Weaving Tales and Baskets

This past Tuesday, our Edot class had the pleasure of having a special guest - Sophia - come to our class and share stories of her grandmother's life as a coffee farmer in Ethiopia. She shared, for example, the excitement she recalled of waking up and seeing the black and white colobus monkeys playing outside her window when she visited her grandmother. Sophia speaks Amharic, and was able to share with us that the word for a fast in Amharic is exactly the same as in Hebrew - "tzom." We had learned that Amharic and the ritual language of Ge'ez (used both by Jews and Christians) were Semitic languages, and this was certainly brought home by Sophia. Another example - the Amharic word for blessing is "beraka" and in Hebrew it's "b'racha." Sophia knew about the Beta Yisrael and the Sigd Festival, and we discovered that the foods they eat in Ethiopia, such as injera bread, 'wat' (stews) and dabo kolo snacks (which we'll be preparing  this coming week), were also eaten by the Beta Yisrael. Interestingly, Sophia shared that many Ethiopian men and women wear costumes similar to those worn by Yemenite men and women. Many scholars believe that the earliest members of the Beta Yisrael community came across the narrow stretch of the Red Sea from Yemen.

Our Edot students were able to share what they had learned about the Beta Yisrael with Sophia

Yesterday, the students were given the opportunity to weave baskets - very simple versions of those woven by the Beta Yisrael community to earn their livelihood. Weaving dried reeds that had to be constantly moistened to give them flexibility is not an easy task, but the students were persistent and a few actually completed their baskets. Since most didn't, we'll continue this activity in a couple of weeks, after our Sigd Festival.

First, eleven reed spokes had to be anchored to the wooden base of the basket

Then longer pieces of reed were woven in and out of the spokes

It wasn't as easy as it sounds, and a helping  hand from Josh or a TA was very welcome

Everyone found a comfortable position in which to hold the basket while weaving

You had to focus on keeping track of the spokes and not weaving them by mistake into the pattern

Each basket took on its own shape - some students became so involved in weaving, that they didn't realize the session had ended

A few students wished they could weave the baskets all day

The most important lesson learned during the activity, was how hard it must have been for the basket weavers in the Beta Yisrael community to weave all day, in order to earn the little they could from tourists and other Ethiopian people. The baskets they wove are beautiful - indeed, many are works of art. Now our Edot students can truly appreciate the skill and intense focus needed to produce just one basket.

Macaronim Kokos MiHodoo (Coconut Macaroons from India)

Our Hebrew cooking elective hopped over to the Indian sub-continent this week, to prepare a popular treat enjoyed by the Bene Israel Jews of the Kerala district of India. The recipe is very simple to prepare, and the resulting macaroons are chewy and delicious.

Put the flour, salt, and coconut into the large bowl (la'seem et ha'kemach, melach, v'kokos l'toch ha'ke'ara ha'g'dola) and stir them together (v'l'arbev otam be'yachad).

Then add in the vanilla and the sweetened condensed milk (az l'hoseef et ha'vaneel v'et ha'chalav matok u'm'rookaz). Interestingly, not one student in either session had ever seen or tasted condensed milk before!

Are you sure it's milk?

It's sweet and thick - yum!

Now stir it all together with the spoon  (achshav, l'arbev et ha'kol be'yachad eem ha'kapeet).

L'arbev eem ha'yadayeem (mix with the hands)...

Somebody help me get it off my hands! (Did we mention that the dough was VERY STICKY?!)

l'galgel et ha'batzek (roll the dough) into golf ball-sized macaroons...

...v'la'seem otam al ha'tavneet (and put them on the cookie sheet)

Maybe we can get enough dough off our fingers to make one more macaroon!

U'va'sof l'nakot (and finally, clean up)

When I shared that we would be preparing macaroons at the start of class, several students asked if they would be like the ones we buy in cans for Passover.  If that was the case, they wouldn't like them. Thankfully, these macaroons are much tastier (and chewier) than the canned ones.

Once we had finished cleaning up, and while the macaroons were baking in the oven, I reviewed the laws of kashroot that I had introduced to the students last week. Then I read the ingredients of two recipes which were borrowed by Jews in Poland and Germany, and asked the students to let me know if they heard me say any ingredients which would render the recipe unkosher. I also asked them to provide a substitute for the unkosher ingredient(s). One recipe was for a Polish potato soup; the other for wienerschnitzel. We learned that eastern Europeans almost always made a base of chicken or meat stock for their vegetarian soups, and always added in cheese for taste. And even though wienerschnitzel is made of chopped veal, chopped ham was always added into the recipe. We'll go over some more "original" recipes which had to be altered by Jews to make them kosher next session.

"One String Braided with Others is Strong Enough to Tie Down a Lion"

This past week, our Edot students focused their attention on proverbs - specifically, those of the Beta Yisrael. We reviewed how proverbs are statements using symbols meant to teach a life lesson. Every culture has its own proverbs, and the symbols used in those proverbs come from the environment in which the people using the proverb live. Thus, the proverb in the title of my post reflects the African environment of the Beta Yisrael.

