Sunday Snapshot

Morah Levinson's Hebrew Class

Dear 4th, 5th and 6th grade Parents,

We had a great week in Religious School! 

On Sunday we practiced just a little bit more for our Shabbat dinner and service on November 7th. The kids sound great and are very prepared. Please don't forget to rsvp to Allison for this special event. 

The rest of the day on Sunday as well as on Tuesday, we went back to our normal routine of dividing the students into their reading groups. Together with Morah Edna and Morah Aliza, we practiced our reading, letter and vowel recognition through games and using flash cards.  We have been using a wonderful book called "Hasefer" ("The Book") in our reading groups, and the students seem to find its format easy to follow and understand. They are really enjoying working in small groups, and are making wonderful progress.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact or approach me at any time. It is my goal to make our school year together as positive and productive as possible. Thank you for sharing your fantastic kids with me!

B'shalom,

Dona Levinson

Kitah Aleph Update

Dear Parents, 

 We've had another wonderful week at Religious School, t We learned the letter Hay. Students learned how to write the letter and we learned the word Havdallah and learned that is how we say goodbye to Shabbat. The students also learned about the braided candle, spices and wine.

We worked on word building and your children were reading two letter words. As they learn more letters and vowels we will add a letter and they will read three letter words eventually leading to reading sentences. On page 47 of their Alef Bet book, I asked the students to color a picture after listening to about 7 sentences that I read them...They were simple sentences like Teacher is in the house, The boy is in the school, girl in the school, Pencil on the table etc. I have attached photos of some of the students drawings so you could see how well they understood the assignment. Each student had the opportunity to read and write words and letters and it is amazing how well they did!

On Tuesday, we read about Joseph and his brothers. Jacob gave Joseph a coat of many colors, and the brothers were jealous. Joseph told his brothers about his dreams. The brothers threw Joseph into a pit and got rid of Joseph by giving him to people who were going far away to Egypt. The children colored and decorated a coat like Joseph's father gave him. They used their imagination and created beautiful coats. You can see their drawings on page 25 of the Torah workbook.

We will continue adding on new words each work and review the ones we have learned previously. The student previously. The students are growing each week and understanding more and more as they are learning new words.

Have a great rest of the week!

Thank you,
Lisa Dresner Wais

7th Grade - No Place for Hate

Dear 7^th Grade Families,

This past week our learners have been delving into the concept of B’tzelem Elokim. What does it mean that we are all created in G-d’s image, and what implications does this have on our everyday lives? In accordance with this concept we had Harry Weaver, Director of Education for the Anti-Defamation League, come in and talk to our class about racism, discrimination and bullying. We decided that we will be taking part in an ADL initiative called “No Place for Hate” which requires us to create three projects throughout the year that address inter-personal societal issues. A lot of class time this week was dedicated to our first project, in which the students created videos to show how hate has negative consequences. The videos are all extremely creative and some are actually quite amusing. We will be editing the clips and making an anti-hate public service announcement.

The t’fillah component of our unit included delving into the shema, connecting this prayer to the idea of unity between all people. We closed our eyes and visualized the connection between us and the people sitting next to us, then expanded outward to our family, friends, community, country… eventually picturing the entire world united.

We look forward to next week when we will be putting the final touches on our anti-hate video and discussing our next two projects. We will also conclude our B’tzelem Elokim unit to be followed by Tzar Ba’alei Chayim – the Jewish value of the ethical treatment of animals.

May you all have a great weekend and a Shabbat Shalom.

Kitah Bet Update

Dear Parents,

Yesterday your child brought home  some homework to complete with you. This is reading for Lesson 2. Please read this with them and return it to me. If you have not done Lesson 1 with them, please do this also. We started lesson 3 in or "ivrit"( Hebrew) reading books yesterday, learning three new letters. We will finish this on Sunday. Your kids were engaged in our reading activities yesterday and we accomplished a lot .

We finished up our "Noah" learning  yesterday. I believe your children can share with you a lot about the story of Noah. Ask them to retell the story to you and you can ask why Noah was chosen to build the ark and save the animals. They may tell you that Noah was a righteous man. We discussed that being righteous is a good character trait to have. 

This Sunday we will begin learning about the Havdallah service by creating a Havdallah set. This will be done with our artist Gail Kaplan and you  are encouraged to come and participate in this experiential learning with your child. It will begin at 9:40 and last about an hour. I hope that you are able to be there. Over the next month we will be learning the Havdallah brachot and be able to lead the havdallah service on Saturday, November 22. More information about this will be forthcoming.

We missed Sari yesterday. I hope to see everyone on Sunday.

Davida Robinson

6th Grade Holidays

Dear 6th Grade Parents,

This week we discussed the concept of הידור מצווה (Hiddur Mitzvah) which we define as enhancing our performance of a mitzvah (a divine commandment). We also spoke about the upcoming Torah portion
 פרשה וירא (Parsha Vayeira) which literally means "and he appeared". We spoke about where we get the names of our weekly Torah portions. Then we studied the text of this particular Torah portion as it will be the Torah portion we read in 2 weeks when Shaarey Zedek will be celebrating TGIS (Thank G-d It's Shabbat). 

We ended our class session by making the foundations of center pieces which we will be using for the upcoming TGIS Shabbat dinner. In making these center pieces we are enhancing our upcoming community Shabbat celebration or performing a הידור מצווה.

We hope you and your family will be able to join us for this special Shabbat service and diner so that you can see your children's creative and beautiful centerpieces and participation and leadership in the Shabbat rituals.  

Best, 

Morah Hollenberg

Morah Schlussel Hebrew Update

Dear Parents,

This past week we were on  our regular schedule.

We began the day with Teffilah on Sunday and Tuesday with Cantor Gutman. He will be giving  us CDs next week with some of the  new tunes that we are beginning to learn  for  many of the prayers that we are familiar with.

On Sunday in our 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, we continued to review the prayers that we will be leading at the TGIS program that is on Friday, November 7, 2014. Don't forget to RSVP for the event by November 3.

