to join us. Any student who cannot attend, will present the following week during CJL and have a chance to shine as they share their community service experience.

        We ended the evening with a program presented by Kitah Vav. We 'traveled' around the Oneg room hearing about the many different countries where Judaism flourishes, tasting and learning along the way!

l'shalom,

Morah Betsy and Rabbi Wendy Pein