education – hey wed

5/17: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Our kitah (class) had t’fillot time with Rabbi Prass. Each student had a chance to hold the Torah as we talked about inheriting the tradition we have been studying.  We also said the blessing over the omer and counted today, the 41st day of the Omer.
  2. Today was our last class for the year. We learned how Beth Am has come to host not one but two Torah scrolls rescued from the former Czechoslovakia but the Torah Trust in London. We learned how Cantor Schultz personally went to collect the scrolls and played a significant part in the synagogue coming to host these scrolls. We learned about the communities from which they came and stories of their experiences. We then had an opportunity to look at one of the scrolls up close.
  3. We then had a quick trivia game of things we have learned this year, with students writing the questions.
  4. Rabbi Prass came into our class and led us thru a self-evaluation where we wrote down:
    1. 4 things we learned on Wednesdays this year
    1. 2 reasons the things we learned on Wednesdays are important
    1. 1 bit of advice for next year’s Hey students
  5. We joined the rest of the school for a pizza dinner to round out the day.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Don’t forget to register for the 2023-2024 school year.
  2. There are lots of Beth Am events happening over the summer.  You can find them all here.
  3. Have a great summer! Try to attend at least 3 shabbat services before the next school year. It’s a great way to review your Hebrew.
  4. Thank you so much for a wonderful year. It has been a privilege to learn with you. May you all have a terrific summer and I hope to see you next year.

5/10 Today in class we worked on:

1)     We enjoyed a great afternoon having T’Fillah all grades with Rabbi Prass in the Sanctuary.Rabbi Prass told the students that today is Lag BaOmer, which is the 33 day of the counting of the Omer. Ask your student what makes this day special.  Rabbi then discussed with the students, “what gets you fired up or excited” because one way the holiday is celebrated is with bon fires. The students then shared their thoughts on this subject.

2)     Today we looked at how the events of the Shoah impacted people’s faith and belief in God. We learned how for Passover, people in Buchenwald scrounged ingredients to make matzah, even though it would not be kosher for Passover, and the Rabbi wrote a special prayer for them to recite before eating it. Seders were held in the Warsaw Ghetto, despite the repression experienced. Some people became more religious, more strongly identified as Jewish, while others believed the Shoah was proof there was no God. Students discussed where they believed they would stand on this question and the consensus was that they would become more Jewish, and that the Shoah wasn’t the fault of God or God’s responsibility to stop – it was a human-made event and it is up to human beings to not let it happen again. It means addressing hatred when we see it, not standing idly by. We also spoke about how we learn about the Shoah and students offered their opinions, with some believing we should start with general ideas about it at a younger age, with more specifics taught starting in 7th grade. Students believe that everyone should be required to learn about the Shoah, just as other historic inequities and catastrophes are learned about.

3)     We joined Rabbi Prass for tefillot and for Hebrew through Movement.

Homework to be completed by next class:

1)      See you next Wednesday

5/3: Today in class we worked on:

  1. We began with Tefillah. Today, we all stood before the open ark while we prayed as a congregation. It was a very moving experience.
  2. Today we wrote thank you notes to Mrs. Aronson who joined us last week to talk about her experiences and those of her family during the Shoah. We then broke into groups and worked through a choose your own adventure book on experiences in the Shoah. Students had an opportunity to read through the book several times and choose different options.
  3. We then played a bit of Hebrew charades.
  4. We joined Rabbi Prass and the rest of the school for Hebrew through Movement. 

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. See you next Wednesday

4/26: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Our kitah (class) had all school t’fillot led by Rabbi Prass. The students learned about Israel’s Memorial Day (Yom hazikaron) and Israel’s Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzmaut).In class we read pages 60 -66 in our textbook (both the Hebrew and English) We counted the 20th Day of the Omer, and joined in Hatikvah.
  2. This week we were fortunate to have Yvonne Aronson speak to our class and parents. Yvonne is a Survivor of the Shoah and spoke about her unique experiences during the war. She was very young and her family went to Belgium from Austria, which was neutral. She hid with her mother in a convent and later went to live with a widow in the suburbs of Brussels for the duration of the war. Her personal account of her experiences provided a tangible connection to the materials we have been studying this semester, giving students a new perspective of what the Shoah meant, beyond the camps and genocide. We are grateful she was able to join us and allow us to witness her story.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. See you next Wednesday