On Tuesday, the 4th grade  worked on pages 6,7, and 8  in our Kol Yisrael book. I send home a sheet with the "Modeh Ani" prayer . Please make sure your children practice reading the prayer. I know they all know how to sing it. I am more interested in having them actually read it accurately.

The 5th and 6th grade continued with page 16 in the Kol Yisrael book.  They are becoming better at recogonizing the "Tzade" and the "Ayin" and the different sounds they make.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday.

                                                                      Toby Schlussel

Kitah Hey Update

Dear Parents,

This past week our matriarch, Sarai, greeted the children in our Torah class. She told the learners about her and her husbands, Avram's story (Parshat Lech Lecha) about having faith in God and journeying into the Land of Canaan (Israel). They committed to leaving their community, who practiced idol worship. Avram and Sarai started a new life as monotheist, committed to believing in one God.

Sarai told the kids about her getting older and not having any children, as of yet. How she was jealous and upset with her maidservant, Hagar.  Avram wanted to live in harmony with his nephew Lot and therefore compromised to do so. Both her and Avram agreed to a Covenant with God, thus beginning a new life, starting with new names, Sarah and Abraham.

In our discussion in class I asked how can we communicate with God? Some of the kids answers were;   "saying Prayers and wishing", "saying prayers in our heart", "God hears our voices through Prayer, Mitzvot, talking & even thinking".  The kids also made their own Covenant with God. Listing things that they would like God to do for them and what they think God wants them to do.

I am excited to introduce our next Unit. Shabbat and Friday night Table prep. Our class will learn the Mitzvot, history, meaning behind the Shabbbat table rituals. We will be exploring the following rituals:

Kiddush

Candle Lighting

Separating and baking Challah

Challah at the Shabbat table

Hand washing

Birkat HaMazon

 We will cap off the Unit with a project, Shabbat Boxes for those in need. This will take place right before Chanukah and will be a wonderful culmination of our continuing studies of Jewish Values.
Looking forward to an exciting semester ahead! Cillia Kleiman

Morah Katz Hebrew Update

Dear 4-6th Grade Families-

We are back in our Hebrew reading groups and having fun learning Hebrew. My groups got to play basketball, ״read the teacher's mind" and timed reading games.  Ask your student to share the rules of each game with you, we had a blast!

We will continue to prepare for our family Friday night service and dinner happening next Friday at 5:30ish.  We are looking forward to seeing everyone and sharing a memorable service and Friday evening with you.

Shabbat Shalom!

Donna Katz

TELLING STORIES OR STORYTELLING

Why do we tell stories?  The students in our 4th grade core class are learning the importance of telling stories, and listening and learning stories as well.  They unanimously decided that we tell stories to teach a lesson, share history, and to let others know about something that happened. They all agreed that they like to hear and tell stories, and sometimes they believe them, and sometimes they don’t.   Such is the case with the Torah.  This week we learned about the two creation stories presented in the Torah.  There is the story of GOD creating man and woman, placing them in the Garden of Eden, and telling them to rule over everything.  We then identified another look at Creation.  GOD takes the dust of the earth, molds it into a man, and tells the man he needs a partner.  GOD creates the partner from a rib of man, and tells the man; take care of all I created. Students were given the opportunity to read the original text from the Torah and tried to figure out which story they believed.  

Our discussions sent us in a multitude of ways, and it was quite interesting to see our students trying to make sense of both stories.  Our take away moment was when it was decided that both stories are true, we are partners and rulers of the world, and it is up to us to behave in the image of GOD, doing what is right and just at all times.  Please ask you students what story they think is most accurate, and for an interesting discussion, ask them why GOD put both stories in the Torah. The discussion will continue on Sunday in class.  

During our Tueday afternoon Mitzvot and Middot discussions we talked about doing the right thing even when everyone else is doing the wrong thing.  We introduced the core basic value, Derech Eretz, literally translated as "law of the land."  We talked about taking things that did not belong to us, and the difference between rightfully ours, entitlement and stealing.  Please ask you child to share these ideas with you, and have them share the concept of what is yours is yours, and what is yours is mine. We had a very interesting debate.  Our discussions continue next week.  

Angry Birds - Kosher Style

Hello all!

It was good to be back and see the kiddos. Sorry I missed last week, but my son thought that it was a good idea to Peter Pan off of the choir bleachers and split his head open. Win some; lose some….

Alas, we are all stitched up and back to the grind. 

A few housekeeping items:

1) NO FOOD OR CANDY OR DRINK is supposed to go into the religious school.  Please tell your child to finish his or her hot cocoa and food before going downstairs.  We have this beautiful new carpet and every week I am cleaning up wrappers and spills. Thanks.

2) Please RSVP for November 7, Friday night dinner and learning and services.  We are hoping to pack the house and it is a great evening planned.  Allison has all details. 

Because of timing, we have split mifgash (our welcoming rituals) into two parts.  The kids come for a quick little talk and then head to Hebrew and then come back for our activity and class.  Sunday we spoke about Noah, the parsha for the Saturday before, and we talked about how Noah was considered "a righteous man for his time."  We talked about what that meant.  The kids had some great ideas for why the rabbis did not just call him a righteous man.  Someone said "because he did not talk to God."  We spun that a bit and discussed that he did not WRESTLE with God. God told him he was going to destroy the world and to build a ship, and Noah was "like … ok."  He did what he was told, but his relationship with God did not allow him to discuss, finagle, argue, like Abraham or Moses did. We are about to read the Sodom and Gemorah story (abridged, of course), and the kids will see first hand how Abraham negotiates with God to save lives. Part of our mantra in the morning is that we strike a wrestlers pose, because we wrestle with God. Jews don't lie down and submit, our relationship with our God and our religion is one of action and we are integral players in our relationship with God. 

I also explained that the word for ark is TEYVAH - and that the only other place in the Torah this word is used is to describe the basket that little baby Moses is in.  Both flotation devices had no means of navigation, other than God's will. Food for thought.

