Last Sunday, Rabbi Josh visited CBHCS and led Family Minyan. He introduced the middah of “Shalom,” which means “peace.” (It’s also used to say hello and goodbye!) Rabbi Josh talked about what it means to have peace and how peace can help us in our daily lives. He also led everyone in a Shalom meditation, so we could all start the day off from a place of peacefulness.
Afterwards, Rabbi Josh and Kate led a Rise Up Teens workshop on Anti-Semitism. We discussed bias/implicit bias, and how it affects us and our entire experience in society. We discussed and analyzed bias in society, including in media. We tied this into anti-Semitism, what anti-Semitism means, and explored data from the ADL on the current rise in anti-Semitism.
We also discussed what identity means and how our identities tie into our Jewish identities. As part of this, we did an “Identity Cards” activity, in which half the teens stood in an outward facing circle, and the other half stood in an inward-facing circle around them, paired up (one person on the outside circle paired with one person on the inside circle). Each teen had five index cards, with one valued aspect of their personal identity written on each card. For the first round, the pairs had a couple of minutes to discuss why they had chosen the five aspects they had. Then, they were instructed to rip up one of the cards, and rotate to the right, to find a new partner and discuss why they ripped up the one they did. They continued to do this, until there was only one remaining card left. Our teens got really involved in this, and many found it difficult to decide which cards to rip up! This activity really had them explore and analyze who they are and what they value about themselves.
Afterwards, we discussed more about anti-Semitism--including having teens fill out a journal page analyzing any person experiences they’ve had with anti-Semitism. Finally, we discussed some ways to combat anti-Semitism, and sent home a print-out with tools for doing so.
To find out what fun is on the horizon, check the bottom of each blog post for our "Upcoming Events" section.
To find out what our students were up to in their classes last week, see below:
K/1st Grade:
This week at CBHCS, we…
Learned all about Moses!
We learned about Moses’s life story, that he is considered the greatest leader in Jewish history, and that he was a prophet who spoke to G-d.
Watched a fun short video of kids telling the Passover story.
Learned about the people in Moses’s family and discussed family diversity, and made a popsicle stick portrait of Moses’s family, that we added to our student journals.
Did a “Baby Moses” treasure hunt, to each find a Baby Moses. Then, we used the Baby Moses cut-outs we found to each create a mural of Baby Moses in the basket on the Nile River.
Learned that Moses is involved in the story behind two Jewish holidays: Shavuot and Passover!
Continued to practice “Mah Nishtanah,” so we’ll be ready to sing in at the Passover seder.
2nd/3rd Grade:
This Sunday, we learned about Jacob’s life. We learned that Jacob dreamed about G-d being everywhere. We also heard the story of when Lavan tricked Jacob into marrying Leah, instead of Rachael. We tied this into a discussion on how being honest is an important value in Judaism.
In Hebrew, we reviewed what we have been learning.
4th Grade:
On Sunday, we learned about Elijah. We learned that Elijah was a prophet who mended the ties between the nations of Israel and Judah. We also heard the story of when Elijah proved that the prophets of Baal worship a false god.
In Hebrew, we did a review of what we’ve been learning.
5th Grade:
Last Sunday, we learned about Jewish burial rituals. We learned that there are specific rituals for Jewish burials, and that the Jewish value of “zikaron" (remembrance) teaches us to remember and honor those who have passed on.
In Hebrew, we learned about prayer structure.
6th Grade:
Last Sunday, we went over Parshiyot Tazriah and Metzorah. We learned that Leviticus gives us guidelines for living holy lives. We also discussed that although some of the parshiyot may be difficult to relate to, we can still find relevance in them today.
In Hebrew, we practiced the Aleinu prayer.
7th Grade:
Last Sunday, we learned about Joel. We learned that the Prophet Joel taught us to cherish our environment. We tied this into learning about how environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through the depletion of resources like air, water, and soil. We discussed that there are things we can do to preserve the environment.
In Hebrew, our lesson was “What We Pray: Structure of the Siddur.”
Upcoming Events at CBHCS:
2/9 - PET Parent Discussion: Immigration and Refugee Issues Facing Georgia Families
2/16 - President’s Day Weekend Break--NO SUNDAY SCHOOL
2/23 - CBH Parent n’ Me
- CBH Purim Build-a-Basket (at the synagogue)
3/8 - Purim Family Minyan with Rabbi Josh
3/29 - CBH Parent n’ Me
4/5 - Spring Break--NO SUNDAY SCHOOL
4/12 - Passover Break--NO SUNDAY SCHOOL
4/26 - CBHCS Open House & Bring-a-Friend Day
5/3 - Rise Up Teen Workshop with Rabbi Josh
5/10 - Mother’s Day Break--NO SUNDAY SCHOOL
5/17 - Last Day of CBHCS 2019-20