Jun 08
We’ve come to the final week of our year together, and in Anafim (“Branches” for 2nd-3rd grades) we’re spending it telling each other warm fuzzies and playing games that make us laugh. It’s been the weirdest year ever, but these tremendous children have shown up week after week ready to care for each other, be …
May 27
We are approaching the end of the school year and the end of our final theme for the year, בִּיקוּר חוֹלִים (bikur cholim – visiting sick people). The children in שׁוֹרָשִׁים (Shorashim– ‘roots’ for nursery) and שְׁתִּילִים (Shteelim– ‘saplings’ for kindergarten) have done so much growing over the course of the year! Their perspective has changed a number …
May 25
It’s hard to believe that we’re coming to the end of another year of Jewish Enrichment Center. What a beautiful year it’s been! In previous years when we were together in-person, I took for granted all of the tiny moments of connection that were possible throughout the day–checking in with every child as they entered …
May 13
We’re coming to the final weeks of our Bikur Cholim (Visiting Sick People) theme. Each week I have been moved by the way that children are thinking so deeply about our theme and sharing such empathetic insights. The depth of their ideas speaks not only to the individual children themselves and their amazing brains, but …
May 07
We have been in our theme, בִּיקוּר חוֹלִים (bikur cholim – visiting sick people), for four whole weeks now and throughout those four weeks, the children have been introduced to a variety of different Jewish texts that talk about visiting sick people. We’ve thought about our personal experiences with being sick and visiting sick people, what …
Apr 28
In שׁוֹרָשִׁים (Shorashim– ‘roots’ for nursery) and שְׁתִּילִים (Shteelim– ‘saplings’ for kindergarten), we are exploring the concepts of בִּיקוּר חוֹלִים (bikur cholim – visiting sick people) through pretend play. A few sessions ago, the children shared that visiting people who are sick, “can make the sick person feel better!” Visiting is important, but children were concerned about the …
Apr 27
Anafim (“Branches” for 2nd-3rd grades) children are deep into the heart of our Bikur Cholim (Visiting Sick People) theme. As in any other theme, children are bringing their unique perspectives and experiences into dialogue with our Jewish texts within a community of their peers. Throughout the year we’ve seen glimmers of the way that children …
Apr 21
Last week in Nitzanim (“Buds,” for 1st grade children), we explored a text from the Talmud that said that when someone visits a sick person, they take away 1/60th of their suffering. To help us understand this idea, we looked at a picture of a pie with one tiny little slice taken out of it. …
Apr 15
In שׁוֹרָשִׁים (Shorashim– ‘roots’ for nursery) and שְׁתִּילִים (Shteelim– ‘saplings’ for kindergarten), we have started our new theme, בִּיקוּר חוֹלִים (bikur cholim – visiting sick people). We read a story about a sick child who has someone come and visit them. The children shared about what people who are sick might need, based on their personal experiences. The …
Apr 13
Sunday was a GORGEOUS day to explore our new theme בִּיקוּר חוֹלִים (Bikur Cholim – Visiting sick people) together outdoors! Anafimers are bursting with ideas to share about our text from Talmud Nedarim 40a. In our text, a student of Rabbi Akiva’s gets sick and doesn’t have any visitors. Rabbi Akiva visits the sick student …
