Seekers Updates 2/24-25
Kita Alef with Susanne
Today, I had the pleasure of subbing for Stephanie with Kita Alef. Stephanie prepared me well, but the children helped out with an unfamiliarity I had with their routine. They were kind and respectful, at the same time as helping the teacher understand that "we jump when we say our names" during "Shalom Ma Shlomchem." Thanks for that!
We had two main topics: being a mensch and finding sanctuary (for this week's Torah portion, Terumah). We had a fantastic discussion of the non-material rewards of "menschlichkeit" (being a "mensch," the Yiddish word for upstanding person. One student pointed out that when you're a mensch, you attract respect. It was really beautiful to see student pay kind attention to each other when they took turns reciting the "Alef-Bet" song.
For our weekly Torah portion segment on Terumah, we focused on the meaning of "sanctuary." For our "Story Fairy" segment, we created a tale about a mermaid who enjoyed playing with her unicorn, until an orangutang and a tarantula came to disturb them. Our two playmates found sanctuary in the woods, which were enchanted, so no pursuers could enter! One student pointed out that running away from conflict isn't the only option -- you can also say "Stop!"
Then, students drew pictures of their ideas of sanctuary, which will be displayed during our Shabbat of the Child!
Kita Bet with Batya
This week, Kita Bet learned three new letters! Pay, Fey, and final Fey as well as the vowel segol! The children are becoming so good at reading words. They even wrote their own English sentences in Hebrew letters with our big alphabet cards! In this picture, Benji wrote "lots of fun" using letters and vowels the students learned! In Judaics, we learned about the first Jewish sanctuary in history, the mishkan. The children each expressed what sanctuary means to them. Many of them described nature to be a home and sanctuary for God.
Kita Gimmel with Yardena
This week, we started class with a few community-building games. After the games, we had a short conversation about Purim and mishloach manot. We drew our ideal mishloach manot and put it in an envelope for someone special. We continued with working in our Hebrew books, each student at their own pace.
In the second hour, we talked about Parashat Terumah. We discussed, what is a sanctuary for me? What does "sanctuary" mean in our modern-day? We decorated papers that said "To me, sanctuary is..." with our individual answers, which hung in the sanctuary at Shabbat of the Child.
Kita Hey and Vav with Yonatan
This week in Seekers, the students began by working on their Hebrew binders. They're making amazon progress! In the second hour, we learned about what a Torah portion is, and discussed this week's Torah portion, Terumah. We delved into discussing how we can personally contribute to our communities. We also learned about a "mishkan," or sanctuary" and discussed how we see Seekers and Romemu as a mishkan.
Kita Zayn with Stephanie (subbing for Heather)
In class, we learned about the idea of a sanctuary or sacred space. What do we imagine when we think about our idea of a sanctuary? What does the word sanctuary mean to us? We learned how in Judaism, holiness is often described through separation. How do we make space or time holy by separating it? We all designed and drew the sanctuary we envision.
We had two main topics: being a mensch and finding sanctuary (for this week's Torah portion, Terumah). We had a fantastic discussion of the non-material rewards of "menschlichkeit" (being a "mensch," the Yiddish word for upstanding person. One student pointed out that when you're a mensch, you attract respect. It was really beautiful to see student pay kind attention to each other when they took turns reciting the "Alef-Bet" song.
For our weekly Torah portion segment on Terumah, we focused on the meaning of "sanctuary." For our "Story Fairy" segment, we created a tale about a mermaid who enjoyed playing with her unicorn, until an orangutang and a tarantula came to disturb them. Our two playmates found sanctuary in the woods, which were enchanted, so no pursuers could enter! One student pointed out that running away from conflict isn't the only option -- you can also say "Stop!"
Then, students drew pictures of their ideas of sanctuary, which will be displayed during our Shabbat of the Child!
Kita Bet with BatyaThis week, Kita Bet learned three new letters! Pay, Fey, and final Fey as well as the vowel segol! The children are becoming so good at reading words. They even wrote their own English sentences in Hebrew letters with our big alphabet cards! In this picture, Benji wrote "lots of fun" using letters and vowels the students learned! In Judaics, we learned about the first Jewish sanctuary in history, the mishkan. The children each expressed what sanctuary means to them. Many of them described nature to be a home and sanctuary for God.
Kita Gimmel with Yardena
This week, we started class with a few community-building games. After the games, we had a short conversation about Purim and mishloach manot. We drew our ideal mishloach manot and put it in an envelope for someone special. We continued with working in our Hebrew books, each student at their own pace.
In the second hour, we talked about Parashat Terumah. We discussed, what is a sanctuary for me? What does "sanctuary" mean in our modern-day? We decorated papers that said "To me, sanctuary is..." with our individual answers, which hung in the sanctuary at Shabbat of the Child.
Kita Daled with Rabbi Elster (subbing for Heather)
This week, students began by sharing something good that happened in their week since the class last met. We then moved to working on our Hebrew binders. Some of the students loved working in their binders so much they even worked through the break! After the break, we began Judaics by talking about the concept of "holiness." We learned about Parshat Terumah and the building of the first sanctuary when the Israelites were wandering in the desert. We talked about it means for us to be able to set aside holy time or holy space? After a lively discussion, we decorated sheets of paper that began "To me, sanctuary is...". These sheets were then used to decorate the Sanctuary for Shabbat of the Child!
Kita Hey and Vav with Yonatan
This week in Seekers, the students began by working on their Hebrew binders. They're making amazon progress! In the second hour, we learned about what a Torah portion is, and discussed this week's Torah portion, Terumah. We delved into discussing how we can personally contribute to our communities. We also learned about a "mishkan," or sanctuary" and discussed how we see Seekers and Romemu as a mishkan.Kita Zayn with Stephanie (subbing for Heather)
In class, we learned about the idea of a sanctuary or sacred space. What do we imagine when we think about our idea of a sanctuary? What does the word sanctuary mean to us? We learned how in Judaism, holiness is often described through separation. How do we make space or time holy by separating it? We all designed and drew the sanctuary we envision.
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