Hey 1-2
Dear Kitah Hey 1 & 2 (5th-grade) Families,
It is hard to believe that we are sending you our last update of the year.
Although we were not able to see your children in person, we made every effort to keep them engaged and learning via ZOOM. We so appreciate your assistance, support and perseverance as we transitioned to this new learning platform. We could not have done it without you.
Here is a recap of our last month together.
Ivrit
We continued to solidify our reading skills by reading modern Hebrew texts as well as T’fillot. We also worked on oral basic Hebrew sentences, mostly focusing on frequently used Hebrew verbs. Finding root words and recognizing suffixes was also an ongoing focus. Recognizing key Siddur vocabulary was also an integral part of our studies. While learning the 1st paragraph of the Shema we spoke about mezzuzot, toured some of the mezzuzot in my house, and spoke about the reason for having mezzuzot on our doorposts. I was amazed with the finished products when the kids were given a very short time to design a mezzuzah.
Jewish Life
We are fortunate that the Jewish calendar always gives us something to commemorate or celebrate. After Pesach we moved into Yom Hashoah, Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day). It was important to me to generate an interest in, and connection to, Israel. This would hopefully lead to a love of Israel. They were very engaged when we watched videos about Israel in general, Masada and the Dead Sea. We had spoken about Masada when we worked on the timeline of Jewish history, so it came alive for them. We then moved to Lag Ba’Omer, where our focus was on heroes in general and the heroes of this holiday. Our year ended with learning about Shavuot and the 10 Commandments.
Israel
We continued with the study of Israel we had started a month and a half ago. We “toured Israel” and some of the students followed through and presented projects they had prepared on Tel Aviv, Yad VaShem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, and on the beautiful city of Haifa. We talked about how important Israel is to the three major religions of the world and how open the religious sites are to pilgrims from all over the world. We discussed the connection that Jews all over the world have for Israel, since Jews by birth could potentially trace their lineage all the way back to the land of Canaan, and a love and yearning for the “Promised Land” is part of our more-than-2000 year history. We are one Jewish family, connected to Jews from all over the world.
Torah
We finished the book of Genesis with the story of Joseph and his brothers, and discussed how the Jewish people had evolved from being just Abraham and his family to the Children of Israel and twelve tribes. The connection to the land has been a big part of the covenant between God and Abraham. We discussed how lucky we were to be alive in a time when that part of the covenant was fulfilled and Jews were back in Israel.
One of the fun activities the students enjoyed was playing “Kahoot“ on the computer or smartphone. It was a fun way to both review what was learned and to see how much they had learned.
It has been a pleasure working with your children this year. We look forward to seeing them in person again when we resume Talmud Torah in the fall. We wish you a wonderful summer!
Stay safe and healthy.
Mary and Susie
Hey 3
Dear Hey 3 Parents,
It is hard to believe that I am sending you the last update of the year. Although I have not been able to see your children in person, I made every effort to keep them engaged and learning via ZOOM. I so appreciate your assistance, support and perseverance as we transitioned to this new learning platform. I could not have done it without you. Here is a recap of our last month together.
Ivrit
We continued to solidify our reading skills by reading modern Hebrew texts as well as t’fillot. We also worked on oral basic Hebrew sentences, mostly focusing on frequently used Hebrew verbs. Finding root words and recognizing suffixes was also an ongoing focus. Recognizing key Siddur vocabulary was also an integral part of our studies. While learning the 1st paragraph of the Shema, we spoke about mezzuzot, toured some of the mezzuzot in my house, and spoke about the reason for having mezzuzot on our doorposts. I was amazed with the finished products when the kids were given a very short time to design a mezzuzah.
Torah
We followed Jacob on his journey to Paddan Aram, as he was fleeing from his brother, Jacob. We witnessed Jacob being at the mercy of Laban, his marriage to the wrong sister (Leah instead of Rachel) and the growth of his family. Jacob ends up with four wives who give him twelve sons and one daughter. The fact that Rachel was his favorite wife and her sons, his favorite children, caused much family strife. He eventually decides to return to Canaan and reconciles with Esau. On the way, he wrestled with an angel and his name was changed to Yisrael. Hence, we are called B’nai Yisrael, the Children of Israel.
We continued with the Joseph stories which took us from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Exodus, from a family to a nation. The Joseph stories are filled with intrigue...ask your children which part of the story they liked best. One of the things we see in this story is that people can change and that forgiveness is both desired and possible.
Jewish Life
We are fortunate that the Jewish calendar always gives us something to commemorate or celebrate. After Pesach we moved into Yom Hashoah, Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day). It was important to me to generate an interest in and connection to Israel. This will hopefully lead to a love of Israel. My students were very engaged when we watched videos about Israel in general, Masada and the Dead Sea. We had spoken about Masada when we worked on the timeline of Jewish history, so it came alive for them. We then moved to Lag Ba’omer, where our focus was on heroes in general and the heroes of this holiday. Our year ended with learning about Shavuot, and the Ten Commandments.
It has been a pleasure working with your children this year. We look forward to seeing them in person again when we return to Talmud Torah in the fall. We wish you a wonderful summer!
Stay safe and healthy.
Mary
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