The T’marim class is currently working on a series of lessons reflecting contemporary issues through the lens of traditional Jewish texts. Last week they were considering some of the ethical questions thrown up by cloning technology. Here you see a cloned set of T’marim doing the hard work whilst their genetically identical progenitors kick back with some hot chocolate in porter square.
Genesis depicts us as stewards of God’s creation, responsible for using it’s sources in a responsible way. We are told to be respectful of our environment, prevent waste, and to take care not to cause unnecessary suffering to animals. Shorashim considered two scenarios, one in which no one took care of anything in the world, and one in which everyone took care to look after everything.
Anafim began to consider the mitzvah of ‘Tzaar Ba’alei Chaim’ – not causing unneccessary suffering to animals. Framed as a negative responsibility, the Anafim thought about the positive responsibilities that this entailed when we bring animals into our domain. They concluded that when it comes to pets or working animals, we are in control of their lives and so we have extra responsibilities towards them, as ignoring their needs becomes an act of cruelty.
Yesterday at Ivrit, Kesher kids created a puppet show about a mysterious animal called “Mitz Petel” (blackberry juice). Nobody knew who Mitz Petel was. Arie (lion) and Girafa (giraffe) were trying to hide behind trees and bushes and wait for him to come out of his house. Eventually they discovered who Mitz Petel really was…
Gemilut Chasadim – acts of loving kindness – is a category that includes both difficult times in a persons life like visiting the sick, as well as joyful occasions. The Shorashim explored the Mitzvah of ‘Mesameach Chatan/Kalah” – Helping newlyweds to rejoice – by staging a mock wedding celebration and learning songs and dances with which to make it a joyful occasion.
Today was the first snow we could really play outside on Z’man B’chutz (time outside)
It has been such a joy to be able to celebrate chanukah with the Kesher kids, and a reminder that as much as we work to enrich the Jewish lives of our students, these kids enrich our Jewish lives, both with the joy and excitement they have brought to the weeks activities – among them ‘Major League Dreidel’, sufganiot (doughnut) baking, and oil-lamp sculpting- but also with their inspiring insights and reflections on the theme of ‘Ometz Lev’ – courage. This is what being a part of a learning community like Kesher is about. The Jewish tradition is very old, and the kids make it come alive. As teachers we often bring old truths to our students, and they find something new in them, and make them new again for us as adults. It renders Jewish life not just joyful and fun, but also meaningful.
It’s cold and dark outside. Kesher is alive with warmth and light.
Chag Chanukah Sameach,
The Mandel Center for Jewish education at Brandeis University publishes an article about the work our tzevet (staff) does on the Havruta project, as part of our teacher development, here it is:
This year, the Beit Midrash Research Project has partnered with the Kesher Community Hebrew School in Cambridge, MA, an innovative afternoon school, to establish a Beit Midrash for Teachers.
The Kesher Beit Midrash serves both as a professional development program for the Kesher staff as well as a research site for exploring and expanding the use of havruta learning tools in the classroom. These tools are based on Orit Kent’s work identifying key practices of havruta learning (Download her dissertation abstract). The hope is to enhance the teaching of Jewish texts and student learning in havruta at Kesher, as well as to better understand how teachers translate this experience into their classroom teaching.
An onlooker to the Kesher Beit Midrash for Teachers would observe teachers, paired in lively havrutot, deliberating over Jewish text. While exploring and sometimes disagreeing over the text’s meaning, teachers are also keeping track of the nature of their discussion.
To the read whole article click: www.brandeis.edu/mandel/projects/beitmidrashresearch/beitmidrash_kesher
One of the kids wrote this beautiful story about how he needs אומץ לב (ometz lev) when there's a black out. On the other side of the dreidle he wrote: "but I find אומץ לב when I come into our parents bed"
Yesterday the Shorashim group made dreidle books. From the cover they look like a book, and then when you open them you can see a dreidle, but the secret lies within… inside the booklets there is a secret story of Ometz Lev (courage), each child wrote or drew a story, of his or her daily life. The story describes a moment in which they felt afraid of something and how they found Ometz Lev to deal with it. Some said they’re afraid of getting a flu shot, one child made a picture of how he’s afraid when his mother goes downstairs but he gets over it and find courage by hugging his cat.
…The dreidle connection? According to legend, children secretly gathered to continue their schooling, despite the study of Torah being outlawed by Antiochus. In the event that someone entered the room, the children would all be pretending to play dreidle together, disguising their real reason for assembling. The simple childs toy conceals a secret story of Ometz Lev, just like Shorashim’s books.
Anafim Nitzanim and Shorashim were all busy this week learning about the Ometz Lev (courage/strengthening hearts) through the Hanukkah story. We all have our moments when we can’t do something cause we feel ‘faint hearted’ but we also all have the amazing ability to strengthen our hearts to enable us to do things. In the story of Chanukah the Jews stood up for their right to live their lives as Jews, despite the surrounding obstacles that the Greek empire tried to impose.
We were joined by Lesley student Heather Zeiden, who has designed a special book making project for our Ometz Lev curriculum. Kesher kids are preparing a Chanukah booklet divided into eight candles for eight stories of courage from their own lives. Here we can see the preparation of these books, which feature special ‘paste paper’ that Heather taught us to make.
