Sunday, January 25

Shalom Chaverim! Can you believe that it is already the end of January?! Time is really flying.

We are moving right along in our Holocaust curriculum.  We have spent the last two weeks talking about prejudice and antisemitism.  What drives intolerance? Yesterday, as part of this conversation, we learned about the Not In Our Town movement (https://www.niot.org/about).  Not In Our Town began in Billings, Montana in the early 1990's when incidents of harassment and violence against minority groups were becoming prevalent.  Tombstones in the Jewish cemetery were overturned, the home of a Native American family was tagged with swastikas, members of an African-American church were intimidated, and bricks were thrown through homes that displayed menorahs during Chanukah. Rather than accept what was happening in their community, neighbors rallied to take a stand against hate.  The town came together in support of the victims.   Those who were not targets became allies for those who were.  Actions taken by the people of Billings became  a model for other communities around the country who also spoke out against hate.  Thus the Not in Our Town movement was begun as a way to build safe, inclusive communities.

We talked about this modern movement in addition to listening to survivor testimonies.  We compared stories and analyzed the commonalities.  I want the class to understand that the fight against intolerance is an ongoing struggle, and one that is reoccurring in the Jewish narrative.  I want the kids to move forward with the acknowledgement that they can use their voices to become allies for those who are being treated unjustly and to stop hate and intolerance before they become pervasive.

Next Sunday we are going to explore the concept of propaganda.  We will begin to study Nazi propaganda in order to analyze the source of European anti-semitism during the Holocaust.

This week in Hebrew, we learned the prayer Baruch Shenatan - a prayer to help us thank Gd for Torah.  We learned the root: kuf, dalet, shin, which means holy or set apart.  It appears that everyone in class is comfortable with the recitation of the prayer.  Next week we are moving onto the prayers for the procession of the Torah.  In two weeks we will begin learning Torah blessings!

Sunday, January 11

We're back and with a new semester comes a new unit!  Starting last week we began our study of the Holocaust. We are loosely following a brilliant and very extensive curriculum called Echos and Reflections.  This curriculum was developed through a partnership between the Anti-Defamation League, the USC Shoah Foundation, and Yad Vashem.

The Holocaust is not an easy topic to teach.  I promise to stay sensitive to the needs of your kids and to do my best to maintain a safe learning environment in which they feel comfortable and uplifted. Because of the intensity of subject matter, I want to encourage you, the parent, to give the kids an outlet at home by inviting conversations.  If you need any extra information to help spark a dialogue, feel free to ask!

Last week, as an introduction, we talked about catastrophe.  What is a human catastrophe?  What does genocide mean?  How do these words apply to our conception of the Holocaust? By exploring these terms together, we began to develop a common vocabulary for studying the event. This lesson was meant to provide our class with an opportunity to discuss the importance of studying all human catastrophes and, most specifically, the Holocaust.

Today we focused on the idea of stereotyping.  What is a stereotype?  Why are stereotypes dangerous?  How can stereotypes lead to antisemitism and other forms of prejudice?  Everyone in class had a lot to add.  It was very clear that each 7th grader has experienced stereotyping at one time or another. We watched several survivor testimonies that discussed the rise of antisemitism and stereotyping in Germany.  At the close of class, the kids were able to recognize that the propagation of even the smallest prejudices can have immense effects on how people relate to one another.

As part of our Holocaust unit, we are going to be reading Maus: A Survivor's Tale.  The kids seem excited to start the book!  This reading will be done outside of class, as homework.  Because many of the kids own Maus already, the Religious School is not going to purchase books for the class.  Everyone will need a copy.  Feel free to purchase a copy OR check the book out from the public library! Please make sure that your student brings the book to class on January 25th!  If there is any problem, let me know! We will work something out. 

Now for a quick change of pace.  The class is moving right along in Hebrew. Currently, our focus is the Saturday Morning Torah Service. Not only do I want everyone in class to be familiar with prayer recitation but I also want each student to have an understanding of when and why we say these prayers.  As we learn, we are reenacting each corresponding part of the Torah Service (ie: opening the ark, removing the scrolls, parading the scrolls etc.)  By the end of February, I want everyone to be 100% comfortable with the Torah service from start to finish. 

Shavuah Tov L'Kulam!

Morah Mikey