As a Jewish educator, keeping Jewish learning alive has been a priority. Early in my career, I taught two-year-old children and I wanted to find a way to engage them in learning about Jewish holidays and traditions. I was familiar with secular rhymes and finger plays and saw how they…
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What is your favorite fruit for the Sukkah? An apple? A watermelon?
Five days after Yom Kippur, Sukkot begins. It is a fall harvest holiday which dates back to the time of Moses. While wandering in the desert, the Jewish people built temporary huts. Upon reaching the land of Israel, they became farmers. At harvest time, they built little huts near their…
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How the children in my classroom inspired me to write Sammy Spider’s First Simchat Torah
Our Rabbi’s, past and present, have taught us the importance of being a part of the community and have admonished us by saying, “Don’t separate yourself from the community.” Embodied within the Torah are values which teach us how to treat others. Several years ago at Simchat Torah, I showed…
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“Sorry is the word we use to show how much we care” Yom Kippur Observance for Children and Families
Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. It is a day on which adults fast and pray. We ask God to forgive us and we apologize to those we have wronged during the past year. At the end of Yom Kippur services, the…
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Shavuot for Children, Parents & Teachers
Shavuot is celebrated seven weeks after Passover, usually in late May or early June when the wheat harvest ripens. Shavuot which means “weeks” is also known as the “Festival of First Fruits.” In biblical times, farmers brought bread baked from the spring wheat harvest to the Temple in Jerusalem as…
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LAG B’OMER CELEBRATIONS with STUDY GUIDES FOR “A HOLIDAY FOR ARI ANT”
Lag B’Omer The 49 days between the second day of Passover and the holiday of Shavuot are called the Omer. This period is a time of mourning whose origins are unclear and as a result many do not observe this mourning period. Marriages and public celebrations are forbidden during this…
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