Zayin 1 Update
Dear Zayin 1 Parents,
I hope that you enjoyed a wonderful Pesach with your families. Perhaps our “snow days” are behind us as well? It’s hard for me to believe that I am writing you the final update of the year. It has been a good year for Zayin 1 and I appreciate your partnering with us. I know that it has required an additional time commitment on the parts of both you and your children, not to mention an additional day of driving. I thank you for this.
We were very lucky to have Cantor Abrams come in to discuss prayer and, of course, God. She shared some of her own struggles with prayer and the group appreciated her transparency, honesty and willingness to share things which were not easy to share.
Our study of American Jewish History will conclude with the huge Jewish immigrations to America from 1880-1920. We will learn from where these immigrants came and why they came.
Our last visit to Sholom Home was on May 6. I know how much the kids have enjoyed these visits. I also believe that this was an experience which will be etched in their minds for a long time to come. While performing the mitzvot of Visiting the Sick and Respecting the Elderly, I am confident that each one of them was touched and inspired by meeting and interacting with the residents at Sholom Home. I, personally, was inspired by observing the care, compassion and respect that they exhibited during these visits.
I wish all of you a wonderful summer and I thank you for the privilege of working with your children this year. Please remember to register for the Het (8th grade) program which takes place on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 pm- 8:45 pm. Register here.
L’hitraot,
Mary
Zayin 2 Update
Dear Zayin 2 Parents -- During these last few weeks of the school year, we’ve discussed more historical topics. Relating to Yom HaShoah, we considered our place in the societal conversation about the Holocaust and discussed the PBS video, My Grandmother's Story. We read a number of Letters to the Editor from the Jewish newspaper “The Forward” (from the time when it was written in Yiddish), and unpacked some of the questions and issues people had 50, 60, and 70+ years ago, weighing them in conjunction with the responses that the editors provided. Continuing from the time of the Holocaust and earlier, we considered the process of immigration to the United States and some of the differences between the time when entry took place through Ellis Island and the present. During this, our last week of class, we will create an art project with some local Israelis before heading over to participate in the Kitah Het graduation. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our Kitah Zayin students to see our graduates present the parts of their Talmud Torah experience that has touched them the most over their entire time here. It’s been a pleasure working with your students this year. From providing incredibly detailed and mature responses, thoughts, ideas, and questions, to including the occasionally needed light-hearted joke, this class has grown tremendously! We look forward to seeing their continued development as evolving members of our extended Jewish community. B’shalom, Avi and Polly
