Trees by Howard Nemerov

Trees

To be a giant and keep quiet about it,
To stay in one's own place;
To stand for the constant presence of process
And always to seem the same;
To be steady as a rock and always trembling,
Having the hard appearance of death
With the soft, fluent nature of growth,
One's Being deceptively armored,
One's Becoming deceptively vulnerable;
To be so tough, and take the light so well,
Freely providing forbidden knowledge
Of so many things about heaven and earth
For which we should otherwise have no word -----

Poems or people are rarely so lovely,
And even when they have great qualities
They tend to tell you rather than exemplify
What they believe themselves to be about,
While from the moving silence of trees,
Whether in storm or calm, in leaf and naked,
Night and day, we draw conclusions of our own,
Sustaining and unnoticed as our breath
And perilous also--though there has never been
A critical tree---about the nature of things.

Howard Nemerov

Sunday, February 8

Hello Parents!

Today, in Hebrew, we played dominoes!  This activity was meant to help the kids review our prayer vocabulary before we move into our next unit (Brachot HaTorah). On one end of each domino was a Hebrew word and on the other was an English meaning.  The class had to work as a team to create a chain of dominoes, matching the Hebrew word to its English equivalent. They did a great job and we are now ready to move forward.  This Wednesday, Kitah Zayin is going to meet with the Rabbi to review our processional prayers and put them into practice.  The class has expressed anxiety about carrying the Torah through the sanctuary so they will each get a chance to practice processing the Torah.  I hope this will relieve some worry.  

In Judaics, this week, we took a break from our Holocaust curriculum to celebrate Tu B'Shevat.  Together, we read Trees by Jewish Poet Laureate, Howard Nemerov.  We meditated on the message  and everyone had a chance to share some insight.  Then we played Tree-vial Pursuit.  During the game, the class had a chance to read passages from the Tanakh and Torah about each of the seven species.  They learned the correct prayers to say when eating each and then had the opportunity to taste all seven.  The kids loved the pomegranate seeds but steered clear of the figs and dates.  It was neat to see them try something new.  

We did not have cooking today, as was scheduled, because Chef Elliot was home with a sick baby.  Instead, we took the last twenty minutes of class outside.  We played Gaga together and the day ended on a positive and energetic note.  

Remember that we DO NOT have Hebrew School next Sunday! 

SAVE THE DATE! Saturday, February 28th, TeenConnect is going to SkyZone! 

See everybody Wednesday!

Mikey

Sunday, February 1

This Superbowl Sunday was full of action in Kitah Zayin!

We talked about propaganda.  What is it?  How does it work? What is its purpose? In pairs, the kids had the opportunity to look at and discuss examples of Nazi propaganda.  Together, they came to understand how Hitler used propaganda to create an environment of fear and distrust in Germany during the 1930s. They ended class looking deeper into our modern world and identifying current examples of propaganda.

Sunday's special was art with Morah Sonya.  In art, the kids have been working on Peter Max inspired judaica paintings.  For those of you are not familiar with Peter Max, he is the artist who created the Beatles' Yellow Submarine album cover!  These painting will hang in the religious school lobby until the end of the year.  Then they are all yours!  They look great!

The kids have homework this week...and will every Sunday from now on! This week's assignment is to read chapter one of Maus: A Survivor's Tale.

Tu B'Shevat Sameach l'Kulam!
Mikey

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

Chanukah House Photos!

Ezra, Eliyahu, and the Yitzhaks.  What a team!  

Kulam b'yachad.  My favorite class. 

Yehudit showed huge talent in cookie house design.

Eliyahu found the food coloring...

A Chanukah Sukkah!

Lili and Shmoosh got creative with some extra special ingredients. 

The Kitah Zayin B'nai Mitzvah Gift

Shalom Kitah Zayin Parents! 

Happy Chanukah to all! I hope your winter break has been relaxing and regenerative!  

Now that the holidays have passed and there is a minute to breath, I want to send an email updating everyone on the status and details of our class B'nai Mitzvah project.  

As you know, we have been spending our Wednesdays critically examining the Jewish value of tzedakah.  To do this, we have been following the American Jewish World Service's "Where Do You Give? A Tzedakah Curriculum".  "Where Do You Give?" provides the class the tools to think about giving tzedakah in a thoughtful, responsible, and impactful way.  It has been my goal to inspire this year's 7th grade class to make life-long commitments to giving in the pursuit of social justice.

As the culmination of our tzedakah unit, Kitah Zayin has chosen to make a class donation to Special Olympics Maryland (http://www.somd.org/).  

In addition to the money that the kids are raising in our class tzedakah box, we are offering an additional and optional tzedakah project for your families.  If you would like to take part, instead of giving an individual B'nai Mitzvah gift at each class Bat or Bar Mitzvah, send a "lump sum" check to Oseh Shalom. These checks will be put into our class tzedakah account and the money will be presented to Special Olympics Maryland as a group gift from all the 7th grade families.

Please give according to how much you are comfortable.  Giving tzedakah is a very personal act and one that should be made from the heart and with joy.  I strongly encourage you to include your 7th graders when deciding how much to give. The giving will be confidential.

Here is how it will work:

1) Please send in a check made out to Oseh Shalom in whatever amount you choose. This "lump sum" will take the place of giving individual Bat/Bar Mitzvah gifts to each student.

2) Every time your student attends a classmate's Bar or Bat Mitzvah, please have your student create a special card for that classmate that states that "a gift as been given in honor of your Bar/Bat Mitzvah to Special Olympics Maryland as part of the 7th grade B'nai Mitzvah gift."

3) The deadline for checks will be Sunday, March 29th. This will give the class enough time to prepare and present our gift before the end of the year.

As always, if you have any questions at all, please feel free to email me!

B’Shalom,

Morah Mikey