4/19 Today in class we worked on:

  1. Today we learned about key people from the Shoah and others, called Righteous Among the Nations – nonJews who saved Jews during the war. Students learned about Ann Frank, Elie Weisel, Hannah Szenesh, Raul Wallenberg, and more.
  • Students then watched part of an online movie, based on the diary of a young girl, that was filmed as if she was on Instagram. The movie can be found on Instagram at eva.stories. I strongly urge students to finish watching it.
  • with Rabbi Prass in the Sanctuary.  Today was Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day.  One student from each kitah lit a candle today in honor of the 6 Million Jews who died in Holocaust.  We counted the 14th Day of the Omer, and joined in Hatikvah.
  • We ended with Hebrew Through Movement along with the other Hebrew classes. The day ended with Rabbi Prass giving each kitah an exercise in the counting of the 50 days of the omer.  Ask your student which numbers they had.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Watch Eva Stories here: https://www.instagram.com/eva.stories/?hl=en
  • Also check out PBS/WTTW online – they have a number of specials on the Holocaust running now showing stories of survivors and more.

3/22: Today in class we worked on: 

  1. We had Tefillah with Rabbi Prass. We continued discussing the 13 bakashot (request prayers) which are said every weekday, and focused on the one that asks God to grant us forgiveness. The students shared personal examples of mistakes, and how forgiveness affords them a chance to start over. 
  1. Today was a busy day. We watched a video about the Warsaw Ghetto, learned about the uprising, and learned about Irena Sendler and a group of women responsible for smuggling over 2000 children from the ghetto and placing them with families she recorded so they could be found after the war. Students also review our packet on the Warsaw Ghetto, pulling out key facts to share with each other. 
  1. We then practiced our presentation for the model seder, where students worked together to provide facts on the Cup of Elijah and why we say next year in Jerusalem to share with the rest of the school. 
  1. Participated in a model seder with our school community.  Our class presented on the end of seder, Elijah, and next year in Jerusalem. 

Homework to be completed by next class:  

  1. Have a great holiday and break. 
  1. Continue to practice reading Hebrew outloud for at least 15 minutes each day. 
  1. Sunday, March 26 - Sunday, April 2 NO Religious & Hebrew School – Spring Break 
  1. Wednesday, April 5th: NO Wednesday Hebrew School – 1st Day Pesach 
  1. Sunday, April 9th: Religious School Resumes 
  1. Wednesday, April 12th: NO Wednesday Hebrew School – 7th Day Pesach 
  1. Wednesday, April 19th: Wednesday Hebrew School Resumes 
  1. You can always access the school calendars by clicking here. 
  1. You can always access the entire CBA calendar by clicking here. 

3/15 Today in class we worked on: 

  1. Today we began with watching a movie called “Devil’s Arithmetic” which is a fictionalized account of a modern teenager who goes back in time to a village in Eastern Europe where her family was from and experiencing how the Shoah impacted them. We were unable to finish the movie due to time constraints, but it can be watched here: https://youtu.be/oQVL-yKLw1Y The movie is based on a young adult book of the same name by Jane Yolen, which is highly recommended.  
  1. We discussed what questions and observations students had from the movie and then began to work on our program for the Mock Seder next week. Students pulled together interesting facts and history of why we have Elijah’s Cup and invite Elijah to our seder and why we end the seder with ‘Next Year in Jerusalem.’ We will present these next week at the school seder. 

Homework to be completed by next class:  

  1. Keep reading Hebrew aloud at least 15 minutes a day, focusing on chapter 4 in your Hebrew book. 

3/8: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Today was a very busy day!
  2. Students began with the rest of the school for tefilah and Rabbi Prass, followed by a discussion of how we balance the need to be serious with an equally important need to be funny and enjoy ourselves. The students really understood how these behaviors are found in the way we celebrate Purim.
  3. Then we wrote thank you notes to Mr. & Mrs. Roth who joined us last week to tell us about their parents’ experiences during the Shoah.
  4. We then watched a short video about Terezin (or Terezinstadt), the so-called ‘show camp’ that was used to house famous German Jews, and to ‘prove’ to the Red Cross and other international agencies that European Jews were not being mistreated by the Nazis and the Nazis were not violating the Geneva Convention from WW1.
  5. We then played Hebrew charades to practice our Hebrew vocabulary – students did great! We also practiced reading our assigned words for Purim to recite during the Megillah reading with Rabbi Prass during our Hebrew through Movement session to celebrate Purim.
  6. We then joined the rest of the school for reading the Megillah. They all did an excellent job!  The video of their reading is on the CBA Facebook page.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Continue reading Hebrew aloud for at least 15 minutes each day, focusing on the vocabulary we have been studying through Chapter 4 of our book.

