Kesher קשר

Celebrating Pesach at Kesher

We celebrate Pesach in different ways: each family has its own customs and traditions. In some families, one person readis the whole text of the Haggadah. Others pass the Haggadah around the table;  Some always have make sure to serve their grandma’s recipe for gefilteh fish; and, some families are convinced their traditional sweet charoset is the best in the world.

At Kesher, we celebrated this year with an emphasis on the story of Geulah (redemption). In this photo, the kids were making skits of moments in which we, through our identification as Israelites, contribute to the story of our redemption. This is one of the ways in which Pesach traditions become unique for each family — we are all free to create our own celebrations.

This Sunday- Kesher Open House

Sunday, April 11, 10:30-12

Somerville

Kesher Community Hebrew School After School is happy to invite you to our Open House in Somerville:

Sunday, April 11, 2010 from 10:30 to noon.
47 Winslow Ave  Somerville. Hosted by Kesher parents Irene and Jonathan Solomon.

We’re about to open enrollment for September 2010. This event gives you an opportunity to meet Kesher parents and staff and learn about the educational experience.

Kesher is a Community Hebrew School After School located in Cambridge MA, a non-affiliated, diverse community, where learners are immersed in Jewish learning and life. Established in 1992, Kesher serves families living in Cambridge, Somerville and surrounding towns.  Kesher’s nationally recognized model combines joyful and thoughtful Hebrew and Jewish education with the highest standards of afterschool childcare.

Come meet Kesher families, students, and Executive Director Rafi Esterson.  Call 617-576-0830 for more information. Email rafi@kesherweb.org and check our website at www.kesherweb.org

Children are welcome!

Kesher on the Cambridge Chronicle

Cambridge local newspaper came to interview us here at Kesher about our planned move. To Read all about it ,  click here: “Cambridge church plans move forward as tenants prepare to move”

Kesher Sprouts קשר נבטים- first class free!!

Are you and your little one ready to branch out and meet other children and parents?

12 Fridays * 10-11.30am * April 9 to June 25 * Drop-ins welcome

Kesher Sprouts is a child development class for 1 ½ to 3 year olds and their parents. Each week, carefully chosen activities promote your child’s growth, and provide social opportunities for children and parents alike in an open and inclusive setting, gently introducing kids to stories, songs, and symbols from the Jewish tradition.

The program enables parents to spend quality time with their child and interact with other parents with children at the same age.

It is an ideal opportunity to share ideas and exchange information, connect with other parents and discuss contemporary issues and views.

Try the April 9th session for free. Tuition for the entire 12 session series is $120. The ‘drop in rate’ is $15.

Kesher is a unique Jewish learning community located in Cambridge MA. For 18 years we have been combining the highest standards in after-school child care, with thoughtful and innovative Jewish and Hebrew education. Recognized nationally for the excellence of our pedagogy, and our ability to build meaningful, open learning communities, Kesher is piloting our first Early Childhood program.

This program is supported in part by a grant by CJP’s Jewish Innovation & Engagement Committee.

Click here to read more

Call 617 576 0830 for more information, Email Rafi at rafi@kesherweb.org

Geulah – redemption

At Kesher we place a lot of value on text-study, but this lesson was the first time that I tried reading to the Shorashim from the Torah directly, with no adaptation. I opened the book after just a short introduction, apprehensive that this was going to fall flat, maybe they are too young for this, and the language of the Torah is too difficult for them, too terse. I read the passage from Exodus telling how the Jews cried out after many years of suffering under the Egyptian yoke, and how after they cried out, God responded.  I had to repeat the few lines again to the kids, but I was amazed by how they responded! These young, young children went directly to the most important questions, and directly echoed the questions that are asked in the pages of our great scholars.

“Why haven’t they cried out before? why did they wait so long?”

“Why did God wait until the people cried out to respond?”

“Why did they have to cry out loud to God?”

“Sometimes you cry out loud and no body helps you, did they know they’re going to get help?”

We have many children’s books about the Exodus at Kesher, but their amplified storytelling sometimes tries to answer important questions before the kids have a chance to ask them. The Shorashim responded magnificently to the openness of the original Torah text.

Lee

In these photos you can see a discussion about the story of Exodus  in Anafim, and Shorashim depicting various moments of ‘Ge’ulah’ – redemption -  in the story.

Matza making season

It doesn’t take more than half an hour of good weather for New Englanders to want to go out and Barbeque, and a touch of spring in the air makes a Jew want to do nothing more than bake Matza.

Upside down Purim day

Purim celebrates an ancient reversal of fortune, when the Jews overcame a deadly decree, and turned sadness into silliness. At Kesher today we celebrated by having our day upside down. We start the day with Shira, have silly kibud (snack), we learn English instead of Ivrit (Hebrew), and make loud noises when we hear Haman’s name mentioned in the Megila and in the Purim Spiel Anafim put on.

Our Wild Purim Carnival

Our Wild Purim carnival was celebrated on Sunday at the Atrium school, Kesher families  along with some guests from Kesher Newton came together, many in outrageous costumes, to play and make merry.

The Anafim (4th and 5th graders) created games for everyone, some of them were really crazy!! The games included: Shaving Mordechai’s ’s beard (off baloons ), the King’s sobriety test (walking a line after spinning over a bat) , Finding Haman’s soft spot, Pin the EAR on Haman, Archery with bean balls and Banana catapult.

I love Kesher vacation care

It’s been a wonderful week at Kesher. Vacation care follows a more leisurely pace than the rest of the year, and it’s a great time to observe the quality of the interactions between kids at Kesher. They work together astonishingly, supporting one another, inventing games together, putting on spontaneous shows for one another, and having a whale of a time. Kesher kids are amazing, and Kesher is an environment which really allows them to build relationships founded on collaboration and Kavod.

They have also managed to clear the Desheh (lawn) of snow with their prodigious snow-sculpting projects!

See you all next week.

Tu B’shvat

For our Tu B’Shvat (the New Year for Trees) celebration, each of our groups prepared a special presentation

The Shorashim did a dance showing how trees grow, and presented materials they had worked on showing different ways of looking after the natural world.

Nitzanim presented art produced in the light of text study of texts from Bereishit (Genesis), and asking the question ‘how should we treat our environment?’ they explored various models – world as supermarket, world as factory, world as playground, and world as garden.

Anafim put on a show explicating a classical midrash in which God decares to the first humans ‘See all of this I made for your benefit. Look after it, for if you destroy it there will be no one to come and fix it for you.” (Midrash Shir Hashirim Rabbah). The Anafim’s show was somewhat dark, a depiction of a future wracked by environmental degradation and ensuing warfare, punctuated by a poignant reading aloud of the midrash. I was shocked and moved to see the depth of their feelings on this issue.

The Benayim presented sculptures made from  recycled materials.

A Tu B’shvat tradition is to eat as many unusual fruits as possible, in order to be able to recite the blessing ‘She’hechianu’ which celebrates new experiences, and landmark moments. We blessed and munched together on some yummy dry fruits.  Happy Tu B’shvat!