Tradition!

(a.k.a. Minhag!)

This week's focus is on Jewish tradition, or minhagim.  The students are beginning to look at some of our traditions here at Temple Isaiah, and those that you practice in your homes.  They are comparing those "contemporary" traditions to the traditions practiced by Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  

To make the comparison, we are watching scenes from Fiddler on the Roof (which the students are very excited about), and determining which traditions are still practiced by Reform Jews today, and which are not.

 

   These traditions might include wearing tzitzit daily...


...or reciting the prayer over the Shabbat candles. 


On Sunday, the students also  looked at some of our own holiday traditions, and created short "songs" using the Smule app.  Have a listen here:
Hanukkah song
Sukkot song 
Rosh Hashana song 
 Shabbat song
Purim song
Passover song

New Beginnings

It may still feel like summer, but Temple Isaiah Religious School classes are once again in full swing!

On Sunday, Shira students, old and new, gathered to learn about what our class will be doing this year, and how we will incorporate music and video into our lessons.  To illustrate how music can be made from just about anything, I recorded our TA, Max, saying "I'm Max, and I'm the best T.A. ever!"  Here is the result, using one of the apps (Songify) on my phone:
Songify example

After exploring the possibilities of making music on a smart phone, we played some silly "getting to know you" games. (Ask your children how many times they can hop backwards on one foot and sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!")  To wrap it all up, the students made their first contributions to our "Music Is" wall by creating rainbow artwork that illustrates one aspect of music that makes it an important part of our lives.

We will begin our first unit, "The Jews in Europe" on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Until then,
Shalom!
 - Erin