Beit Midrash

Hello Everyone!

    So much to tell you.  As Passover is fast approaching, we will not be having Religious School on April 17 in observance of the holiday.  We will resume our schedule on April 24.

I also have an update on exciting activities in the near future.  Please mark your calendars for Sunday, June 12, which will not only be our last day of Religious School for the year but it will also be our special class trip to the Contemporary Jewish Museum for the Jim Henson exhibit.  We will have a school tour for up to 25 people, which means parents can come along with teachers and students.  I will get the exact time from the director shortly.  I am also in contact with the Puppet Show director and will let you know the date for that soon (it will likely be a Friday afternoon or evening).

And now for the recap.  Rabbi Dean was just returning from Israel so Larry graciously led our Tefillah service.  Afterwards, the classes all set out to learn about Passover.  All of the kids got a delicious treat thanks to Mercedes, who helped them make coconut macaroons and provided meringues as a snack.

The younger grades then had a lot of fun making special Seder plates to use for Seder this Friday and Saturday.  They also read Passover stories and listened to Passover songs (the best being the Maccabeats, such a creative group).

In the Bnai Mitzvah class, we learned about the 14 different steps of the Seder, including the Four Questions, Ten Plagues, the rituals surrounding the Seder, why we clean up Chamitz before Passover, and many others.  The class actually remembered 8 of the 10 plagues off the top of their heads!  At our next class we will be coming up with our own Seder rituals to give the service our own unique twist.

And that about covers it for now.  Everyone have a wonderful Seder and we will see y’all on the 24th.  Chag Pesach!

Best,

Hello Everyone.

Our recap of our previous session. 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.

We’re back in session this week on April 10 and will be off next week April 17 for Pesach.

We look forward to seeing everyone! Take care!

Best,
David & Larry

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

Shalom Everyone!

Happy Spring!  It is so nice that now the days will begin to get longer than the nights.  Looking ahead, we will have our next Religious School session this Sunday, March 27, at 9:30 a.m.  The week after that will be Spring Break so we will not have Religious school on April 3.

And now for the recap.  Rabbi Dean led our Tefillah Service and introduced the beginning of the Book of Leviticus, the traditional end to Purim and the wait before Passover. 

The younger grades had a great time decorating candle holders and creating beautiful works of art for celebrating Shabbat.  They also got together to collectively solve a puzzle in Jenny’s classroom, learning the benefits of teamwork.  Over the coming weeks all the classes will be gearing up for Passover and directing our lessons toward that end.

And that about covers it for now.  We look forward to seeing everyone next week!

Best,

David

Chag Purim!

First of all, I wanted to congratulate and thank everyone for helping to put together a wonderful Purim carnival on Sunday.  The kids had a lot of fun with the games and our volunteers were so generous with items for sale, especially the Hamentashens. And of course, the Megillah Reading by the Theater Troupe was phenomenal!  It was so nice to have the carnival again and here’s to more exciting carnivals in the future.  Pushing ahead with our school year, the next Religious School session will be this Sunday, March 20, at 9:30 a.m.

And now for the recap.  Rabbi Dean led us in our Tefillah Service, including singing Purim songs.  Several of the kids and teachers came in costume.  We had unicorns, Paw Patrol, Super Heroes, and even George Washington (by yours truly).  Everything is topsy turvy for Purim!

The younger grades had a fun time learning about Purim and making Hamentashens with Jenny and Heather.  I for one can confirm that they tasted delicious, with flavors like Blueberry, Nutella, Apricot, and others.  They also made groggers and listened to stories.

The B’nai Mitzvah class performed a mitzvah by helping to set up, staff, and clean up after the Purim Carnival.  We will continue with our Purim projects next week.

 And that about covers it for now.  We can now look forward next month to our next major holiday of Passover.  In the meantime, see y’all on Sunday!

Best,

David  

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

Hello Everyone!

And welcome back from Ski Week!  As we enter March we are once again on the cusp of a major holiday.  In a few weeks we will be celebrating the exciting holiday of Purim.  On March 13, I am please to announce, we will be able to restart the annual Temple Beth Hillel Purim Carnival, which will run from 12:00-1:30 p.m.  It will be a lot of fun!  We will also be having Religious School straight through March so all Sundays in March will have Religious School.  Our next session will be this Sunday, March 6, at 9:30 a.m.

    And now for the recap.  Rabbi Dean led our Tefillah Service before all the kids went to their classes.  The lower and middle grades have been working on the theme of Tzedakhah.  All the kids made their own Tzedakah boxes and discussed the key ideas and actions behind Tzedakah. 

