Zayin 1 Class Update
Dear Zayin (7th grade) 1 Parents:
I wish to keep you apprised of what we have been learning during our first weeks of the year.
Mitzvot
We have begun speaking about the mitzvah of “Bikur Holim,” visiting the sick. One of the things we learned is that by any one of us visiting someone who is ill, we take away 1/60 of their pain. We will be continuing our study of this most important mitzvah after the holidays.
Our visit to Sholom Home was incredible. We had a chance to debrief in class and the group is clearly looking forward to our next visit there on Monday evening, November 4th.
American Jewish History
Our first unit will be about the “1st Jews in America.” We will learn about when they came, why they came, and where they settled. One of the themes which will be ongoing in our study of American Jewish History will be how were we able to integrate into our new society while still maintaining our Jewish identity? What are some of the first things immigrants did to assure that their Jewish identity remained intact? What changes did they make?
T’fillah (prayer)
In conjunction with the High Holidays, we looked at four key prayers: Avinu Malkenu, Kol Nidre, Al Chet and Ashamnu. As always, students were asked if these prayers were relevant to us today and how they are relevant. One of the activities which they found engaging was writing an Ashamnu alphabetical acrostic geared to teens: ex. “We have “Argued.” “We have “Bullied.” “We have cheated.”
It is a pleasure working with your students!
L’hitraot,
Mary
Zayin 2 Class Update
The Zayin (7th grade) class has been pursuing a number of topics both traditional and contemporary. Throughout the weeks of the High Holidays we thought about the nature of forgiveness through rabbinic texts, including the issue of whether the Holocaust is unforgiveable, and the Ray Bradbury film ‘All Summer in a Day”.
We also began our study of Judaism, communication and technology by learning about the teen news magazine The Cramm. The creator of The Cramm is Olivia Seltzer, a Jewish teen from Santa Barbara, California. She was our guest on Wednesday evening, October 23rd. Parents and interested community members were invited to attend.
B’shalom,
Rabbi Jeff