HOMEWORK!! Sunday, November 16, 2014

Parents!

Your kids have homework this week!  Here is the link to the GoogleDoc worksheet!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B30gfYBvbYfGbUwyRzhZRE1zWFk/view?usp=sharing

As we move toward choosing a charity for our class tzedakah gift, I want to emphasize to the kids the importance of researching organizations to learn if they spend thier money wisely and to evaluate whether thier programs respond to the articulated needs of the communities they seek to help.  

The website,  Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/), evaluates charitable organizations and is a helpful resource for learning about organizations before donating. I want the students to visit the website, choose an organization that interests them, and then answer the questions on the worksheet.  They will be presenting thier findings to the class on Wednesday.

Thank you for all your help!  I appreciate you guys so much!  

Morah Mikey

Classroom Update!

To all you wonderful parents!

I want to update you on our curriculum and keep you up to date with what is happening in the classroom!

Our current curriculum is two-fold - divided into Wednesdays and Sundays.

Until we part for winter break, our Wednesdays are being spent discussing tzedakah.  We are following a curriculum developed by the American Jewish World Service called "Where Do You Give".  I chose this curriculum because 7th grade is an extremely transformative year during which your kids are transitioning into a life of Jewish adulthood and, thus, Jewish responsibility. I want the class to understand that very few people are born with the privilege that we enjoy.  With this privilege comes a great deal of responsibility and an obligation to fight for those people who are less equipped to fight for themselves.  At the root of tzedakah is tzedek - or justice - and I want the kids to be thinking about how their actions create a more just community and, thus, a more just world. Our tzedakah curriculum will culminate with a class-wide B'nai Mitzvah tzedakah gift. In addition, the kids will be making personal tzedakah boxes that will represent their own individual ideas of giving.  Once we are finished with our tzedakah curriculum we will begin our class Parsha Project.

Now to Sundays...on Sundays we have been talking about our Jewish history.  By the end of the semester we will be reaching the Holocaust and the entirety of next semester will be focused on studying WWII.  So far we have covered the Russian Jewish shtetl, the pogroms in Eastern Europe, and the resulting wave of Jewish immigration to the US.  Next week we begin talking about Zionism! Am yisrael chai!

In Hebrew we are plugging away at the prayers that begin our Torah service.  So far we have learned Ein Kamocha and Av HaRachamim.  By Thanksgiving we will be embarking on Brachot HaTorah - the blessings before and after the Torah reading . This is a big deal for our B'nai Mitzvah!

I have the pleasure of teaching your kids twice a week and I wish I could teach them more often.  Since I can't, in order for them to fully absorb the material, I rely on you, parents, to reinforce concepts and ideas at home.  Please dig.  Ask the kids what they are learning.  How does it relate to their everyday lives?  I want them to be thinking about this material as they walk through the rest of the week.  We are Jewish ALWAYS, not just in Hebrew school, and I want these kids to leave 7th grade and proceed forward with a Jewish identity that sticks and continues to shape their lives forever.

Have a happy week.  Shavuah Tov!
Mikey

Shakshuka

Shakshuka!

  

This is what we made with Chef Elliot during our cooking special on Sunday.  If you haven't had the pleasure of experiencing Jerusalem's dietary staple...here is the recipe just for you!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium brown or white onion, peeled and diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium green or red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cups ripe diced tomatoes, or 2 cans (14 oz. each) diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp chili powder (mild)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (or more to taste-- spicy!)
• Pinch of sugar (optional, to taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 5-6 eggs
• 1/2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Total Time: 30 - 40 Minutes

Servings: 5-6

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat a deep, large skillet or sauté pan on medium. Slowly warm olive oil in the pan. Add chopped onion, sauté for a few minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add garlic and continue to sauté till mixture is fragrant.
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  Add the bell pepper, sauté for 5-7 minutes over medium until softened.
  



Add tomatoes and tomato paste to pan, stir till blended. Add spices and sugar, stir well, and allow mixture to simmer over medium heat for 5-7 minutes till it starts to reduce. At this point, you can taste the mixture and spice it according to your preferences. Add salt and pepper to taste, more sugar for a sweeter sauce, or more cayenne pepper for a spicier shakshuka (be careful with the cayenne...).

Crack the eggs, one at a time, directly over the tomato mixture, making sure to space them evenly over the sauce. I usually place 4-5 eggs around the outer edge and 1 in the center. The eggs will cook "over easy" style on top of the tomato sauce.

 

• Cover the pan. Allow mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked and the sauce has slightly reduced. Keep an eye on the skillet to make sure that the sauce doesn't reduce too much, which can lead to burning.
• Some people prefer their shakshuka eggs more runny. If this is your preference, let the sauce reduce for a few minutes before cracking the eggs on top-- then, cover the pan and cook the eggs to taste.

• Garnish with the chopped parsley, if desired. Shakshuka can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. For breakfast, serve with warm crusty bread or pita that can be dipped into the sauce (if you’re gluten-intolerant or celebrating Passover, skip the bread). For dinner, serve with a green side salad for a light, easy meal.

B'tai Avon!