Purim Celebrations!
Jewish Studies
We had SO much fun celebrating Purim at Yachad this week with a fun shpiel put on by our teachers (Yiddish for play), rice krispie hamantashen, creating groggers/ra’ashanim (noisemaker) to use at the megillah reading, singing Purim songs, face painting, mishloach manot preparations (gifts to other to help increase joy on the holiday) and mask making! We look forward to continuing the celebration this Sunday at our Purim Carnival & Megillah Reading! Below are the class updates for this past Saturday and Monday, before the Purim extravaganza!
Andrew’s Monday/Wednesday Class
We journeyed from the Purim story to learn on Monday about the building of the Mishkan and how it relates to our modern cities. The students engaged in a debate whether or not it was better to be material rich, represented by the golden calf, or rich in ideas, represented by the Mishkan. To bring the idea of the building of the Mishkan into reality, the students have begun to make their own cities coupled with their own set of laws and values. Wednesday took us back to Purim for a school wide-celebration. The students had time to do skits, make crafts and arguably most important, eat hamentaschen!
Lee’s Monday/Wednesday Class
We started by talking about Purim, with students sharing their favorite costume they’ve worn or one they’re excited to wear. We then finished reading our Joseph story, with students taking different parts as we learned about Joseph’s brothers not recognizing him, him putting them through trials, and then finally revealing himself. We talked about what might have been motivating Joseph at various points in the story, with students finding interesting clues and providing great insights into what might be going on with the characters. We then played a game called ‘Who’s Joseph?’ where students took turns trying to disguise their voice and saying a line that Joseph might have said in our story. We then had a competition where teams of students tried to put story cards in order as a review of Joseph’s whole story from beginning to end, and finally we talked about and played a game with the Four Mitzvot (Commandments) of Purim
David’s Tuesday/Saturday Class
This week we continued to talk about Purim: we spoke about fate, luck, and our faith as Jews. We related Haman and Amalek, the nation from which Haman came, and which attacked the weakest among our people when we escaped from Egypt. While Amalek represents injustice & senseless hatred, the end of the megillah speaks about the justice and charity Mordechai and Esther brought to the empire. Students explored the Hebrew of tzedakah, a mitzvah (commandment) of Purim which is often translated as charity, but is more literally related to the word for justice. Through emphasizing charity and justice, core to the Purim story, we explored how though it is hard to see it in the world, we nonetheless try to bring in justice. Toward the end of the day we played bingo as a game of luck, and we showed it was not fair- similar to the pur (lottery) Haman casted to choose a date to destroy the Jewish people in the land. After the game some students shared the prizes between them without saying anything and it was heartwarming. Was a very successful school day, the energies of Purim are great.
Lee & Marna’s Tuesday/Saturday Class
Students began to dive into the story of Moses through exploring the questions: How does the way you grew up affect who you are today? What makes a “good” leader? What does it mean if a leader doubts themselves?
The class shared thoughts on how their religion, values taught by parents, socio-economic class and where one lives (and much more) affect how one grows up in the world. In terms of what makes a “good” leader students shared how being innovative, being part of a legacy, courage to stand up for a cause and being willing to make a sacrifice for the greater good are all traits of a “good” leader. In this same vein, we considered how and why Moses was chosen by God, against his will, to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. We referenced his leadership skills as we explored the story and had a rich conversation about how his killing of the Egyptian who had beaten a Hebrew slave reflected the complexity of his character and leadership. Lastly, students considered why Moses was resistant to being chosen by God for the task of freeing the Israelites and acted out what they would say to him to provide encouragement or empathy.
Richard’s Tuesday/Saturday Class
Students began to explore the building of the mishkan (Tabernacle) through questions surrounding holiness- What does holiness feel like to me? How can I make something feel holy? Students expressed associations with feeling at peace and connected or moments when they feel God is listening. There was a rich conversation about whether or not God can be in a specific place or if God is everywhere. The class carried this learning into an exploration of the mishkan, built by all the Israelites together to be a dwelling place for God among them in the wilderness.
Hebrew through Movement
Monday/Wednesday
This week we closed our Puirm unit by reviewing vocabulary about the holiday and emphasizing the differences between singular and plural. For example:
Mask – masecha – מסכה
Masks -masechot – מסכות
Groger – ra’ashan – רעשן
Grogers – ra’ashanim – רעשנים
We ended our class with learning the song ‘Chag Purim’!
To hear the song please follow this link:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iM2RSzUKTlo
Tuesday/Saturday
On Saturday we practiced performing our two mini Purim shpiel (plays) again so that more students could get a chance to participate in the fun. On Tuesday, we celebrated Purim at Yachad and the students got to hear and use many of the Purim terms in Hebrew that they learned during HTM in the different stations. This coming Shabbat, we will review past commandments from our foundational unit to gear up for our Passover unit that will take place in the upcoming weeks. Chag Purim Sameach! Happy Purim!
Announcements
Please find information on the following below:
- Chazakah | Class of 2019 Shabbat Morning Service | March 23
- Purim Announcements!
Community Purim Carnival & Megillah Reading 3/24
Book Drive and Card Making at the Purim Carnival - Registe for Spring Mini Camp Apr 22- Apr 25
1. Chazakah | Class of 2019 Shabbat Morning Service | March 23
Chazakah is the culmination of years of Yachad, where our cadre of 10-12th grade students can proudly present what animates their Judaism and affirm their commitment to their religion and people in a creative and interactive way. The whole community is invited to learn, pray, and support these extraordinary students. This Shabbat morning service will be fun for all ages, with roles for all participants. Please plan on joining us! All 4th graders will lead the Shema and Vahavata and then the T/S 4th graders will head to class as usual.
2. Purim Announcements!
Community Purim Carnival and Megillah Reading, Sunday, March 24
Carnival at 9:30 AM, Megillah Reading at 11:30 AM
Bring the whole family to this Queen-themed celebration and party like a rockstar with your CBE family and clergy. We will have a bouncy house, carnival games, crafts, face painting, puppet show, hamentaschen, yummy treats, and more! General Admission: Free for all ages! Carnival Activities & Games: $18 all-access kids passes*
Buy Carnival Passes
*Purchase your passes by Friday, March 22. Passes purchased at the door will be $25.
Book Drive and Card Making at the Purim Carnival 3/24!
Yet another opportunity to share the spirit of our community and our love of reading! At the Purim Carnival the Youth Social Justice Committee is sponsoring a Book Drive and Card Making table to benefit pediatric patients at Methodist Hospital. Bring a gently used (or new) book to the Purim Carnival and stop by to add a card and ribbon. This is a great opportunity to talk with your kids about the importance of giving back to their community, and to help them choose a book of their own to donate to sick children! Books will also be available for purchase. Through Reach Out And Read (ROAR), pediatric patients at Methodist are read to by volunteers and then can take the books home with them. Preschool through early elementary ages books are always needed. If you have a child in middle school who would like to volunteer at this table please email Bonnie Kerker at bonniekerker@yahoo.com.
3. Spring Mini Camp Apr 22- Apr 25
Though Yachad is closed for spring break 4/20- 4/27, mini camp is happening from Monday April 22 through Thursday April 25! Trips and onsite programming include: Monday, Bronx Zoo, Tuesday, K/1Bowling, 2-5 Roller Skating at Lakeside, Wednesday, Deno’s Wonder Wheel in Coney Island, Thursday, New Victory Theater presents SNAP! Register online at www.cbebk.org/minicamp and email Bobbie Finkelstein with any questions, bfinkelstein@cbebk.org