JCC Havurah

Hello Wonderful First Grade Havurah Families!  With Tu Bishevat in mind, we gathered this week to think about nature and continue our focus on King Solomon and sacred places. To kick off, we finished up our tiny city of origami synagogues.   Then Joyce came and told an original story about a man wandering in the desert and how a tree saved his life. Recapping the story, Joyce asked the children what trees can provide us. Answers included:  -Oxygen -Love -Happiness -Climbing fun -Pretty things to see -Fruits and veggies Continuing with our Tu Bishvat theme, Joyce read to us the real and empowering story of Wangari Maathai and the Greenbelt Movement (https://www.amazon.com/Wangaris-Trees-Peace-Story-Africa/dp/0152065458).  After we did our shabbat rituals, we built a sacred place of our own: A blanket fort! It was so much fun to see everyone get so into it, to express creativity, and work together to personalize the space. After th...

 Hello Wonderful First Grade Havurah Families!  We had a super fun day at Havurah this past Saturday engaging in a Havurah-wide celebration of Yom Yisrael, or Israel Day.  We began our class by linking arms and saying the blessings over our Challah, our grape juice, and the Shabbat candles.  After our calming Shabbat ritual, our exciting and action-packed activities began!  First, we indulged in the most popular Israeli salad!  We chopped, diced, cut and tasted the perfect, healthy snack including cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, and lemon.  After our nosh, we had a great time  playing Gaga, the Israeli version of dodgeball. The goal is to be the last person in the room that hasn’t been hit by the ball.  The ball must remain below waist height. The game begins with a referee/teacher throwing the ball into the center of the pit.  When the ball enters the pit, the players say 'GA' for the first two bounces. Once the ball is ...