November 6, 2022
Thank you to all the parents, grandparents, and other adult friends that were able to join us for today’s Family Education program. Elliot, Dylan, and I enjoyed exploring facts about Israel and especially about Jerusalem with you. Everyone did such a great job with the Jerusalem paintings–I hope they will always help you think of Jerusalem–the city built of Jerusalem stone. Our prayers for the Kotel have been delivered to my friend and soon they will be placed in the Western Wall for God to her our prayers. May we all be together one day in Yerushalayim.
October 30, 2022
Judaic Studies - Students studied the major bodies of water in Israel. They added the Jordan River, the Mediterranean Sea, Lake Kinneret, the Red Sea and Dead sea, to their individual pas and our large classroom map. Then, they conducted an experiment to replicate the Dead sea. Ask your child which objects floated on their own and what they had to do to make others float. How is what they did similar to what they would find in the Dead sea? Remember, this Sunday, November 6, is our Family Education program. Looking forward to seeing everyone there.
Hebrew -
Dear parents,
I wanted to take the a minute and formally introduce myself, my name is Rotem Eckman.
And I’m your child's new Hebrew teacher on Sundays and Tuesdays.
This week we continued our work on the different Ramot, and on Tuesday we even got to play a little game ״Simon says״ but in Hebrew😊
Feel free to reach out with any questions. I am super excited and honored to teach your child.
October 23, 2022
Judaic Studies - We reviewed the 5 Books of Moses–their names, that they are divided into chapters and verses–then read two more passages that describe the location of the land God promised his people. This was more of the information the Zionists used when they were settling land and creating Modern Israel. We then began work on a large wall map of Israel that we will continue to use throughout our study. We had team “create the outline of the map” and team “create the sand for the desert. Ask your child about how they served. We then all worked together to add the sand to the map to create the Negev. Discuss with your child the fact that 60% of Israel is made up of desert. In future lessons we’ll discuss how Israelis are able to make things grow and flourish in the dry desert conditions. Be sure your calendars are marked for Sunday, November 6–that’s our Dalet Family Education Day and we’d love to see everyone here.
Hebrew - Students continued working in their Mitkadem binders. They are making great progress. Students are working on various tefillot, including Friday night Kiddush, The Amidah as well as learning the blessings over different foods.
October 16, 2022
Judaic Studies
Today we examined the reasons behind the location of modern day Israel. How did the Zionists know exactly where to place the borders and what should be included in a new modern nation? We turned to the Books of the Torah to find answers. We discussed the books of the Torah–can you and your child name them?--and their divisions into chapter and verse. Review with your child what the notation Genesis 15:18–21 means. If you want to explore more of the references to Israel that we found review these passages:
Genesis 21: 25-32 (Beersheba)
Genesis 26: 23-25 (Beersheba)
Exodus 23:31 (Borders–Red Sea to Med Sea–Desert to Great River)
Numbers 34:1–15
Hebrew
Students started working in their Mitkadem binders. Mitkadem is the self-paced Hebrew program, based in Tefillah, which our students use to learn Hebrew and the meaning of different tefillot.
Sunday, October 9
JUDAIC STUDIES - Today was a day to prepare for Sukkot. We made three dimensional paper apples to hang in our Temple sukkah–and some students made one to take home for their family sukkah. We also read the story Molly’s Pilgrim. Ask your child about the relationship between Sukkot and the American holiday of Thanksgiving. Have them tell you how Molly and her mother taught the children in the class that there are many ways to be a pilgrim and talk about the times Jewish people have been pilgrims.
HEBREW - Students learned Sukkot related Hebrew words and practiced writing these words. Then, students played Sukkot Bingo with these Hebrew words while reviewing the concepts and mitzvot associated with Sukkot. Next Sunday, students will begin working in their Mitkadem binders.
First day of TIRS is SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11!
Judaic Studies
We had a great first day in Dalet. It was a pleasure to meet this great group of students. We started with a version of “would you rather” where students made choices like “would you rather be able to fly out to turn invisible?”. Ask your child about some of the choices they made. We then brainstormed a list of all the things we already know about Israel. Israel will be our main focus of study for the year so expect to hear lots more about it. Please share with your child any stories you have about Israel; we’d love to hear them.
