Seekers Updates 5/11-4/12: Jerusalem

Kita Alef with Stephanie

What fun we had last class. First, we continued with our Hebrew learning with the final letters. Then we watched a video to celebrate that we finished learning the whole alphabet. We moved on to talking about Jerusalem, and learned about important landmarks in Jerusalem. Then we had the Story Fairy tell us a story about what it means to share a home, and how Jerusalem is important to so many people. We then discussed what home means to us.
Looking forward to next class!



Kita Bet and Zayin with Batya

This week, Kitot Bet and Zayin learned about the city of Jerusalem. We had an online dance party listening to a song about Jerusalem by Matisyahu. The students loved it and requested more dance parties with Morah Batya in the future. We learned about how sacred Jerusalem is to the Jewish people and to other cultures. We watched videos that showcased some of the most important holy sites in Jerusalem, and learned about the sacred Jewish Temple that once stood in the center of the city. We also talked about the Kotel (the western wall).
We ended class with an imagination exercise while we listened to 'Hatikvah', the Israeli national anthem, sung by Israeli children. We imagined what we may feel if we were in Jerusalem right now. 
One student said, "It's warm and windy and and I'm holding my mom's hand. I feel safe and happy." Learning about our homeland was very interesting and inspiring! The Jewish people have a long fascinating history and I'm proud to be part of its new generation!



Kita Gimmel with Yardena

This week, after checking in, we played a trivia game about Jerusalem. At the end of the game, the students shared how surprised and excited they were to learn a lot of new facts about Jerusalem. 

I showed the students different pictures from different parts of the city and asked them if this picture fits their preconceptions about how Jerusalem looks. Students preconceived notions of Jerusalem were certainly challenged! We ended class with a conversation about how Jerusalem, our people's homeland and New York, our current home, are similar and how are they different. One example the students gave is that we see different architecture in both cities, but they are both home to many religions.

Kita Daled with Heather

This week, Kita Daled continued our discussion of Israel by deep diving into Jerusalem. We began by brainstorming words we associated with Jerusalem (old, desert, bricks/stones, Kotel, etc.) and then watched a video of a drone tour of the city of Jerusalem today. Students were shocked to see such a modern and vibrant city with things like modern cars, large business and apartment buildings, a public transportation 'light rail', and green rolling hills. To 'zoom in' in a more personal way as well as to show the students different parts of the city, I walked the students through where I lived, studied, and worked during the three years I spent in Jerusalem. It was so sweet to see the students' engagement, and to watch them learn about a city by "walking through it" was really special. 

Kita Hey with Yonatan

We continued to explore what connects us to the city we were born in. We learned about Jerusalem, its meaning for the Jewish people throughout the centuries. and learned how today we still commemorate Jerusalem, and envision it through traditional Jewish marriage ceremony and the Amidah prayer.

Kita Vav with Stephanie

This week in class, we learned about Jerusalem and how important it is to all the Abrahamic religions. We looked at three important land marks and chose one to draw. After sharing our art we shared what home means to us. Can't wait for next time!