The Sam Squared contingent then lead the rest of mifgash. We had a wonderful Monsters Inc quote that related back to Judaism and our need for our tribe and then they lead us in a game of Noah charades to tell the story.

We quickly reviewed the laws of kashrut that the kids had learned the week prior and we headed outside to play a game of Angry Birds Kashrut Style. We knocked non-kosher foods off of chairs with Angry Birds dolls and we looked up our phone --technology in Morah Gawel's class .. heavens open.. angels sing… -- and figured out that dinosaurs are NOT kosher, amongst other things. Ask your child if SHARKS are kosher. This game, while a bit rowdy and muddy.. much to  my chagrin… was fun and the kids were all engaged and excited. 

We then headed back to the classroom, busted open our TANAKHS and looked up our section of Torah from Vayera.  We will work each and every week on the skill of finding a book, chapter and verse in the Torah.  This section is when the guests tell Abraham that Sarah will get pregnant and she laughs. We talked briefly about WHY she laughed.  I told them a story about when my mom died and I was in the funeral home looking for the bathroom, and let's just say I opened the WRONG DOOR. My sister and I (we were young. I was 23 and she was 18) busted out laughing and we got admonished by the funeral director about "serious business…"  I was, naturally, horrified.  As an adult, I can see how the family of the occupant of Room Number Not A Bathroom must have felt about 2 young ladies opening the door and laughing, but there was no disrespect meant by it. We were nervous, emotional, undone … and it was just an emotional release. We had to pee and we ended up coming face to face with a very restful looking Mr. Jones.  WE laughed.  So the question was: why does Sarah laugh?  IS it an emotional release? Is she LAUGHING AT GOD or in his face?  What is her purpose and can we defend her?

After a few questions on "did you really see a dead body,"  the kids got back on track and they really "got it," in terms of why Sarah might have laughed.

Finally, ask them about our Jewish Primal Scream. We have added it to our lineup of Torah Strong warmups.  It signifies sometimes we get frustrated and we need a release. Sarah laughed. We screamed. :)  Why not scream every once and a while in Hebrew school. There is a time and a place for everything and now there is a 15 second place and time to scream!  The kids' got some lungs on them :)

NExt week we will learn with some Monsters Inc and some courtroom drama.  Fun fun.

Have a wonderful week and thanks for sharing your loved ones with me!

- Morah Leah

Kitah Vav (6th Grade) Update

Dear 6th Grade Parents,

This week we discussed the end of Succot which leads into Shmini Atzereth and Simchat Torah. We spoke about the fact that we celebrate completing our reading of the entire Torah on Simchat Torah and begining the cycle of reading the Torah again on the same holiday.

Then we discussed the fact that the Torah has remained unchanged from the time G-d gave it to Moshe on Mount Sinai and how we continue to use special materials to make Torahs to this day. We also gathered around a real Torah scroll on the bimah and discussed with Cantor Gutman how they are made and maintained. It was a fascinating discussion!

Best,
Morah Hollenberg

7th Grade's No Place for Hate Initiative

Our 7th graders began their B'Tzelem Elohim (created in God's image) unit this week. Pictured above, our teens met with Harry Weaver from the Anti-Defamation League. CSZ is partnering with the Anti-Defamation League to implement No Place for Hate, an innovative and powerful program designed to challenge anti-Semitism, racism, hatred and bigotry in all forms.

We serve God not just through prayer and ritual but by our acts and deeds. The way we behave brings us closer to the likeness and image of God. The answer to how we choose to react when faced with harassment is literally in our own God-given hands. 

We teach that Judaism embraces all people to make a real contribution to the issues of our times, the values by which we can live in justice and peace and sustain life. We inclusively seek to solve problems rather than create them, to open doors, not erect barriers. We understand doubt and uncertainty. We prize our tradition of questioning, knowing that answers are often fleeting divine glimpses of a spiritual journey toward living truth through our core values.

Tikkun olam, a sacred path to repairing the world, advocates humanity’s shared responsibility for moral mitzvot. We are obligated to create a harmonious community and increase appreciation for the richness that diversity brings. We are directed by the precept “Do not stand by idly as your neighbor bleeds” (Leviticus 19:16).

No Place for Hate empowers schools and communities to promote respect for individual and group differences, while challenging prejudice and bigotry. The initiative has been picked up by over 80 schools in the state of Michigan to date, with several schools and school districts pending.

No Place for Hate is an initiative designed to encourage collaboration within schools and communities to develop and implement creative projects that enhance appreciation of diversity and foster harmony between diverse groups. 

We believe that the time is now to bring No Place for Hate to CSZ. We are distressed by what seems to be a bullying epidemic in our society. Adults, children and teens are ostracized for being different — for wearing the “wrong” T-shirt, for not being “cool,” for not being good athletes. The hurt, the damage that these encounters create must be addressed. We cannot stand idly by and accept a society that targets those who are perceived to be the weakest. 

Your children have already begun brainstorming project ideas to make CSZ a No Place for Hate. Ask your child about his/her project ideas. 

Hebrew Update for Morah Levinson's Class

Shalom 4th-6th grade Parents,

This past week in Hebrew school was great!

On Sunday, the kids had a very special tefillah experience. Darien Sherman presented a creative Disney-themed tefillah service, where she showed us different connections between various popular Disney movie songs and the prayers we say in the synagogue. The children all enjoyed this very much, and it gave them the opportunity to understand and appreciate the words and messages of our teffilot.

All three grades have been working very hard on learning and practicing the blessings and prayers that they will be singing at our upcoming Shabbat dinner. They are sounding great!  The kids will be sharing the following prayers:

Children in the 4th grade will be leading Kiddush

Children in 5th and 6^th grade will be leading our congregation in the Aleinu.
Children in the 6th grade will be leading Birkat Hamazon 

We hope to see all of our families at this wonderful event on November 7th!

Wishing you all a restful Shabbat.

