This summer I travelled to Haiti on a three day mission with Jewish Federations of North America. I came home distressed and depressed, seeing how deep and multi-faceted the challenges there are. The combination of poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, lack of infrastructure and utter destruction caused by the earthquake made it hard to see the light. […]
Shalom Kitah Gimel Students and Families #5
We began with the Blessing for Torah Study and the Blessing for cookies. (Students who are present when class begins at 4:30 receive “on-time” Oreos!) This week, our attendance conversation was conducted entirely by a student. In the coming weeks, each student will have a turn to lead the attendance question and answer process. As […]
The Museum of International Folklore – Part II
In my post for 10/18/10, I described a visit to the Museum of International Folk Art www.internationalfolkart.org and suggested several learning activities inspired by the Girard Collection of Folk Art – a major permanent exhibition. Unlike most museum displays, the Girard Collection has no labels. Alexander Girard, the collector, designed the exhibition. He placed each […]
Words of Wisdom for Shabbat – Vayera
The beginning of Parshat Vayera tells how Abraham reached out and welcomed visitors to his tent. The Midrash excerpt below describes how Sarah’s tent was also special. My Hebrew School students enjoyed reading and discussing this section of a longer Midrash. “Sarah had a tent of her own. Every time that the family made camp, […]
Watching My Brother Become a Parent
I am not one who is usually at a loss for words. But all week I have been struggling to find words for the indescribable feeling that I have experienced with the arrival of my twin nephews early Monday morning. To watch my “baby” brother become a father, a father of two healthy full-size boys […]
Shalom Kitah Gimel Students and Families #4
After reciting the Brachot (Blessings) for Torah study and for cookies, Kitah Gimel students demonstrated their familiarity with the attendance routine by fluently providing the correct Hebrew responses to the Hebrew questions regarding students present and absent; the date, month, season, and related Holidays. Chevruta and hospitality were important elements in our examination of the […]
Learning From – The Museum of International Folk Art
We’ve all enjoyed visiting museums and many of us have taken our students there on field trips. My next few posts are a reminder that museums, both secular and Judaic, are excellent sources of ideas for creative learning activities. I recently visited the outstanding Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. www.internationalfolkart.org […]
Words of Wisdom For Shabbat – Lech L’cha
Imagine that you are a fifth grader in an Israeli public school. Below is a translation from Hebrew of a page from your workbook on this week’s Torah Portion, Lech L’cha. Your assignment is to complete this page. Of course, if you were in Israel, you’d be doing all of your schoolwork in Hebrew, but […]
Shalom Kitah Gimel Students and Families #3
Shalom. Today in Hebrew class, we began with Brachot and concluded “BaSukkah” (in the Sukkah). In between, were many lively activities. We added topics to the attendance conversation. Hebrew words for days of the week, months, Holidays in the months, and the seasons are now part of the question and answer process. Students wisely pointed […]
From “Awful” to “Awesome”
On Shabbat, I was speaking with the mother of one of my former students. We discussed how we were looking forward to her daughter’s upcoming Bat Mitzvah. In the course of the conversation, the mother said, “My daughter had her Bat Mitzvah rehearsal with the Cantor. It was ‘awesome’ – in the truest sense of […]
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