3/1: Today in class we worked on:

  1. We began with Tefillah and Rabbi’s discussion of Purim and our school wide Magilla reading project. We talked about one of the bakashot (request prayers)  in the Amidah which asks God to get rid of the wicked people.  We connected this to Haman, and the upcoming holiday of Purim.
  2. Today we had a special guest speaker, Mrs. Magda Roth, whose mother survived Auschwitz and several other forced labor and concentration camps during the Shoah. Her mother is from a small town in Romania that had a large Jewish population and was among the majority of the Jews in the area that were deported when the area was taken over by the Nazis. Mrs. Roth told the story of her mother and her family – all 3 of her siblings survived the Shoah and returned to their town after they were liberated. Being in the area that was taken into Soviet rule, she grew up behind the Iron Curtain, finally immigrating to the U.S. in the ’80s. It was a very powerful presentation, with a stress on being aware of what is going on in the world around us, to be involved civically, and to vote when students come of age.
  3. We wrote thank you notes to Congressman Schneider for sharing time with us last week.
  4. We also practiced Hebrew words from the Megillah in preparation for Purim coming up next week.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Keep reading Hebrew aloud at least 15 minutes a day, focusing on chapter 4 in your Hebrew book.

2/22: Today in class we worked on:

  1. and Rabbi’s discussion about the new month of Adar. As the expressions says, “It’s Adar, be happy.” We also talked about how laughter can have a positive effect on one’s mood and health.
  2. Today we had a special guest in class – Congressman Brad Schneider. He discussed how tzedakah and tikun olam (repairing the world) led him to seek elected office to make the world a better place. He quoted Rabbi Tarfon, who we have studied, who said it is not upon each person to complete the work, but neither are we free to ignore it, meaning we don’t have to fix everything, but we have to at least try. He discussed being in Congress, how laws are passed, and ways we can all be involved. He also answered students’ questions – such good questions – and joined us for most of our class period.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Practice reading Hebrew aloud for at least 15 minutes a day. Work on your vocabulary so we can play Hebrew charades.

2/15: Today in class we worked on:

  1. We enjoyed all grades T’Fillah with Rabbi Prass. 
  2. Today we continued our Shoah semester learning about concentration camps and what the Nazis called “The Final Solution.” We watched a video made from news reals of the period, showing the conquest of Europe, and the development of the plan to eliminate the Jews of Europe. We learned that there were no death camps in Germany. Students broke into groups to read about Auschwitz and came back together to discuss what they had learned.
  3. There were some really great questions asked. Students were told we will be watching a movie in 2 weeks based on a book by Jane Yolen, who has written 3 YA adults about the Holocaust that they may wish to read.
  4. We also reviewed our new Hebrew vocabulary by playing charades and then joined Rabbi Prass and the rest of the school for Hebrew through Movement. Students also joined everyone for tefillah.
  5. Next week we will have a special visit from Congressman Brad Schneider to talk about the role tzedakah plays in his life and his work.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Practice your vocabulary from the first 4 chapters and come up with charades for the word that we will play next week. Craft 3 unique Hebrew sentences using the vocabulary we have learned so far.