B'shalom,

Dona

Kitah Bet Update

Dear Parents,

Today we began our Torah study. We will spend time each Sunday learning the parsha hs'shavua using lots of different activities to teach. Today your children began creating their own Torah of the book of Beresheet and we put on a play telling the story of creation. Ask your child what day they were and what was created on that day?

We continued with our Hebrew studies. I only received one homework page. Please read the homework with your child and return the page to me. I hope you will use the CD to reinforce what we are doing in class. It is fun and is helpful for reading practice.  It is important we work together to practice Hebrew reading skills. We will be moving along in our reading and a good foundation is important as we  move ahead in our book.

We missed Daniel, Sari, Addison, and Ivy today. Our condolences to Sari Wagner and her family on the death of her grandfather, Leon Warner.

Davida Robinson

Kitah Aleph Update

Dear Parents,

Congratulations to your children on their performance at the Alef Induction. I'm sure you are all very proud of your children. They learned a lot in a short amount of time. On Sunday, they learned the letter Dalet and worked in their workbooks practicing writing the letter and each student wrote a letter they learned on the board. They chose which letter they wanted to write while another student had to say what it was.

We have been talking about Shabbat and how God created the world in six days and on the seventh day he rested. The students learned that on Day 1 God made day and night, Day 2 God made the clouds, Day 3, God made the trees and the ocean, Day 4, God made the sun the moon and the stars. Day 5, God made the fish and the birds, Day 6 God made the animals and finally people.

We talked about how each family has its own way of celebrating Shabbat. Some go to services while others spend time with family and friends. The students did a worksheet having to circle which things God made. They did very well with this exercise which showed they understood what they had learned.We learned about the blessing for Shabbat candles, blessing over wine is called Kiddush and the third blessing over the bread is called the Motzi. We practiced saying the blessings in hebrew and we will continue learning them until the students can recite it themselves. 

We talked about Jacob and Esau and how they didn't get along even though they were twin brothers. Jacob liked to study while Esau was a little wild and liked being outside. We compared Jacob and Esau to the way we get along with our own siblings and the students agreed sometimes they don't always get along with their sisters or brothers. We read a story that talked about how Esau was so angry that he threatened to kill his brother Jacob.  Jacob ran away and many years later, the brothers lived in different places and they had families of their own but Jacob tried making peace with his brother but still worried that Esau would still be angry with him. When they saw one another, they were very happy they hugged and kissed one another. They eventually said goodbye and went their separate ways and they had peace between them. We discussed that even when siblings have arguments or don't always get along, we still love them because they are family.

We learned a few words such as Yad, Lev, Ach and Chaver. Most of the students knew Yad is hand, they learned Ach is brother, and Chaver is friend. We will continue learning words along with our letters and vowels which will help when we put sentences together.

Have a good rest of your week.

Thank you,
Morah Dresner Wais (Lisa)

Kitah Hey Update

Dear Parents,

Our class has begun studying Torah this past week. Upon entering the classroom, the children were divided up into groups and able to find the words "Bereshit" in both a small copy of an actual Torah Scroll and a Etz Chaim Chumash. Their task was to find a specific Hebrew phrase both in the Chumash and then in the Torah. They noticed the differences in both. It was fun and exciting for them to be able to unroll the Scroll and read Hebrew without vowels, and find Chapters and verse without numbers in the actual Torah Scroll.

Through the stories of our Sacred Scripture, both biblical and rabbinic, I hope the children will gain an understanding of what God commands us and how to live a life of meaning and purpose.

For those of you who have not seen our "Sukkot", please take a few minutes and come into the main hallway at CSZ. Please make sure to read the paragraphs the children wrote. They are amazing!! I am so proud of all of them.

Thank you for partnering with me in your child's education. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Cillia Kleiman 

Morah Shlussel Hebrew Update

Dear Parents,

Finally the fall holidays are finished and we are getting back to some sort of "normal" at school. I hope you had a very nice Succot and a joyous Simchat Torah. Some of our students won awesome prizes at the "Hora with the Torah" program. If your child was one of the lucky ones, congratulations!

We continue to begin each day of Hebrew school with Teffilot led by the children of different grades together with Cantor Gutman. We are learning new tunes to some familiar prayers. Last Sunday, Darien Sherman, our Camp Ramah Fellow, presented a wonderful program to the students during Tefillah.

She brought different sections of Disney films to class and compared them to an assortment of Teffilot that we say  in the prayer service. The children were very engaged and eager to answer the different questions that she asked. Some of the answers showed how deep thinking and insightful your children are. It was GREAT!

We are continuing to practice the Teffilot that the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders will be leading on Friday, November 7, 2014 at our special TGIS program and dinner.  

Children in the 4th grade will be leading Kiddush

Children in 5th and 6^th grade will be leading our congregation in the Aleinu.
Children in the 6th grade will be leading Birkat Hamazon. 

Make sure to make your reservations. The scholar in residence that evening is Dennis Praeger, a well know figure around the country and I'm sure it will be a fascinating evening. You will get a chance to see and hear your children in action as they  lead services and prayers that evening and Quality Kosher Catering's Friday night dinners are always delicious.

We are also continuing to concentrate on reading Hebrew in all the grades that I teach.

On November 9th, Shaarey Zedek will be participating in the  "Fall Fix-up". Don't miss it.  This is a great opportunity to spend some real quality time with your children and to  teach them first hand  about Tikkun Olam. (Repairing the World). All the classes will go to help elderly people in our community that need some extra hep with Fall chores around their homes. It is a great way to spend a Sunday morning You can sign up with Allison Gutman or Jewish Family Service. Make sure to tell them you are a Shaarey Zedek family.

L:ooking forward to  seeing  you all this  Sunday at school. 

Have a Shabbat Shalom.   Toby Schlussel

Morah Katz Hebrew Update

Dear Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Grade Families-

I hope you and your family have enjoyed a nice holiday season. We are busy preparing for our upcoming Friday night service and dinner on November 7 at 5:30 pm.  Your students are sharpening their their Kiddush, Birkat Hamazon and Aleinu prayers and blessings.