     For the Bnai Mitzvah class, our focus was on the current crisis in Ukraine and how it relates to the Jewish community here and in that suffering country.  Our first hour was spent learning the Before Haftorah prayer while reviewing the Torah blessings.  For the second hour, the class researched the history of the Jewish community in Ukraine stretching all the way back over 1000 years ago.  We learned that Jews were welcomed into Ukraine during the Polish Empire, forced to live in the Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire, and suffered heavily in the Holocaust yet still survived through the 20th century.  Among the most fascinating facts we learned:

•  Ukraine today has one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe
•  The current President of Ukraine, President Zelinsky, who has done so much to rally the people of Ukraine, is Jewish
•  Back in 2019, Ukraine was the only country other than Israel to have both a Jewish president and a Jewish Prime Minister.

    Next week we will be learning more about this amazing community.

And that about covers it for now.  I look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday!

Best,

David

Shalom Everyone!

Happy Winter Olympics Season!  Hopefully everyone is enjoying watching the games and cheering on all the amazing athletes!  It’s a great time for sports!  Our next meeting will take place this Sunday, February 13 at 9:30 a.m. (after which we can all go home to see the Olympics and the Super Bowl at the same time!) and then we will be off on February 20.

And now for the recap.  Rabbi Dean as always led our Tefillah Service, and thankfully we were able to return inside the sanctuary.  Afterwards, the kids all went to their classrooms.  This week the middle grades joined Jenny and the younger grades in learning all about Tzedakah.  They played, did art projects, and learned the importance of giving in our community.

For the B’nai Mitzvah class, we took a break from our usual theme to concentrate on the sports season.  Our first hour was spent reviewing the Torah prayers before moving on to starting the Haftarah prayers.  Everyone in the class will be chanting all those prayers from memory before long.  For the second hour, the class researched Jewish athletes who have competed in the Winter Olympic games since 1924.  They seemed to generally come from the United States, Israel, Russia, Canada, the Soviet Union, and Hungary.  We even found a brother/sister American pairs figure skating team!  Next week we will continue our research and then make a visual display of all the athletes and the countries they represented.

And that about covers it for now.  Enjoy the Olympics and we’ll see y’all next week!

Best,

David

Hello Everyone,

We had another great day of Religious School this past Sunday.  Thanks to the reduced case counts, we were all able to go back to the classrooms.  Our next meeting will take place this Sunday, February 6, at 9:30 a.m.  We will also have school on February 13 and then be off on February 20.

  And now for the recap.  Rabbi Dean led our Tefillah Service before the kids went to their classes.  The younger grades got a wonderful surprise when the Fox family distributed T-shirts to everyone!  Everyone can wear them for next week’s classes!

  In the Bnai Mitzvah class, we resumed our work on the Torah prayers and are now moving on to the Haftarah prayers.  The students can now not only read the prayers but also chant them!  They have come a long way.  For the second half of class, we learned more about the Karaite community, who originated in Egypt.  There are a lot of differences, especially in Kosher laws, celebrating Shabbat, who gets to interpret Torah, etc.  It is always fascinating looking at the different ways Judaism can be celebrated around the world.  Now that we have looked at Jewish communities in Asia, Europe, and Africa, we will turn our attention to the Pacific and South America.  Should be interesting.

  And that about covers it for now.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  I’ll see y’all on Sunday!

Best,

David

Shalom Everyone!
And welcome back to Religious School. After a long hiatus, it was great to see everyone at the Temple again. Now that we have passed the holiday season, we will have regular classes every Sunday from now until February 20. Our next meeting will take place this Sunday, January 30, at 9:30 a.m.
And now for the recap. We all gathered outside for our Tefillah Service, led by Rabbi Dean. Afterwards, each class celebrated the fun holiday of Tu’Bshvat. The younger grades got to sample the 7 species (wheat, barley, grapes, pomegranates, figs, dates, and olives) along with a variety of fruits).
I taught the middle grades along with the Bnai Mitzvah kids this week. We started off by reading a rebus about the origins of TuBshvat and then they tested their skills with a TuBshvat puzzle. For the second half of class, we all got to participate in the tradition of tasting the 7 species along with 15 different fruits (symbolizing the 15th day of Shivat, the name of the holiday). They got to try regular fruits like apples and oranges along with more exotic fruits like Dragonfruit. They all liked some of them, others did not pass the taste test, but we all had fun trying out new flavors.
And that about covers it for now. Next week we will return to our regular subjects until the next major holiday of Purim. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,
David