Education – 4th grade (Blatt)

10/12: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. We had a very magical and special Sunday morning this week.
  2. First, we worked on the worldwide Simchat Torah Flag global project that united Jews internationally.  This prompted a discussion on Jewish identity that two of our talmidim Autumn and Layla later shared at Tefillah.
  3. Afterwards, 4th – 6th grade headed off to Shira, where Morah Alexa taught us a song for Sukkot, the chag that ends today.
  4. Back in the classroom, we learned about the first rabbis in America such as Isaac Mayer Wise and Abraham Rice.  We also saw how Isaac Leeser translated the Prayer Book and Tanakh into English, so more American Jews could appreciate the source texts of their faith.
  5. Then we started working on our antebellum 19th century Jewish newspaper project.  We will finish that up next week.
  6. Finally, 4th – 6th grade met for Tefilla led by Rabbi Prass, Luke K, and Morah Alexa. As part of it, Rabbi Prass helped us unpack everything about the hostage release and the end of the conflict in Gaza. 
  7. Gmar Chatima Tovah, Moreh David

Homework to be completed by next class:

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10/5: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. Today was Yom Sukkot in Religious School
  2. For this session, we met at the synagogue.  We began in the sanctuary for an all school t’fillah led by Rabbi Prass, Morah Alexa, and Luke K.  We lit a yahrtzeit candle for the 2nd anniversary of October 7th.  Then we joined together in making Havdalah. 
  3. After that we split into 4 Sukkot based rotations:
    • Making yellow paperchain to decorate the sukkah. We wrote the names of the remaining 48 hostages on each slip of paper.
    • We played charades with Sukkot and Simchat Torah themes/ideas.
    • We visited the sukkah with Rabbi Bellows, learned about the sukkah, lulav, and etrog.  We had the opportunity to shake the lulav & etrog.  We talked about what middot (values) we would invite into the sukkah this 5786 as our ushpizin (sukkot guests)
    • We did a sukkah ‘scavenger hunt’ to help us think about what we have/do at home that brings the sukkot lessons home.
  4. We came back together in the sanctuary for an all school shira led by Morah Alexa and 5th grader Luke K. 
  5. Then we celebrated the Auf Ruf of Morah Rachel (5th grade) and Moreh Aaron (6th grade) who are getting married next Sunday. 
  6. We ended with Sukkot trivia led by Rabbi Bellows.

Homework to be completed by next class:

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9/28: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. We had an awesome fourth session of school.
  2. First, we met individuals such as Mordechai Manuel Noah and Uriah Philips Levy who helped shape American Jewish life in the early Republic. 
  3. Afterwards, we saw how American Jews were very concerned when Jews in Syria were falsely accused of murdering a Catholic priest and when the Italian Jewish child Edgardo Mortara was forcibly taken from his family.  This led to a discussion after Shira as to which tragic event was worse, with most feeling the kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara was a greater tragedy than the “Damascus Affair”
  4. At Shira, Morah Alexa taught 4th – 6th grade a song “Tap Your Heart” to get us ready for Yom Kippur.
  5. Back in class we saw how the city of Ligonier, Indiana has preserved a synagogue, founded by German Jewish peddlers in the 1840’s, despite the fact that no Jews live there anymore.  We also looked at recipes to enjoy before the fast of Yom Kippur from the Museum of the Jewish People.
  6. Finally, at Tefilla, Rabbi Prass, Morah Alexa, and 5th Grader Luke Kanter led 4th – 6th graders in t’fillah. Rabbi Prass taught us about the importance of second chances as we get ready for Yom Kippur.
  7. Gmar Chatima Tovah, Moreh David

Homework to be completed by next class:

