Apr 17
Way back in Fall, 2011, when the Jewish Enrichment Center opened, Nitzanimers had to learn to make appropriate choices during their “choice time.” Over and over, I would ask them, “What’s Jewish about what you’re doing?” They’d say, “I’ll draw a Jewish star on the side of this paper airplane.” I would say, “Make a …
Apr 12
This week, Nitzanim completed one final investigation of our mysterious words (that we saw first in these morning blessings). We’ve seen what our mysterious words are in the Torah (something God does), in the Talmud (a discussion among the early rabbis about what to say when we get dressed and ready for the day), and …
Apr 12
Nitzanim learned a new game this week for משחקים mischakim (physical activity, Hebrew, and community building). It’s tough to keep holding hands and work as a team! We couldn’t stop laughing as we played. The tag game: three children hold hands, and one of the three is designated as the person to avoid being tagged. One child …
Mar 15
I missed getting pictures of some of the plagues, but Nitzanimers DID act out of the plagues!
Mar 15
This year, I thought Nitzanimers were ready to understand the plagues not as cutesy little props to throw during the seder for entertainment, but as part of what took place for the Israelites to go free. I started by reminding children that the plagues happened to ALL of the Egyptians, and asked children if they …
Mar 15
Rabbi Rebecca: What are some things Jews might do on Pesach? {children had many ideas, and then…} Girl 1: We eat מרור (maror - bitter herb) because of the bitterness of being a slave. Boy 1: Why would they want to remind us about being a slave? ‘Cause that’s a bad thought. Girl 2: Yeah, maror …
Mar 14
Every group of the Jewish Enrichment Center participated in Yetzirah this week- it was pretty extraordinary! Through out this Boker Tov unit we have focused on ourselves: how we treat others and how the Modeh Ani prayer resonates with us individually. And there’s no better way to wrap up the unit than with a communal activity …
Mar 05
Sometimes it feels good just to do the regular stuff. We had such a lovely Sunday and Monday this week. What a shame we didn’t get to have a session on Tuesday because of the snow. Here’s some of our regular stuff: Checking out the moon chart. It’s near the end of the Hebrew month …
Mar 01
Missed Part 1? Catch it here. Missed Part 2? Read it here. Part 3: Could children understand berakhot as something the early rabbis said to get their brains ready for the day? And if the rabbis were getting their brains ready, what were they getting their brains ready to do? I asked: Why would the rabbis made a berakhah (blessing) after every single …
Mar 01
Missed Part 1? Read it here. Part 2: Nitzanim had been focusing on the morning berakhot as a way of getting our bodies ready in the morning (stretching, getting dressed, etc.). Next, I asked Nitzanimers: do you do anything to get your brains ready in the morning? Turns out that many children read in the morning: “Reading makes my …
