Welcome back! It was so wonderful to see such happy children (and parents!) returning to school these last two days. Everyone seems to have grown three inches over these past two weeks and seem ready to be back (though some do feel a bit of trepidation after such a long break – which is totally normal!). This […]
Shalom Kitah Gimel Students and Families #25
As we began our class with the Blessings for Torah Study and cookies, we noticed that students were eating a variety of other snack foods – a teachable moment! We discussed and recited the Blessing that is said over a mixture of foods and reviewed the meaning of the food Blessings. One student asked why […]
Wandering in the Desert – Passover in Albuquerque
It takes a special kind of asshole to scream on the phone to a total stranger:
“Fuck the Air Force, lady- we had a contract.”
On April 11, 2011 at 10:45 AM, I became that asshole when I was told that the short-term apartment rental which I had arranged for my Passover trip to Albuquerque for me and several family members was not going to be available after all. Evidently, the Air Force officers occupying the space would not be departing according to the previously established time-frame (insert Iraq joke here.)
After a brief, stunned silence, Loretta from Albuquerque Apartments responded:
“Sir, here in Albuquerque we honor the Air Force.”
The courtesy in her voice was stretched to the breaking point by revulsion and shock, like a waitress explaining to a party of cannibals that human testicles are not on the menu and politely recommending they try the patty melt instead. I felt appropriately sheepish.
Questions for Passover
What a beautiful and busy few weeks we have had here at the Nursery School. When you walk onto the second floor you can immediately feel that Passover is near. You can experience the delicious smells of Passover food wafting through the common space, the tastes of matzah pizza and macaroons, and the sounds of children singing […]
Shalom Kitah Gimel Students and Families #24
Students led the Blessings for Torah Study and cookies and also led the attendance conversation. Our Director of Lifelong Learning visited our class and gave each student an evaluation form to fill out regarding his/her Hebrew School experience this year. Students were instructed to be candid and not to sign their names, so that their […]
Shabbat Commentary- Metzora
The Torah is Judaism’s most sacred object. We remove the Torah Scroll from the Ark with great ceremony and Blessings and we return it similarly with prayers expressing awe and respect. This week, we study the Torah Portion, Metzora, which continues the themes of the previous Portion, Tazria. So far, in the yearly cycle of […]
What We’ve Learned from JECEI
As most of you know, the JCC Nursery School has been a part of JECEI, the Jewish Early Childhood Education Initiative for the past 5 years. We learned this past week that JECEI is unable to continue their work with new schools due to lack of funding nationally and in local communities and therefore will need to phase […]
Shalom Kitah Gimel Students and Families #23
We began our class using only Hebrew (Rock Ivrit) as students led the Blessings for Torah Study and cookies. We moved on to the attendance conversation, also student led, and discovered that we’re now in the month of Nisan. In answer to the question Ayzeh chag b’chodesh Nisan? (“Which Holiday is in the month of […]
Shabbat Commentary – Tazria
This week’s Torah Portion, Tazria, tends to evoke the response “E-w-w-w!” in students who discover that it is their Bar/Bat Mitzvah Portion. Tazria teaches God’s commandments regarding human and non-human states of purity and impurity. Tazria begins with God (through Moses) describing to the children of Israel, the rituals for restoring a woman’s “purity” after […]
Shalom Kitah Gimel Students and Families #22
Today, our modern Hebrew lesson was conducted almost entirely in Hebrew, beginning with the Blessing for Torah Study and cookies and the attendance conversation. To review the vocabulary students had studied for homework, we did an activity called Ma B’Kufsa? (“What’s in the box?”) Each table received a different type of box with an object […]
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