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9/21: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. We had an awesome third session of school.
  2. First, we looked at artifacts the first Jewish pioneers might have brought with them to support a Jewish community.  The talmidim were very interested in the 18th century volume of the Talmud, published in Vienna in the late 1700’s, that I shared with them.  Matthew S enjoyed looking at the German forward by the publisher.
  3. Afterwards, we were introduced to Jonah Philips and saw how he worked to ensure that the US Constitution afforded religious freedom for all citizens, including his fellow Jews and then worked on our renditions of floats the New York Jewish community might have fabricated for the famous Constitution Parade in 1789.
  4. At Shira, Morah Alexa led 4th – 6th grade, and taught us a new Israeli song “Bashana Haba” to get us ready for Rosh Hashana. 5th grader, Luke Kanter helped song lead. 
  5. Back in class we saw how early American Jewish philanthropists helped build Jewish hospitals and aided their fellow Jews in Eretz Yisrael.  We also saw a video by the American oleh Tamar Meisels on how she makes round challahs for Rosh Hashanah for her family in Israel.  Everyone wished they could enjoy some of her home made challahs!
  6. Finally, at Tefilla, Morah Alexa & Rabbi Prass led 4th – 6th grade. Rabbi Prass asked us all to think of what good things we had all experienced in the now outgoing year. 5th grader Luke Kanter song led with Moreh Alexa. Emmy Shorr, Luke Kanter, and Landon Gehrke were the students who had mastered blowing the Shofar and helped us fulfill the mitzvah of hearing the shofar during this month of Elul.
  7. L’Shanah Tovah, Moreh David

Homework to be completed by next class:

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9/14: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. We had an awesome second session of school.
  2. First, since our Tzedakah project this year is supporting Israeli hospitals, we looked at the famous Chagall windows of the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.
  3. Afterwards, we went on a scavenger hunt of the JCYS building and found out, among other things, that Veteran’s Day is the favorite holiday of the security officer who helps keep us all safe each week during religious school.
  4. Next, we explored the experiences of American Jews during colonial times and saw, through an in-class reading, how the Shadarim, special messengers from the land of Israel, helped the colonial Jewish communities stay connected to Judaism.  The talmidim were surprised to learn that people would get into fist fights in synagogue during these times over who got the best seat in the sanctuary!
  5. At Shira, Morah Alexa led 4th – 6th grade in songs for the upcoming chag of Rosh Hashanah. 
  6. Back in class we saw how Jewish leaders Gershom Seixas and Haym Saloman helped the American patriot cause during the Revolutionary War. 
  7. Finally, at Tefilla, led by Rabbi Prass and Morah Alexa, 4th – 6th grade heard the Shofar as we started the last week of the outgoing year of 5785. 
  8. All in all, it was a great day at Religious School for the 4th graders!
  9. L’Shalom, Moreh David

Homework to be completed by next class:

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9/7: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. We had a wonderful first day of school. 
  2. The whole school gathered to start off the year with a fun assembly which included prayer, hearing the shofar for Elul, minute to win it Jewish style, and confetti ‘canons’! It was lovely to have so many parents join us!
  3. Then, 4th grade parents joined me to learn what their students will be doing this year while the students stayed with Morah Alexa and the madrichim.
  4. After meeting with parents, our 4th graders gathered and we started our learning.
  5. First, we decided that supporting hospitals in Israel, such as the Hadassah Hospital would be our Tzedakah for the year.
  6. Afterwards, we saw how the Expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal led to America eventually becoming a haven for our people.  We looked, through a short play, how Jews lived in different countries in 1650, just prior to the first arrival of Jews in what became the United States.  In our study, we compared how Jews lived in England, Holland, Germany, Poland, the Turkish Empire, and Yemen.  Everyone thought Yemen was not a good place to be Jewish then.
  7. We discussed what liturgical items the first Jews in America might have brought with them to help them stay close to Judaism.  Philip Ayzenberg was surprised to learn that there was actually one Jewish person, Asher Levy, already living in New Amsterdam when the “23” new arrivals first reached the colony.
  8. Since, we had some time we looked at “summer recipes” from the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv.  Everyone liked the “Israeli Fruit Cake” and Layla Brand thought it was interesting that a person “named Sarah” had managed to get so many of her recipes posted on the site!
  9. We ended the day with all of K – 6th grade together for shira led by Morah Alexa.
  10. Students received lollipops on their way out to celebrate the tradition that Jewish learning should be sweet.
  11. All in all, it was a great first day of Bait-Sefer Ha-Datit!

Homework to be completed by next class:

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