2/8: Today in class we worked on:

  1. We enjoyed all grades T’Fillah with Rabbi Prass.  We connected the prayer gevurot which talks about strength with tu bishvat.  We shared where we have grown, and how we are stronger because of that.
  2. Today we continued our Shoah semester by learning about Kristallnacht – the first overt government-condoned attack on the Jews of Germany and Austria. We learned that the Nazis wanted their land to be free of Jews and believed if they were to make life too awful, they would all leave. Unfortunately, other countries refused to take them in and put quotas in place regarding the number of Jews they would admit across their borders. In the days following Kristallnacht, and after those deported to concentration camps were returned home, over half of the Jews in Germany had fled, leaving 300,000 Jews who either could not or would not leave.
  3. Students broke into groups to find out key information and presented it to the rest of the class. Great job everyone!
  4. We worked on our Hebrew vocabulary, and began introducing new vocabulary from chapter 4 in our Hebrew book. Students also did a great job putting together their own Hebrew sentences and translating them. We also joined Rabbi Prass and the rest of the school for Hebrew Through Movement, and began the day with tefilah with Rabbi Prass and the other students.
  5. Participated in Hebrew through Movement with our school community. We worked on our Tu Bishvat words.  We even shared tree jokes.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Write 3 new unique sentences in Hebrew using the vocabulary we have learned so far.

Today in class we worked on: 

2/1-

  1. Participated in Tefillah with Rabbi Prass. During silent prayer, we wrote notes which will be put in the kotel in Jerusalem by Rabbi Bellows next week when she goes there. 
  1. Today we watched the movie “The Wave.” The movie is based on a high school class in the late 60s that tried to answer how people in Germany could say they did not know what was going on during the Holocaust. It follows a class that goes from a new way to gain success, power, and learning just for the class’s students to an organization that they are to recruit for, rules to follow, enforcers to report anyone not following the rules. One student starts to feel uncomfortable and writes in the school paper against the new group – the Wave – and is targeted to make her stop. As the movie wraps up, the teacher announces a big rally that day. He says it is not a class experiment, but part of a national network of other teachers working to create a national student program and movement, and the movement’s leader will speak to them all at the assembly, which is only open to true Wave members.  
  1. We talked about what the experiment showed. We discussed how finding ways to be successful, to be more organized, to join with other people are good. We should always have a support network of some sort. But if that group begins to say that they are superior to others, starts reporting on fellow members, and becomes focused on excluding or deriding others, by skin color, ability, religion, political party, gender identity, etc, then it is time to step back and look at exactly what the purpose of the group is. 
  1. It is important to remember only about 10% of Germans actually joined the Nazi party. In Germany, the populace had faced a devastating defeat in the 1st World War, made worse by the fact their government told them they were winning. Then came the crushing impact of the reparations imposed by the Allies which sent their economy into free fall, later exacerbated by the Great Depression. Many people were highly susceptible to being told none of the pain and suffering they were feeling was their fault and that the German people were a strong people and could withstand anything. By laying this type of basis for appealing to the nation, and after taking control of the national school systems and other institutions, including the press, they were able to craft a narrative that gave people a sense of belonging, as well as a reason to not pay attention to what was happening to the ‘others’ – Jews, blacks, members of the LGBTQ+ community, Communists, Catholics, Roma (Gypsies) and other so-called undesirables. 
  1. If you have not watched the movie, it is available for free online.  https://www.aghseagles.org/apps/video/watch.jsp?v=72327 

Homework to be completed by next class:  

  1. Review chapter 3 in your Hebrew book and complete any exercises you have not. Continue to read Hebrew aloud at least 15 minutes a day, focusing on the dialogues in the first 3 chapters. Write 3 unique Hebrew sentences using vocabulary we have learned so far. 

Today in class we worked on: 

1/25-

  1. Today we continued our study of the Shoah by learning how Hitler came to power in Germany. First we looked at the history and outcome of World War I, which set the stage for post-war Germany and the appeal of blaming someone else for the collapse of their economic system under crippling reparations imposed by the Allies and later the Great Depression. We learned how Hitler, a WWI vet, had been arrested trying to foment a coup, and was sentenced to prison for treason. In prison, he wrote his book “Mein Kampf,” which when published was a huge success and led him to becoming a millionaire, while his countrymen were struggling to survive. We learned how the Nazi party became more and more ideological and violent, being elected to the newly established democratic parliament, with a modest showing initially. Later, they were to win a substantial number of seats, leading Hitler to demand to be made Chancellor. A new election was triggered, and while the Nazi party lost seats, they still had over 200 and Hitler was named Chancellor. Shortly thereafter, an attack on the Reichstag (German Congress) allowed him to declare a state of emergency and grabbed all power of the state. State institutions, except for the Army and a couple others, were made state institutions, including schools, press, universities, and more. Finally, the Nuremburg laws were passed, which stripped citizenship from German Jews, and made them ‘subjects’ of the Reich with no rights at all. 
  1. We then reviewed Hebrew vocabulary and joined Rabbi Prass and the rest of the school for Hebrew through Movement. We also joined in for tefillah at the beginning of class. 

