Dear 7th grade families,
Thanks to so many of you who joined our class last Sunday
for Simchat Limmud – we had a great parent turnout! It was wonderful
introducing you to our learning and showing you how we can incorporate Jewish
values into our everyday lives. We began with an activity where parents and
students heard a statement, and chose a position on the statement by standing
somewhere on an agree-or-disagree-spectrum. Statements ranged from, “I believe
that every person should have the opportunity to practice the religion of their
choice,” to “I should take care of Jews before I take care of other people.” I
loved hearing parents and children explain to one another why they chose their
place on the spectrum!
During Simchat Limmud, we applied the values we’ve learned
about all semester to the custom of eating chocolate gelt on Hanukkah. We
learned that on the Ivory Coast, where more than half of the world’s cocoa is
grown, many young children are trafficked and forced into working on cocoa
farms with no pay and unsafe conditions. Since we eat gelt on Hanukkah as a
reminder of the freedom our people won many years ago, it only makes sense for
us to support chocolate companies that align with our beliefs about human
rights. For this reason, we learned about Fair-trade chocolate. What’s Jewish
about Fair-trade you ask? As Jews, we are obligated to work for economic
justice, to insure that workers are treated fairly, and to be responsible
consumers. There are an endless number
of traditional Jewish texts that support these values. For sources and more
information, I encourage you to check out Fair-trade Judaica
(fairtradejudaica.org).
We read together an intention before eating our Fair-trade
gelt from Divine Chocolate:
I hold more than chocolate in my
hand. This product I have purchased is a mixture of bitter and sweet flavors;
the sweetness represents the dignity and respect of cocoa farmers who own their
own company. As Hanukkah is an eight-day reminder that light can penetrate
darkness, may this experience of tasting sweet freedom, the bounty of free
people’s work, inspire me to add more light to the world.
- Rabbi Menachem Creditor
It’s been a great semester. Thanks for sharing your children
each week with David and me. I look forward to hearing about the exciting
learning that happens with David and Erin next semester!
Happy Hanukkah and Shabbat Shalom,
Rachel
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