MARCH MADNESS

We have finally finished presenting our history projects and we have laid the groundwork for our Jewish history time line.   The "take away" from these wonderful glimpses of  history is our students have a good understanding of how their families made it to America, and why Jews around the world have constantly been uprooted because of antisemitism. 

We have had some very interesting conversations about how a small act of teasing can turn into full blown attacks of antisemitism, and how important it is to always fight any type of bullying.  Our students shared some wonderful insights and ideas about what constitutes bullying, and more importantly, how many of them have heard, seen, or been part of some of these activities.  Every student has the tools to combat even the smallest act of bullying, and they understand it is one of the basic tenets of Judaism. 

In our Tuesday afternoon Ethics class we have started talking about Perseverance, and never giving up on accomplishing a goal.  While we have just started these discussions, we did establish that even though study and life is difficult, there is very little that is accomplished without hard work and a commitment to perfection.  For our Pre-Bar and Bat Mitzvah students, this is a most important lesson. 

Our 5th graders just completed an depth unit of the poor and Tikkun Olam, the commandment to help make the world a better place.  Each understands their role in working to better our community, family, and ourselves, and they have shared some very real thoughts about their role as Jews. 

This week, we will spend some time talking about Purim, a holiday that has a little bit of everything for our 5th and 6th grade students.  Please ask them to share their thoughts and ideas about the laws and customs associated with this fun and joyous celebration.