Homework to be completed by next class:  

  1. Review chapter 3 in your Hebrew book and complete any exercises you have not. Continue to read Hebrew aloud at least 15 minutes a day, focusing on the dialogues in the first 3 chapters. Write 3 unique Hebrew sentences using vocabulary we have learned so far. 
  1. Please sign up in advance for the 7th grade Shabbat Family Dinner for Friday, January 27th, 6:15 – 7:00 https://bethambg.shulcloud.com/event/7thGradeFamilyShabbatDinner  
  1. RSVP to rabbiprass@bethambg.org for the 7th grade Field Trip to the CBA food pantry, Sunday, January 29th, 12 – 2 pm 

Today in class we worked on: 

1/18-

  1. Today we learned about the history of antisemitism, from the time of the bible and how it has grown and mutated through today, and how the concept of hatred of Jews helped lay the groundwork for the atrocities of the Holocaust. Students had good questions and participated in our discussion on a very difficult topic. 
  1. Students also joined Rabbi Bellows for tefillah today. 

Homework to be completed by next class:  

  1. Homework: If you did not finish your homework over break, please do so now. Practice reading Hebrew aloud at least 15 min a day. 
  1. Please sign up in advance for the 7th grade Shabbat Family Dinner for Friday, January 27th, 6:15 – 7:00 https://bethambg.shulcloud.com/event/7thGradeFamilyShabbatDinner  
  1. RSVP to rabbiprass@bethambg.org for the 7th grade Field Trip to the CBA food pantry, Sunday, January 29th, 12 – 2 pm 

Today in class we worked on: 

12/21-

  1. What a great semester we have had. We finished up our semester on Tzedakah and Tikun Olam by reviewing some of what we have learned and talked about and discussing the idea of taking action to make a difference. We can’t just pray for things to happen – we are partners with God in this world and our actions must help to make it better.  
  1. Then we played Hebrew football, which students did great at.  
  1. We had tefillah with Rabbi Prass and then ended the semester with pizza dinner with the rest of the school. 

Homework to be completed by next class:  

  1. Continue to read Hebrew aloud for at least 15 minutes each day. Craft 5 unique sentences in Hebrew using the vocabulary we have learned. Make sure you have completed all the exercises through chapter 3. 
  1. Play some online Hebrew games to practice reading and vocabulary: 
  1. https://www.learnhebrewpod.com/multimediacontent/matching 
  1. https://www.lingo-play.com/en/learn-hebrew-online/ 
  1. https://www.behrmanhouse.com/PlayLearn 
  1. The CBA Winter Break schedule is: 
  1. Sunday, December 25 - Sunday, January 8 NO Religious & Hebrew School – Winter Break 
  1. Tuesday, January 10 - Tuesday Hebrew School Resumes 
  1. Wednesday, January 11 - Wednesday Hebrew School Resumes 
  1. Sunday, January 15 - Religious School Resumes 

Today in class we worked on: 

12/14-

  1. Today we continued to discuss tzedakah and tikun olam by talking about change and ways to welcome it, or at least accept it, even if change makes us uncomfortable. We looked at what the Torah says about Moses’ reaction when God chose him to be the spokesman on behalf of the Israelites, and later, how Saul became the first king of Israel and how the Rabbis say he was from a small clan in the smallest tribe, with not much wealth or power, yet was chosen for his modesty and willingness to work with others. 
  1. We began the 3rd chapter in our Hebrew book learning new vocabulary and working on the dialogue in chapter 3.  
  1. We also joined Rabbi Prass and the rest of the school for tefilah and Hebrew through Movement. 

Homework to be completed by next class:  

  1. Continue reading Hebrew aloud for at least 15 minutes a day. Focus on the dialogue in chapter 3 to practice reading. Write 5 unique sentences utilizing vocabulary from the first 3 chapters of your book. 