Once the students became familiar with several proverbs, I divided each session into 4 groups, each of which was assigned a specific proverb. Their mission was to determine what the lesson was that the proverb was trying to teach, and which symbols it used to convey its lesson. Once this was accomplished (using a worksheet I designed), I asked the members of each group to imagine they are members of the Beta Yisrael still living in Ethiopia. They were then asked to make up a short skit in which the action leads up to one of the characters in the skit having to say the group's assigned proverb.  These skits will be performed by the students during our upcoming Sigd Festival. I've just been typing up the skits, and am so impressed with how each group went to the heart of the lesson, and created situations and conflicts reflecting their understanding of the lesson being taught.

Ideas were thrown back and forth, then put to paper with the guidance of a TA or teacher working with each group - here, Michael is working with the boys

Each group chose a recorder  - thank goodness they all had legible handwriting to make my job easier typing them up!

Every member of each group had a chance to contribute their ideas

Once the groups completed their skits yesterday, it was time to move over to our second classroom where Joel was ready to teach us how to play the African and Yemenite drums that we'll be playing in drum circles during our Sigd Festival. 

Tilt the djembay (African drum) away from you to get better wrist action.

If you're right-handed, hold the doombek (Yemenite drum) on your left thigh; vice-versa if you're left-handed. 

When Joel says, "Doom" hit the center of the drum with the palm of your hand...

...when he says "Tek" hit the edge of the drum with your fingers.

We have 3 doombeks and one djembay in our classroom, so everyone at each table had a chance (for at least 30 seconds each!) to practice drumming

And while they waited for their turn, some practiced on the table

We then all sang "Al Tir'uni" from the Song of Songs, as the drummers sounded the beat of the song.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW AS SOON AS YOU CAN - HOPEFULLY NOT LATER THAN OCTOBER 28TH - IF YOUR CHILD CAN JOIN US FOR THE SIGD FESTIVAL. IT'S JUST TWO WEEKS AWAY!

Oogat Meshotet (Hermit Bars)

We've finally caught up in our Hebrew cooking elective with the final holiday of the month of Tishrei - Simchat Torah. This week we baked what is known in Israel as "Oogat Meshotet" (literally, the loner's cake). It's closely associated with Simchat Torah, and is featured in Israeli bakeries in time for the holiday, because an important ingredient is 613 pomegranate seeds or raisins, representing the 613 commandments in the Torah. Last week, I asked the students to raise their hands if they liked raisins, and only a few hands went up. We already used pomegranate seeds in the fruit salad we made last week, so I decided to "adapt" the recipe for our American taste buds. I substituted tiny semi-sweet chocolate chips for the pomegranate seeds. Lazy me - I opted to measure half a cup of the chips for each group instead of counting 613 for each table, but I explained the symbolism to the class and all agreed that chocolate chips (+/- 613) would make them think of the commandments as they enjoyed the final result.

As always, we began with "leerchotz yadayeem eem sabon" (wash hands with soap)

Leeshpoch et sheva ha'markeeveem al ha'shoolchan l'toch ha'ke'ara (pour the 7 ingredients on the table into the bowl)

Sheva ha'markeeveem al ha'shoolchan: kemach lavan v'kemach choom; beitza; d'vash; shemen; sookar choom, v'keesameem shokolad (the 7 ingredients on the table: white flour and "brown" (whole wheat) flour; egg; honey; oil; brown sugar; and chocolate chips

Achshav, l'arbev et kol ha'markeeveem ba'ke'ara b'yachad (Now, stir all the ingredients in the bowl together)

For some reason, spatulas don't stir as well as spoons...

...and fingers work even better than spoons!

Achshav, l'hoseef et shloshet ha'markeeveem ha'achroneem l'toch ha'ke'ara (Now, add in the final 3 ingredients into the bowl) - zangveel (ginger), keenamon (cinnamon), v'soda l'afa (baking soda)

l'arbev et ha'kol pa'am achrona (stir everything one last time)...

...v'la'seem et ha'batzek ba'machavat - l'chasot et kol tachteet ha'machavat (and put the dough in the baking pan - cover all the bottom of the pan)

U'va'sof, la'seem et ha'machavat ba'tanoor l'chatzi sha'a (And finally, put the baking pan in the oven for half an hour)

l'nakot et ha'shoolchan (clean the table)

v'lashevet leelmod mitzvot ha'kashroot (and sit to learn the laws of kashroot).

As noted above, I shared some of basic laws of keeping kosher with both classes this week. Now that the children know some of the basic laws, I asked them to think about what they are eating at home or when they eat out. It's OK if they and their families don't keep kosher - I told them it's a personal decision - but to make them more aware of the laws, I asked them to try to take note of what would conform to the laws we discussed, and what wouldn't. I'm also going to be sharing original recipes of some "Jewish" foods from around the world - the recipes used by non-Jews in the cultures which originated the recipes - and ask the students to note down the ingredients that would need to be substituted in order to make the final product kosher.