Children in the 4th grade will be leading Kiddush

Children in 5th and 6^th grade will be leading our congregation in the Aleinu.
Children in the 6th grade will be leading Birkat Hamazon. 

 We are all really excited to share a wonderful Friday evening with you and your kids and hope you plan to join us. We continue to practice reading the brachot over the different foods, the Amida blessings and the Shema and V''ahavta.

I wish you a peaceful and happy Shabbat.

B'shalom,

Donna Katz

TORAH IS THE HEART OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE

Our Sunday morning class has started to explore the lifelong lessons our Torah teaches us.  Students compared the original hand written text found in the Torah scroll to the printed words in the Chumash, better known as the Five Books of Moses, or the big red book found on the book shelf in the sanctuary.   Students learned to navigate the Chumash, looking for book, chapter and verse.  We had a mini Torah Scavenger Hunt, searching for clues hidden in the words of Torah.   We learned many of our customs and traditions start with a basic phrase in the Torah, interpreted through time to keep Judaism alive and well.  Our discussion continued with the basic understanding that the Torah teaches us to live a Jewish life.  We talked about the phrase Torah is the Heart of the Jewish People and how just as people cannot live without a heart; the Jewish people cease to exist without the Torah.  

Kitah Bet Update

Dear Parents,

Today we began our Torah study. We will spend time each Sunday learning the parsha hs'shavua using lots of different activities to teach. Today your children began creating their own Torah of the book of Bereisheet and we put on a play telling the story of creation. Ask your child what day they were and what was created on that day?

We continued with our Hebrew studies. I only received one homework page. Please read the homework with your child and return the page to me. I hope you will use the CD to reinforce what we are doing in class. It is fun and is helpful for reading practice.  It is important we work together to practice Hebrew reading skills. We will be moving along in our reading and a good foundation is important as we  move ahead in our book.

We missed Daniel, Sari, Addison, and Ivy today.

Our condolences to Sari Wagner and her family on the death of her grandfather Leon Warner.

Davida Robinson

Kitah Gan Katan and Gan celebrate Sukkot and Simchat Torah

Click here to view our blog with update!

Kitah Zayin (7th grade) Update

Dear 7th grade families,

Last week, as a fitting conclusion to our unit on Shomrei Adamah, Guardians of the Earth,we learned the history of Sukkot and the traditions associated with this holiday. We decorated sheets to hang inside the Sukkah in order to fulfill the mitzvah of beautifying our Sukkah and learned how to bless and shake the Lulav and Etrog. David even made us cookies to fulfill the mitzvah of eating in the Sukkah!This week, we began a new unit called B’tzelem Elohim, or “in God’s image.” Through the creation story in Genesis 1, we learned that humans are created in the image of God. But if God has no physical image, then what does it mean to be created in God’s image? We talked about Godly qualities and seeing our actions as reflections of the Divine.

This conversation inspired a discussion of how we present ourselves to others, both online and in person. We all use social media to connect with our friends, express ourselves and stay up-to-date, but we need to remember the power of words and images and also that what we post online is permanent. Before we hit “send,” we should pause to consider if the information is actually a good representation of ourselves. Does this post or message reflect that I am created “in God’s image?”In addition to carefully considering our online presence, another way we can act B’tzelem Elohim is by caring for our bodies. With huge social pressure to look cool, wear certain clothes, or have the perfect body, it’s easy to lose sight of our unique and Godly qualities within. We talked about reflecting an outer image of ourselves that is consistent with what we feel on the inside, as well as being thoughtful about the way we present ourselves to others, both in physical appearance and in personality.

We look forward to upcoming classes in our B’tzelem Elohim unit including participation in the ADL’s No Place for Hate initiative and volunteering with CASS Community SocialServices.

Enjoy the beautiful fall weather and Chag Sameach!

Rachel and David

Kitah Vav Sukkah Visit

On Tuesday, our kids braved the elements to enjoy snacks, make a blessing, and enjoy Sukkot learning with Rabbi Starr. Here's a few photos of their time together.

Who's Shakin in Your Sukkah?

Our Kitah Dalet students have been quite busy learning about the many laws and customs associated with Sukkot.  We examined the basic laws surrounding the festival and learned the commandment to celebrate is deeply rooted in the commandments found in the Torah.  We learned about the spiritual qualities of the lulav and the etrog, and how together they represent the whole body, capable of following the mitzvot, and doing good deeds. Students made blessings over the lulav and etrog, and enjoyed a snack in the sukkah, fulfilling the commandment to dwell in a sukkah. 

According to Jewish folklore, there are seven hidden hosts called the Ushpizin ('guests') who visit each sukkah during the 7-day festival of Sukkot.   Ushpizin, the tradition of inviting guests to our sukkah originates in the teachings of the Zohar, the mystical writings of our religion.  The idea of the ushpizin, Aramic for guests, suggests that the spiritual strength of the sukkah is so strong that when we are seated in the sukkah, we have the power to welcome the souls of each honored guest.  In Kitah Dalet, we began talking about the basic commandment of welcoming guests, and the importance of extending warmth to strangers in the community, as well as family and friends.  During our classroom discussion, students had the chance to invite an imaginary guest to the sukkah, explaining the importance of that person on the integrity of Jewish longevity.  Students were quite thoughtful, and many picked a grandparent or relative to join us, stating their guests deep commitment to them and their family.  

Kitah Bet Update

Dear Parents,

Today we finished our Sukkot learning and rolled into Simchat Torah. Our learning today involved the concept of Torah as the book that tells our Jewish history. It has great stories and wonderful lessons and rules  about how Jewish people  live their lives. I shared with your children how a Torah is created and we had a wonderful in-school field trip to the small chapel where Hazzan Gutman showed us a Torah up-close and taught a lesson to us and shared some Torah facts. Ask your children what they learned about a Torah today.  We will begin our official  Torah study on Sunday in our class  from the "beginning" and continue each Sunday with the parsha ha'shavua (Torah portion of the week). 