Today in class we worked on: 

  1. Today we discussed how to identify the suffering of others and empathy. We looked at how a person can be ‘awakened’ to what is going on around them and the actions they may take to improve things. We looked at the awakening of Moses, from when he was a young man just starting to identify injustices around him to later becoming someone who would lead the Israelites from Egypt. 
  1. We also worked on our Hebrew in Chapter 2, reviewing the vocabulary and working on exercises in the book together.  
  1. We also joined Rabbi Prass and the rest of the school for tefillah and Hebrew through Movement. 

Homework to be completed by next class:  

  1. Read Hebrew aloud at least 15 minutes each day – practice reading the dialogue in Chapter 3 as we will be moving on next week. Complete the last 2 pages of Chapter 2 in your Hebrew book. Work with online tools on vocabulary and reading for 45 minutes during the week. 
  1. https://www.learnhebrewpod.com/multimediacontent/matching 
  1. https://hebrew-language.com/hebrew-games/ 

Today in class we worked on: 

11/30-

  1. Today we discussed hunger, what the Torah tells us we have a responsibility to resolve or ease it, and other ways we can work together to help alleviate hunger. We looked at the Holiness Code in the Torah which begins with the instructions from God to not harvest all of the fields or to pick up anything that falls, since that is for the widow, orphan, and stranger. Students had a great conversation on what hunger is, what causes it, and ways we can work together to help alleviate it – everything from donating to food pantries to speaking to lawmakers to make things more equitable. 
  1. We also joined Rabbi Prass for tefilah and for Hebrew thru Movement. 

Homework to be completed by next class:  

  1. Keep reading Hebrew aloud for at least 15 minutes each day. Practice the dialogue and vocabulary for Chapter 2 in our Hebrew book, and complete the exercises on the first 2 pages of the chapter. 

Today in class we worked on: 

  1. Today we continued our discussion of tzedakah and tikun olam by discussing actual actions we can take to make the world a better place. Students were asked to think big, beyond simply giving money or volunteering to actions they could take on issues important to them. We then discussed government and its potential role in tzedakah and how it could be used to make the lives of its people better. Students then created jigsaw puzzles of a variety of ways they can help make the world a better place. 
  1. We also joined Rabbi Prass and the rest of the school for tefilot and for Hebrew Through Movement. 

Homework to be completed by next class:  

  1. Finish your puzzles if you did not have a chance during class. Continue to read Hebrew aloud for 15 minutes every day and make sure you have finished the 1st exercise in chapter 2 of your Hebrew book. 

Today in class we worked on:

11/2-

  • Today we continued our discussion on tzedakah and tikun olam by talking about personal responsibility. Part of working to make the world better is to accept the responsibility of doing so. As we grow older, there are more things we need to do. We also talked about the beginning of the verse “do not stand idly by” which tells us we are not to be tale bearers and spread rumors or false statements. We talked about the danger and long-term damage false statements can make and the importance of being careful what we say.
  • We also began chapter 2 of our Hebrew book, learning the words for my, yours, hers, and more.
  • We ended class with the other Hebrew classes and watched a video about OSRUI summer 2023 and Rabbi Prass led Hebrew Through Movement.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Continue to read Hebrew aloud for at least 15 minutes each day, focusing on the dialogue in chapter 2. Complete the first page of exercises in chapter 2.

Today in class we worked on:

10/26-

  1. Participated in all school Tefillah with Rabbi Prass
  2. Today we continued our discussion on tzedakah by looking at the concept of Tikun Olam – repairing the world. Students discussed different ways to repair the world – with treasure, time, and talent. We looked at text telling us not to stand idly by from the Torah, and other text from Pirkei Avot explaining that while the work of repairing the world is big, we are not expected to finish it all, but neither are we free from ignoring it.
  3. Participated in Hebrew through Movement with our school community

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Continue to read Hebrew aloud for at least 15 minutes a day. Practice reading the next dialogue in Chapter 2 of your Hebrew book and make sure you finish all the exercises in chapter 1.
  2. Go to www.thehungersite.com every day and click on donate to help alleviate hunger. Click on affiliate sites to help save rain forest land and more.