Shoulder Dances, Drum Circles, and Tikkun Olam

During our past weekday sessions, I introduced the class to the State of Israel's newest national holiday (as of 2008) - the Sigd Festival. We briefly reviewed the differences between the Beta Yisrael rituals and those of Rabbinic Judaism, including the holidays observed by both. Since Beta Yisrael separated from the larger Judean community before the Babylonian Exile, they had no knowledge of the Purim and Hanuka holidays. On the other hand, they developed their own unique holiday, known as Sigd. I introduced this holiday by sharing a YouTube video of a Sigd Festival held in Israel in 2009. What was particularly moving to me in this video was that as you watch these relatively new Jewish immigrants to Israel observing this special day on their calendar, you can hear a song being sung in the background by an Israeli group called "The High Windows." (6:07 minutes into the video)  They are singing "Eyfo Avraham Aveenu?" ("Where is Abraham our Father?"). The song names the common ancestors of all Jews - of all the Edot - and asks what has become of them. The answer is in front of our eyes as we watch the Beta Yisrael and Israelis from other parts of the world joining them in Jerusalem, learning about the Beta Yisrael culture and history, and praying together. We are Abraham and Joseph, Rachel and Moses. We may not look the same or follow similar customs, but we are returning to Israel and are becoming one again.

Once the students were familiar with what the Sigd Festival was all about, I announced that on Sunday morning, November 3rd, during second session, all the Edot students will be re-enacting a Sigd Festival on our Isaiah campus. (Be sure to look for the letter I've sent to parents with details about the day! You should be getting it by e-mail on Tuesday or Wednesday of this coming week.) We'll "climb the mountain" up from Risa Road to the lawn outside the Sanctuary, then read from the Book of Nehemiah and celebrate as the Beta Yisrael do - with shoulder dances and drum circles. We'll greet each other with Amharic and Ge'ez greetings, and sing the songs Joel Siegel has been teaching us. And we'll taste the breads and sweet dough treats the Beta Yisrael have eaten during the festival for centuries.

Here are two more videos I shared with the students, to get us all into the mood:  Drum Circle and Shoulder Dance . It's hard to sit still while listening to the beats and music and watching the dance. Have fun at home practicing the shoulder dance! We're sure to have fun at our Sigd Festival.

Yesterday, we took a break from our Beta Yisrael unit of study, to participate in the 5th/6th grade Mitzvah Project. All three tracks - Edot, Shira, and Y'tzira - gathered together in the Beit Knesset to watch a presentation about Wardrobe for Opportunity. Following the presentation and instructions about how to sort donated clothing, we all worked together to help effect "Tikkun Olam."

Wendy Dorband introduced the two videos she brought to share; each video focused on one client of WFO who was able to achieve success thanks to the help received from the organization's "Pathways" program (teaching social skills and interviewing skills) as well as from the five outfits they received to help open doorways to interviews and jobs.

Debra Kalan shared stories of WFO clients who had no confidence in themselves when they were referred to WFO, and who came back later to share how wonderfully their lives had changed thanks to the help they received.

Where did the clothes and accessories that we sorted come from?  A big thank you goes to everyone who donated suits, dresses, shirts, ties, etc. for us to sort.

Lots and lots of clothing!

If a piece of clothing wasn't appropriate for interviewing, it might be sold in the hospice thrift shop if it was clean and in good condition; or it might be sent to Africa where it could be mended and cleaned for use by the needy there.

Interview-appropriate clothing was hung on hangers and kept on the portable clothes rack

Donated jewelry was closely examined for its condition and style

Clothing for the hospice thrift shop was packed in white plastic bags; clothing for Africa was packed in black plastic bags

Nothing was sorted without a good deal of discussion first

There was even time to model some of the clothing...

...Looking good!

Just before the activity (first session) and just after it (second session), our Edot students were introduced to "Rambam's Rungs," learning about the best and worst ways of fulfilling the commandment to create a just world by giving things to needy people (i.e. tz'daka).

I asked the students to read through 8 different ways of giving tz'daka which Rambam (a/k/a Maimonides) described in his "Mishne Torah" and then to decide which was the best way to give, and which was the worst.

"Yeah, I give tz'daka - it's a real drag and I hate doing it..."  We all agreed that was the worst way of giving. "It's nice to give things to needy people, but I prefer to teach them skills so they can go out and become contributing members of society."  We agreed that was the best way.

Thank you to Wendy, Debra, Bobbi, and Elaine from WFO (all of them members of our Isaiah community!), who took the time to come yesterday to share with us how important their organization is to so many people, and to give us all the opportunity to help bring about a just world.  We were able to give our time and skills toward helping people become contributing members of society - the highest form of giving, according to Rambam!  YASHER KO'ACH to WFO.