Shalom V'l'hitraot

Our Spring Fling, 2013, was a big success.  It came and it went, and so another school year at Temple Isaiah comes to an end.

If you ask me, the year flew by all too quickly. I feel as if I was just greeting the new fifth graders and welcoming back returning sixth graders, and suddenly I'm saying goodbye. Now I sit at my desk writing progress reports, and I'm going through what I believe is a form of separation anxiety. As I write each student report, I feel as if the student is sitting next to me. All the documentation I've collected is, in a way, re-creating the child, almost like a 3-D printer. Best of all, I have this blog to look back on, and all the photos that bring back memories and remind me why I always want to return for yet another school year.

And when I've completed each report, I say a final "shalom" to the child as he or she melts away, morphing into the next student on my list. I'll see most of them again - either in Edot class next year or in the halls, in T'fila, at special events and services in our Isaiah community and perhaps, in a couple of years, as Avodah TA's, back in my classroom. So it's not just "Shalom," but "Shalom v'l'hitraot" to each and every Edot student.  Enjoy your summer -  I know I will!

Here are some sights and sounds of our last Edot class of the year, and of the amazing Spring Fling we enjoyed yesterday.  No one can say that Temple Isaiah doesn't know how to put on a good show!

Listening to the final two chapters of "The Circlemaker"

Doodling while listening to the story...

...and enjoying snacks left over from the Edot Fair

And when the story was over, it was time to play our "End-of-Year Shekel Game"

How much money do we have? How much should we bet?

Here's Justin "reporting" the Hebrew Through Movement commands for his group very successfully!

Leon came - looking great!

And then we went to the Sanctuary - here are the teachers going up on the Bimah for Teacher Appreciation

But of course the star of the show was Rick Recht and he didn't disappoint! Here are Rick and our own Joel singing a lullaby to Coby - Rick's son.

   

And in the middle of this amazing concert, if you looked very carefully, you could find two Edot students playing - of all things - The Humash Game! "Am Yisrael Chai!" ("The Nation of Israel lives!")

 SHALOM V'L'HITRAOT

Edot Fair 2013

This past Tuesday and Wednesday our Edot students finally had the opportunity to share some of what they have learned about Jewish history and the Edot (Jewish Diaspora communities) at the Edot Fair.  This year we focused on the American, Polish/Russian, Indian, and Moroccan edot, so the foods, games, and arts&crafts booths all reflected the Jewish cultures which evolved over one to two millenia in these lands. Below are some sights and sounds of the Fair, which was attended by 3rd through 6th grade classes in the school.

A big thank you goes to all the Edot track parent volunteers who prepared the recipes, helped to staff the booths, and helped to costume the Edot students just before the Fair began each day. And, of course, it couldn't have happened without our energetic and enthusiastic Edot students.  YASHER KOACH TO ALL!

We opened the Fair with a skit which shared the circa 4,000-year history of the Jewish People and explained how the Edot originated.  (Tuesday)

If you're interested, check out the video above that Josh, my satellite teacher, took of the unfurling of the Jewish History Timeline the students made in class. (Wednesday)

As soon as the skit was over, we all went upstairs to the Beit Knesset where the food, arts&crafts, and game booths were set up.

You might choose to make a California Gold Rush era pouch, in which pioneer Jewish peddlers kept dried foods and hardtack for their long journeys.

Just weave the gold strand in and out of the holes, then draw the strand tight to make the pouch.

Or you might try making a wimpel, an early form of Ashkenazi (eastern European) folk art (we used sentence strips instead of cloth to keep things simple).

The wimpel was used as a Torah binder and kept in the synagogue for use on special occasions.

Try making a "Jeta de la Mezuzah"...

...a Moroccan Jewish mezuzah holder first used by Crypto-Jews who escaped to Morocco from Spain.

With 25 minutes for each visiting class, there would still be time left to try your hand at cutting out "Shvueslakh and Reyzelakh"...

...an art form which "...more than any other form of Jewish art, reflects the spirit and lore of the eastern European shtetl...." (Shadur, Jewish Papercuts, A History and Guide)

You'd still have time left to make a Bene Israel (Indian Jewish) hand print amulet.

This is definitely a "hands-on" project!

If you were feeling like a "Yeshiva bocher" (a Yeshiva boy), you could play the Polish "Humash Game."

And even if you didn't fit the "bocher" profile, you could still enjoy the game!

In the mood for a card game?  Try the "Eliyahu Ha'Navee" (Elijah the Prophet) game where luck rather than skill can win or lose the game for you.

The Bene Israel of India believed Elijah the Prophet rescued their ancestors from a shipwreck, and so venerate him. If you're holding the "Eliyahu Ha'navee" card, you win the most points!

Or maybe you like brainteasers?  Try the Yiddish Riddle Game.

Teams competed in answering riddles taken from the YIVO collection of eastern European Jewish children's riddles. (Yes, that's Josh posing the riddles - a real Yiddishe Mame!")

Feeling Hungry?  Try some Moroccan "Ririba Dilkoko" (coconut cookies) or Ghouribi (butter cookies), eastern European poppy seed cookies, mandelbrot, or lukshen kugel, American 1-2-3-4 cake, and/or Indian creamy coconut rice pudding.

At the end of the session each day, we brought the Fair to a close with T'fila in the Amphitheater. Here (almost) everyone is "dancing" with moves suggested by the children, as we sing "Mi Chamocha."

Children answered Rabbi Greninger's question, "Which activity did you enjoy most in your Religious School class this year?"

And, as always, we finished T'fila with the "Hashkeeveinu" prayer, arms around shoulders and swaying to the melody.

Our final day of Religious School is this coming Sunday - our "Spring Fling."  After a final lesson in the classroom at 10 a.m. (get ready for our end-of-the-year Shekel Game!!!), Rick Recht will perform for parents and students in the Sanctuary, followed by a barbeque complemented by a performance by our Isaiah Kleztones, games, a peek at what to expect at Camp Kefli this summer, and other activities. See you there!