Today in class we worked on:

10/19-

  • Today we continued to talk about tzedakah by looking at how Maimonides organized the different ways of giving into a ‘ladder’. We used an online game to put the levels in what we thought was correct and compared with what was actually determined.
  • We also worked more on our Hebrew, practicing vocabulary and working on exercises in our Hebrew book.
  • We joined the rest of the school for tefilot and for Hebrew Through Movement and got to taste an etrog!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1.  Read Hebrew aloud for at least 15 minutes each day. This can be dialogues from your textbook, Bar/Bat Mitzvah lessons or other sources, but reading aloud is important to get your mouth used to the sounds and combinations of spoken Hebrew.

Today in class we worked on:

10/12-

  1. Students also joined the rest of the school for tefillah with Rabbi Prass.
  2. Today we created posters and graphics for the next synagogue-wide tzedakah project, raising money for an ambulance for Magen David Adom in Israel in a joint fundraiser with other Chicago synagogues. We discussed the MDA and its history, as well as what is does in providing medical care, transportation, and blood supplies to Israeli citizens.
  3. After making the posters, we worked on our Hebrew vocabulary and read the dialogue and translated it in chapter 1 of our Hebrew book.
  4. We also chose to make Zac’s Zoo the tzedakah project for the class for the year. If students bring in enough tzedakah, we may look into a field trip to purchase stuffed animals for the organization with the money raised.
  5. Rabbi Prass brough in the lulav/etrog so that our students could fulfill this sukkot mitzvah.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1.  Read Hebrew aloud for at least 15 minutes each day. This can be dialogues from your textbook, Bar/Bat Mitzvah lessons or other sources, but reading aloud is important to get your mouth used to the sounds and combinations of spoken Hebrew.

Today in class we worked on:
9/28-

  1. We enjoyed an all-school t’fillah with Rabbi Prass where we heard the sound of the shofar.
  2. Today we discussed the idea of gifts, justice, tzedakah, and responsibility for our community. Students reflected on gifts received and given, looked at text describing both the commandment of tzedakah and the pursuit of justice.
  3. They also created a gift for a classmate where they were encouraged to make it as personalized as they could. We then discussed creating/giving something fun, something just to inspire a good day, or something more substantive, like housing, clothing, education and more.
  4. Students also discussed ideas for the synagogue tzedakah project coming up. Next week we will choose one and students will create posters and online ads to help get the Beth Am community involved.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1.  Practice reading Hebrew aloud for at least 15 minutes each day. Try to focus on dialogue in chapter 1 of your Hebrew book and we will begin studying it next week.
  2. Also bring in ideas for a class tzedakah project for the year and ideas for synagogue projects for the next couple of months.

Today in class we worked on:
9/21-
1) We enjoyed an all-school t’fillah with Rabbi Prass where we heard the sound of the shofar for the month of Elul.
2) We discussed the difference between charity vs tzedakah. Charity is for the love of another and tzedakah is a commandment.
3) We continued brain storming tzedakah organizations for the entire congregation. We did stump the rabbi asking Rabbi Prass various questions about Jewish ‘stuff’
4) We shared that while sitting at Rosh Hashanah worship and meals is not the same high as six flags, what is worth celebrating during the holiday
5) Rabbi Prass brought in 10 shofarot, and we had a Hebrew school band learning how to sound the shofar.
Homework to be completed by next class:
9/21-
1) Practice reading Hebrew aloud for at least 15 minutes each day. Try to focus on dialogue in chapter 1 of your Hebrew book and we will begin studying it next week.
2) Also bring in ideas for a class tzedakah project for the year and ideas for synagogue projects for the next couple of months.

Today in class we worked on:
9/14-
1) Today was our first day of Hey/7th grade together!
2) We discussed the passage and song from Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Ancestors) that states the world rests on three things: Torah, Prayer/Service, and Acts of Loving Kindness. We talked about what that means, why it would be considered important, and what it has to do with our first semester studies of tzedakah and tikun olam.
3) Students will be working together to select tzedakah projects for the Synagogue for each of the next 3 months, as well as learning about why tzedakah is important in Judaism, learning about the impact of poverty and hunger on people, and more.
4) We also began working on conversational Hebrew with a review game of letters and sounds.
5) Great class – looking forward to a wonderful year.
Homework to be completed by next class:
9/14-
1) Practice reading Hebrew aloud for at least 15 minutes each day. Try to focus on dialogue in chapter 1 of your Hebrew book and we will begin studying it next week.
2) Also bring in ideas for a class tzedakah project for the year and ideas for synagogue projects for the next couple of months.