Shalom Everyone!
As spring approaches, it is time for that wonderful holiday where it is almost required to have fun: Purim! For the Religious School this Sunday, March 13, come dressed in costume as we celebrate the story of Esther, Mordechai, and the other characters from the Purim tale.
As I mentioned last week, I am pleased to announce that Temple Beth Hillel will once again be holding its annual Purim Carnival in person on Sunday, March 13, from 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. There will be booths, games, songs, and fun for the whole family. In order to have the carnival run as smoothly as possible, I would like to ask the parents to please volunteer an hour or two of your time this Sunday to help with set-up, running the games, and/or clean-up. I and the teachers will be right there with you and we deeply appreciate your help. Please let me know if you would like to run a game or help with set up.
And now for the recap. Rabbi Dean led our Tefillah Service with the highlight of moving from Exodus to Leviticus in our Torah readings. The younger grades joined with Jenny in learning about the story of Purim along with the symbols of Purim, including hamentashens, grogers, etc. The Bnai Mitzvah class continued to work on the Haftorah prayers and read through Chase’s upcoming Torah portion, looking at the theme of Creation. For the second hour, we finished up our unit on the Ukrainian Jewish community. We learned that Hasidism, Klezmer music, and the beloved story Fiddler on the Roof all gained their inspiration from the Ukrainian Jewish community. We also learned Ukrainian Jews have in the past been presidents, prime ministers, champion chess players, olympians, actors and scientists. It is truly a vibrant Jewish community that we can look up to and support in their time of need.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the Purim carnival! And thank you in advance for all the parents who will help the carnival return to its glory after the shutdowns from Covid. Shalom!
Best,
David
Religious School Update – March 27, 2022
April 1, 2022 by tbhrich • Beit Midrash
Hello Everyone!
I have exciting news! A puppet theatre troope from LA is willing to fly up to the Bay and perform a puppet show for our Religious School! Their shows concentrate on Jewish themes and holidays, in this case Passover. The director told me they would be available either April 5 or April 7, likely in the morning, which happens to fall during Spring Break. I know this is somewhat short notice but could parents please email back as soon as possible to let me know if they will be around on either of those days and would like their kids to attend? If enough families let me know, I can set it up. Alternatively, I can try to set up a date in May or June but the company generally only performs up here during weekdays. Thanks everyone!
And now for the recap. Rabbi Dean led our Tefillah service before heading out to Israel this week. We are currently in the Book of Leviticus and heading toward Passover.
The younger grades had an amazing time thanks to Jenny and Larry. All the kids got to make special Challahs with their own personal touch (often sprinkles or chocolate chips) and they taste delicious. Larry also provided story time at the end of the day, which the kids loved. They also got to finish and take home their Shabbat boxes, which everyone can now use at home.
For the Bnai Mitzvah class, we completed the Purim projects we did not get to finish earlier, including making groggers, listening to a reading of the Megillah, and highlighting key parts of the Book of Esther (including the longest verse in the Tanach and the verse that contains every Hebrew letter). For the second hour, we reviewed the Torah prayers and then played a trivia game related to Passover. Chase won both rounds of the game and everyone learned fascinating facts about Passover in preparation for Seder in April.
And that about covers it for now. Please remember that we have Spring Break next week so there will be no Religious School on April 3 (we will resume classes on April 10) but hopefully there can be a puppet show on the 5th or 7th. I look forward to hearing from everyone! Take care!
Best,
David