Oh, What a Celebratory Morning!

January 26 was a day filled with celebrations! Religious School was jam-packed with activities, and everyone was wearing smiles all morning (grown-ups, too!).

The Pre-K class, in which the students had morphed into the three little pigs, was happily building and story-telling during class time.

Grades K-3 have been learning about values, and last week’s class was devoted to learning the importance of caring for the sick. Students constructed beautiful get well cards to cheer up their loved ones who may be feeling under the weather.

Lifecycle rituals have been the topic of conversation in the fourth and fifth grade class, and students have been learning about wedding ceremonies for the last few weeks. All their learning culminated in not one, but two big wedding celebrations! Lisa and Tom renewed their vows (21 years later) in a “Beth Adam” ceremony, and two students volunteered to reenact a traditional ceremony. The students prepared ketubot (Jewish wedding documents – one modern and one traditional) and a chuppah (marriage canopy) for the wedding couples, glasses were broken, and everyone partied it up at the reception with some cake and some fun.

 The sixth and seventh graders have been learning Jewish history, and in class discussed the cultural differences between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews. What better way to learn this than through food! Everyone had fun making (and eating) charoset using an Ashkenazi and a Sephardic recipe. The verdict: they were both delicious!

The teens also enjoyed learning through food last week during a visit with one of the chaverim (friends from Israel). After making authentic Israeli hummus, students discussed current cultural and political happenings in Israel, including everything from where young people go dancing on Shabbat in Israel to how people in Israel feel about the current conflict in Syria and how Israel is responding.

What a morning!