We continued our Hebrew reading today learning a new letter "mem". Now that our holiday studies are not as intense we will be spending more time in our Hebrew reading.

We missed Sari and Levi today.
Mazal tov to Daniel  Michaelson  and his entire family on Dalia's upcoming Bat Mitzvah this Shabbat.

Chag sameach,
Davida Robinson

Kitah Aleph Update

Dear Parents,

Hope you enjoyed helping your child make his/her beautiful Torah project on Sunday. It was nice talking to all of you and I know your children loved having you there. We have been working very hard at rehearsing the songs for the Alef Induction which is coming up this Saturday, October 18th. Please have your child at school at 10:50 so that they can practice once more before the ceremony.

We went to Tefillah services and sang songs with Darrien Sherman. The students are learning so many new things each week in Tefillah as well as class. We will continue learning our letters and vowels each week and talking about holiday's and Acts of Loving Kindness.

Tuesday, we continue working in our Chai books and finishing up our unit on Torah. We rehearsed for the Alef Induction and I hope you bring your friends and family to watch your amazing children up on the Bimah singing their hearts out.

There are a few pictures that I hope you enjoy with your children. They work very hard and have become eager learners. Looking forward to a successful year.

Thank you,
Morah Dresner Wais
(Lisa)

Kitah Hey Re-imagines the Sukkah

In September, our 5th grade Religious School children were challenged to re-imagine the ancient structure known as the Sukkah; built during the Jewish harvest of Sukkot since biblical times. The learners have worked for the past six weeks in chevruta (small groups) to create innovative model Sukkot based on the Jewish values (Hachnasaht Orchim – Welcoming Guests, Chesed – Kindness, Emunah – Faith, Bal Taschit – Do Not Destroy, etc.) that they've studied at CSZ. Check out the beautiful Sukkot that they've crafted. These wonderful miniatures will be on display in the CSZ lobby through Simchat Torah.

Disco Sukkah (Top Left): ROCKIN’ 80’S DISCO SUKKAH

Our Sukkah, the rockin’ 80’s disco Sukkah is more than a fun party, it has meaning. It shows great acts of (Bruchim HaBaim and Kehillah) welcoming and community. Our Sukkah is welcoming because it’s colorful, fun and you’re under the stars. Our Sukkah is for the community because you get to party with your friends and family, to have fun under a structure similar to the Sukkot the Israelites lived in. The top is made of straw and vine and we have 3 walls so our Sukkah is kosher. This is our rockin’ 80’s Disco Sukkah and I hope you have a rockin’ time. Disco Sukkah was  created by: Noah Michelson, Ryan Nakisher and Noah Kam 


The Camp Hebrew Sukkah (Bottom Right)

The Jewish value of Camp Hebrew is Bal Taschi (Do Not Destroy). Bal Taschit means: to take care of the environment and our community. The base and roof of our Sukkah are made out of all organic materials. Being in camp makes us feel happy, part of a community, and make life long memories for us and we hope that everyone who would enter our Sukkah would feel happy, welcomed, and love the great outdoors! 
The Camp Hebrew Sukkah was created by: Orley Krugel and Emma Felberg 

Lego Sukkah (Bottom Left)

Our Sukkah is called the Lego Sukkah, and our Sukkah represents Hachasat Orchim (welcoming guests). Here are some reasons why it represents Hachnasat Orchim. One reason is because it is very colorful. Another reason is because it is a place for Jewish people to be happy!!! The last reason is because it awakes your spirit and brings you closer to the Community.Thank you for taking the time to read about our Sukkah, The Lego Sukkah. Created by: Shoshana Arnold, Seth Giles and Charlie Hermann


Harvest Sukkah (Top Center)

Our Sukkah is the Harvest Sukkah. Our Sukkah is made out of natural findings. It is also made of natural resources. Our Sukkah represents Bal Tashchit (Do Not Destroy) which represents saving our environment. Why our Sukkah represents the environment is because mostly everything is made out of organics or natural resources. It also represents Emunah (Faith) because people should feel faith in God when you walk in our Sukkah. Created by: Abby Kendal, Anna Roth, Lindsey Wolf, and Jordyn Wolf 


Neon Sukkah (Bottem Center)

Our Sukkah is the Neon Sukkah. The roof is made of natural resources, including leaves and sticks. The main part of the Sukkah is made of glitter and colorful paper. Our Jewish value is Hachnasat Orchim, meaning welcoming of guests. Our Sukkah is welcoming because of all the bright colors and shimmering sparkles. When someone enters, we hope they have a feeling of happiness. Because its round shaped, it makes us feel like God is always surrounding us.The Neon Sukkah was created by: Lexy Rosenwasser and Avery Purther

Kitah Bet Update

Dear Parents,

Yesterday we hosted Kitah Gimmel in our class. There was a very last minute situation and the solution was for them to come learn with us.  It worked out very well  and thanks to the two madrichim the morning was a great success. We made edible sukkot. I think by the time most of you saw them they were mostly eaten, or perhaps succumbed to the problem of all sukkot -fallen!

We visited the sukkah and had a snack there and all your children performed the mitzvah of lulav and etrog.  Combined with eating in the sukkah they have done two mitzvot of Sukkot. Ask your children if they can name you these two mitzvot.

I shared with them the story "Mysterious Sukkah Guests". Ask your children if they can retell you the story and the message that we learned. The message was that it is important in life to treat all people equally and to welcome guests into your home and treat them as you would like 

to be treated. The message resonated yesterday because we had guests in our class and all students were treated as equals.

Tomorrow we will learn about the holiday of Simchat Torah which begins on Thursday evening and continue with our Hebrew learning.

We missed Addisyn Gold, Addison Jacob and Sari Wagner on Sunday.

See everyone on Tuesday. Please complete the Hebrew reading homework with your children and return the signed paper to me.

