Religious School Update – April 12, 2024
Hello Everyone,
The big day is almost here. We are all set to go on our second field trip of the year, this time to the Oakland Zoo, this upcoming Sunday, April 14. We will meet at the Temple at our regular time at 9:30 for a brief Tefillah service that should last approximately 20 minutes. We will then carpool to Oakland and arrive at the zoo at 10:30 a.m. I will be able to take 7-8 people in my van and we have paid parking for 2 other cars. Please let me know if you would like to volunteer to carpool as well. We will spend approximately 2-3 hours at the Zoo where the kids will go on a scavenger hunt looking for different animals based on their Hebrew names. Please make sure the kids wear their blue TBH shirts so we can keep track of everybody and that they bring water bottles to stay hydrated.
Also, our annual Passover Seder will be coming up on Saturday, April 27. We are looking for volunteers to help with set up, clean up, and other assistance in preparation for the event. Please let me know if you would like to volunteer.
And now for the recap. Rabbi Dean and Cantor Marney led us in our Tefillah service before each class started preparing for the upcoming field trip. The kids learned the Hebrew names of the significant animals at the Oakland Zoo and will use their preparation for the upcoming scavenger hunt. The B’nai Mitzvah class also did more work on their ancestry projects and are almost done with their research. Soon they will be making initial drawings for a coat of arms and map detailing the journeys their ancestors took to get to California and the key features of their family history that symbolize who they are.
Thanks everyone and we’ll see you on Sunday!
P.S. Please take a moment to sign up for bringing snacks in March along with hosting an oneg in March, April, May, or June. Thanks everyone!
Best,
David
Religious School Update – April 26, 2024
April 26, 2024 by tbhrich • Beit Midrash
Hello Everyone,
It’s so amazing that Passover has finally arrived! We encourage everyone who is able to come to the Temple Seder this Saturday, April 27, at 6:00 p.m. We plan to have all the religious school families who are attending sitting at the same table so all the kids can play with each other during the service. Our next Religious School session will be this Sunday, April 28, followed by another session on May 5 before taking a break on May 12 for Mother’s Day.
And now for the recap. As expected all the classes were working on Passover themed activities this past week. The younger grades, led by Ms. Heather, were decorating seder plates and coverings for their families. They also watched videos of the latest parody songs by 613, a great group of Orthodox students who sing about various Jewish holidays. This year they have Passover songs sung to the tunes of ABBA, Lion King and Gilligan’s Island. They’re really funny!
Meanwhile, the Bnai Mitzvah class was delving deeply into the meanings of the 14 steps of the Seder. They came up with themes of opposites: joy/bitterness, prepared/unprepared, etc. They also realized so many of the steps could be up for interpretation, including the fact that the “Festive Meal” could technically be a dessert plate and the “songs” at the end of the Seder could be either joyful or sorrowful songs, depending on the mood of the table. They all wrote down their thoughts for each step and will be ready to give their opinions at your family seders this year. Finally, the students started making drawings of a proposed family coat of arms based on their research into their family histories. By the end of the year, they will have completed a great visual project. More details to come.
Finally, please remember to sign up for bringing snacks for the kids along with hosting an Oneg if your family has not done so already. We still have openings for two Shabbats in May and two Shabbats in June. Thanks everyone and we’ll see you Sunday!
Best,
David