Zayin 1 (7th-grade Monday/Wednesday) celebrated Tu B'Shvat with the residents at Roitenberg Assisted Living
Zayin 1 & 2 (7th grade), Wednesdays
Hot Topics--Mary Baumgarten
Dear Parents,
We have spent the last 3 sessions speaking about Anti- Semitism: what is it, how does it manifest itself and have you (student) ever experienced it? We analyzed the Pyramid of Hate from the ADL and read and discussed a variety of articles on the topic. They included: “Anti- Semitism is Not a Jewish Problem,” and Bari Weiss’ speech at the “No Hate, No fear Solidarity Rally” in New York. The latter was very powerful, and I recommend that you read it as well.
Our next topic will be “Consumerism” and I know it will garner much interest and discussion among the kids.
Thank you for partnering with us.
Mary
Judaism and Technology
Dear Kitah Zayin 2 (7th grade) Parents,
This past month began with our special program framing a Jewish celebration of Martin Luther King day with a panel of teens and city councilpersons from St. Louis Park (see photos above).
We then turned to preparation for Tu B'Shvat. We used the imagery of trees in Jewish tradition to raise questions about the nature of human communication, particularly online communication. We also staged a different kind of Tu B'Shvat seder focused on Kabbalistic/philosophical understandings of our world really having four distinct worlds, of feeling, imagination, connection, and perfection layered onto one another.
In preparation for our New York trip we have commissioned students as the editorial board of The Daily Forward. Their job has been to offer advice by responding to the dilemmas faced by immigrant Jews first coming to America and responding to the challenges of establishing a new life as Jews in a new land. We have utilized segments from the film Hester Street as part of the study.
B’shalom,
Rabbi Jeff
Zayin 1 students at Roitenberg Assisted Living
Zayin 1 (7th grade) Update
Dear Kitah Zayin 1 Parents,
It is my pleasure to provide you with an update about what we have been learning in recent weeks.
Mitzvot
We have focused on the mitzvot of “Rodef Shalom,” being a pursuer of peace and “Bal Tashchit,” not to destroy. As always, our discussions have centered on how these mitzvot apply to our own lives.
American Jewish History
We have completed our study of the Revolutionary War and the impact that Jews had in this war. We familiarized ourselves with some of the characters and their role in the Revolution. I continue to be impressed with the interest level of my students in this subject matter.
Sholom Home
The class continues to enjoy and derive great benefit from our visits to Sholom Home. Our next visit will be on March 2 when we will play Purim Bingo with the residents.