Davida

Kitah Vav Update

Hi all!  We had a GLORIOUS Sunday morning, although we were a party of SIX! We missed you all!  Yesterday, we were lucky enough to be able to have a snack and spend some time in the sukkah.  The kids shook the lulav and smelled the etrog and we all said the prayers appropriate for the holiday.  We learned about some of the mitzvoth involved with Sukkot. Ask your child about: ounces of grain, and if one needs to be IN or OUT of a sukkah to shake the lulav.

Mifgash is going to run a bit differently from now on; our famous Sam Squared Madrichim Dream Team will be leading it from now on. They have some FANTASTIC ideas, and I think that they will do a great job. I can't wait for next week, so that they can dazzle us all.  Yesterday in mifgash, we discussed Halloween and what the kids think about celebrating it.  All of the kids in the class celebrate Halloween  (my kids included), but we learned a bit about its Pagan and Christian origins.  We then discussed Valentine's Day and Christmas and religious vs. "American" holidays. We talked about when does something with religious origins spin into something totally secular, and does it?!  We had LOTS of good conversation on this issue.  Like with most things Jewish, we WRESTLED and we argued and we thought a lot. We did not have any "answer," but many thoughts, and it got the ball rolling on thinking about these issues.  They are important issues.  I did not really think about them until I had children, and I wish I had started thinking about them earlier. It might have made some things easier.  I am so happy that your kids are engaged and open to conversations and reflections and thoughts and that NO JUDGEMENT entered our conversation ever. We are all trying to make our own way in our Jewish journey.

I usually have a "deep thought" quote for the day, but yesterday we did something different. We had one quote about video games: " Some people say video games rot your brain, but I think they work different muscles that maybe you don't normally use." - Ezra Koenig and "I'm Jewish, I don't work out. If God had wanted us to bend over,  He would have put diamonds on the floor." - Joan Rivers  The kids had a good laugh over Joan's quote and a lot to say over the video game one.  They agreed that video games are actually good, but they also could see their parents' point of view too!

We did a quick review of the Abraham story from a few weeks ago. I told the kids to come up with ONE thing that is the MOST important thing about the story and to text it to me.  Answer: Abraham was a man of ACTION. In turn, Jewish people should be people of action. Our religion is one of movement and action: not stagnant inaction.  And luckily, the kids all lost my number.  In the past, I have had a few days or random texts from the shorties :)

The kids then were given farm animals written on post it notes and put on their backs. They had to go around and ask "yes" or "no" questions and figure out what their animal was. The kids were really smart. Our "FARMER" even guessed what he was.  Why animals? We were discussing kashrut laws.

The kids revisited the text of Vayera, where Abraham serves milk and meat at the same meal. They had to figure out in groups what the mystery problem was. Their only clue was "Abraham was an observant Jew who followed all the mitzvoth. " Both groups guessed "Why is he eating milk and meat at the same time then?!"  

We discussed the why.  The rabbis say that 1) the Torah is not a linear text in terms of time. SO, Actually, even though the  laws of kashrut show in pages much later than the story of Vayera, they all happen at the same time.  So Abraham WOULD HAVE BEEN BOUND BY THE LAWS OF KASHRUT.  2) so how do we make sense of this? The rabbis say that Abraham was SUCH a good host, that enough hours went by that he served milk and meat with the appropriate time in between.

I still wrestle with that one…. :)

More on kosher laws next week. 

Have a great week,

Morah Leah

6th Grade Holidays Update

Dear 6th Grade Parents,

This week we spoke about the holiday of Succot. We delved into what makes a succah a succah and why we create these temporary dwelling places for a week. We spoke about realizing our human frailty and reflecting on our dependence on G-d for all that we have.

I encourage you to ask your children about what what qualifies as a succah in Jewish law. Also, next week (10/14/14), we will be exploring various succot on a succah hop. Please make sure your child/children are dressed for an outdoor walk.

חַג שָׂמֵחַ (Happy Holiday),
Morah Hollenberg

Kitah Bet Update

Dear Parents,

Today we began our learning with our "ivrit" Hebrew. We did several activities to review our letters and vowel sounds. Today your children brought home homework. They need to read to you the page of Hebrew reading ( on the reverse side is the phonetically correct pronunciation) and it needs to be signed and returned to me. If your child is struggling with this,try using the  companion CD and then try again. Please let me know how this went. I hope you have all been able to access the CD using the serial # I gave you in the last e-mail.

We began our Sukkot learning today. I shared with your children the story " Night Lights". Ask them what night lights are in this story.We will continue our Sukkot learning on Sunday with  a visit to the sukkah and an opportunity  to say the brachot on the lulav and the etrog.

Today I told your children two mitzvot( commandments) of the holiday of Sukkot. Ask them if they know what these are. Please let me know if they can tell you either of the Sukkot mitzvot.
We  missed Zachary today. I hope to see everyone on Sunday.

Davida

TURNING THINGS AROUND IN 5775

Our Kitah Dalet students have been talking about the basic tenets of the high holidays.  Our discussions centered on tefilah, teshuvah, and tzedakah, and the ways to move forward in the coming year.  Students shared their thoughts and ideas on being Jewish, taking responsibility for observing the commandments, and had some time to set goals for turning things around when they make mistakes.  We worked in small groups and brainstormed ways to get along with others while taking responsibility for the choices we make.  We introduced the idea of free will, and having control over our behavior.  Finally, we talked about making meaningful apologies and the three steps to true teshuvah.  Please ask your child to share these steps with you, and ask them to do teshuva with a loved one.   G'mar Chatima Tova!  

Morah Katz Hebrew Update

Dear Forth, Fifth and Sixth Grade Families:

It has been another busy week of Hebrew reading evaluations and reviewing.  We have now completed our student assessment and Hebrew reading strengths and challenges of each student.  I realize some students would prefer to remain in Hebrew with their friend, however, it is much more effective to group the students according to their own individual Hebrew reading ability and fluency. 

In the Forth Grade, my reading group has begun to learn about blessing formulas and identifying which blessing is appropriate for every type of food.  We are learning that we need to know if a food is a fruit, vegetable, bread item, made from grapes or a baked good in order to recite the correct Bracha.

In the Fifth - Sixth Grade, my reading group has been enjoying a friendly game of Hebrew basketball with the prayers and Hatikva.  The kids are doing great!

I wish everyone a G'mar Chatima Tova and an easy Fast. 

B'Shalom,

Donna Katz

Kitah Aleph Update

Dear Parents,

Hope your Rosh Hashanah went well....wishing everyone an easy fast and a Happy
and Healthy New Year!

Sunday, we reviewed all the vowels and each student was called up to the board
and they wrote Alef, Bet and Gimmel. They were very eager to write the letters
and each student chose which vowel they wanted to write under their letters.
They were very excited when they were able to pronounce the letter and it was
amazing how hard they concentrated on it. We worked on word building and letter
recognition. Your children are doing phenomenal and I have all the confidence
they will be reading sentences very soon. They learned what a mezuzah is and
what is in it and where it is located. they know how to say pencil in hebrew
although maybe they have forgotten but we will review all the new words we learn
over and over. We went to Tefillah where they watched short cartoon clips
relating to holidays and the students sang songs and really enjoyed themselves.

Today (Tuesday)  we worked on our Chai curriculum. We talked about Abraham and
Sarah. Abraham and Sarah believed in God, and they left their home and moved to
Canaan, the land that God showed them. Abraham and Sarah loved to make people
feel comfortable and happy. The students were very intrigued by the story.  We
talked about Yom Kippur and how helping others in the New Year is something we
can always improve on. Saying sorry to people we may have hurt.

Arielle said she never had to say sorry because she never hurt anyone.
Justin said some friends have been mean to him but he was never mean to them
Evan said he doesn't have to say sorry because he wasn't mean to anyone

The students understand that as humans we all need to improve ourselves in the
New Year. We all agreed we are going to work on ourselves and become better
people than we already are.

Wishing everyone an easy fast.

Thank you,
Lisa Dresner Wais

Kitah Vav Holiday Update

Dear 6th Grade Parents,

This week we began our Yom Kippur preparations by discussing the ten days of repentance ( עשרת ימי תשובה ) and the Jewish approach to repentance.

תְּשׁוּבָה (Teshuvah) or repentance is comprised of three ingredients: regret of the misdeed, the decision to change, and verbal expression of one’s sins. We also spoke about not repeating our sins in the forthcoming year. Then we walked to the ravine behind Congregation Shaarey Zedek to perform the Jewish ritual of תשליך (tashlich) whereby we symbolically separate ourselves from our sins.

May you and yours be inscribed in the Book of Life (G'mar Chatimah Tovah)!
גמר חתימה טובה

Best,
Morah Hollenberg

6th Grade Torah Strong Update

Hi All!  We had a terrific Sunday!  Today we reviewed the same section of Vayera that we read the week before, but we looked closely at the textual analysis.  First, we had a little grammar review: verb, adverb, noun, and adjective. I was impressed. The kids KNEW their stuff!  Then we did a little Madlibs activity. I wrote a Madlibs of the Abraham story, and it was, quite hilarious.  There is just certain 8 year old boy humor that somehow, never gets old!  We then went on to list all of the VERBS in the story that relate to: Abraham, God, Sarah and The Guests.  Basically: Abraham's verbs read as such: sitting, lifted, saw, ran, prostrated, found, take, sustained, spoken, hastened, took, prepared, placed, standing.  God: Appeared, Sarah: hastened, kneaded, made and the Guests: Standing, taken, bathe, recline, ate.  We discussed how Abraham BEGAN by reclining.  And how the act of performing mitzvot to sustain his guests literally healed him.  He ends by STANDING. In contrast, the Guests begin by standing and end by reclining.  And Sarah's verbs are all about making and creating.  We talked about how we can be like Abraham and ACT Jewish, because Judaism is a religion of ACTION.  We can be like Sarah and CREATE, because creation is a form of action.  This action literally has the power to heal us; when our attentions are focused on others and others' needs, our difficulties tend to melt away.  We also discussed the importance of God APPEARING.  In the text, God is always there, but Abraham must look up and see him.  In our own lives, God is everywhere, but we don't take the time to look up from what we are doing and truly SEE.

HOWEVER could I have forgotten: The flinging chickens!!! Last Sunday, in preparation for Yom Kippur, we learned about a ritual called kapparot. This is where Jews swing chicken over their heads, over a pile of tzedakah and metaphorically transfer their sins to the chicken, which is in turn given to a hungry family. There is a prayer that is said 3 x, while the swinging takes place.

I found these "flick it chickens" at Walmart, and the kids spun the chickens over their heads, said the proper prayers and then they "flicked" their sins away, but flicking the plastic chicken across the room.  The kids took it seriously - it did not devolve into a flinging chicken party, so I was quite pleased.

We did not share what our sins were; we just discussed what we were "not so proud of" from the past year and what we wanted to "do better" this upcoming year.

So here is to all of our transgressions being flicked across the room, to this upcoming year being a better year for all of us: spiritually, physically, emotionally, intellectually, and may your fast be easy and meaningful!

May your fast be easy, your week productive and I will see the kiddos in a few weeks. Enjoy a restful Sunday at home!

- Morah Leah

Kitah Hey Sukkot Presentations

Dear Kitah Hay Parents,

You are invited on Sunday, October 12 at 11:30 am to our children’s “Reimagining the Sukkah” presentations. In September, our children were challenged to reimagine the ancient structure known as the Sukkah; built during the Jewish harvest of Sukkot since biblical times. The learners have worked for the past six weeks in chevruta (small groups) to create innovative model Sukkot based on the Jewish values (Hachnasaht Orchim – Welcoming Guests, Chesed – Kindness, Emunah – Faith, Bal Taschit – Do Not Destroy, etc.) that they’ve studied at CSZ.

The Sukkot presentations will take place in the CSZ main lobby. We look forward to a wonderful morning of learning with you.

May you and yours be inscribed in the Book of Life (G'mar Chatimah Tovah)!

Morah Cillia Kleiman