The Grade 8 class recently spent a Friday afternoon at the JCC in order to participate in a Thank-A-Thon. Each student was provided with a list of donors that contributed to the 2022 Jewish Federations Annual Campaign. As our students benefit firsthand from these donations, we were excited to participate in an opportunity to thank donors for their generosity and kindness. Working with the Jewish Federation was a treat. Our class had the opportunity to go behind the scenes and see all of the work that goes into creating such a wonderful Jewish community.
This week we are shifting our focus in Jewish Studies to various resistance attempts that were made by both Jews and gentiles during the Holocaust. Students will be watching, analyzing, and discussing the film, Escape from Sobibor. This film depicts the largest escape from an extermination camp during the Holocaust.
Please read the corresponding questions prior to watching the film. Students will be asked to jot down notes as they watch. By taking notes, students will be able to more accurately recall details as they answer the critical analysis questions.
Please click the link below to access the Escape from Sobibor Questions:
Please skip the scene at 45:40. This scene contains graphic content and will be skipped in class as well.
The movie can be watched via Youtube on the link below or on Amazon Prime (for those who have access). If you decide to watch it on Prime, please make sure you choose the Escape from Sobibor 1987 film.
We had a great time celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut at OJCS. The Jewish National Fund has created an art contest that students and families may participate in. Check out the pamphlet below to learn more about it!
Contest:
Draw or paint a picture (8-1/2” X 11” and suitable for framing) following the story A Tree in the Desert by Avirama Golan.
As we dive back into the Jewish life cycle students will be working on a Jewish Wedding Webquest! Over the course of the last two weeks, we have begun to analyze the various traditions and practices associated with the Jewish wedding.
This assignment provides students with 11 response questions. Students will need to click and read the link above the question in order to find the answer. Please do not simply search for these answers on random internet sites. I will be looking for specific information from the articles/videos associated with each question. Your responses should be written in complete sentences. Be sure to read over the instructions prior to starting the assignment.
The Grade 6 students planned an amazing Pesach program for the residents at Hillel Lodge. Students sang Pesach songs, created an engaging trivia quiz, and worked with residents to complete a Passover word search. Click here to listen to their rendition of Echad Mi Yodea.
Last month the Grade 8 students also visited Hillel Lodge to spend some time with the residents. They planned an engaging Shabbat program for the residents! Students helped the residents create a Shabbat-themed picture frame. We love spending time with our community and continuing to strengthen these important relationships.
This week we will be discussing the horrific narrative of the MS St. Louis. We watched an incredible documentary that provided our class with testimonies from historians and survivors who experienced this infamous event firsthand. Students will read and analyze a document that discusses specific policies in Canada that were enacted to keep the Jewish people out.
Passengers aboard the St. Louis, seeking refugee from Nazi-occupied Europe, wait to find out if they will be allowed entry into Cuba in June 1939.
Our Middle School students are quite excited to celebrate Chanukah! Throughout the week, students will be participating in a variety of Chanukah activities. Our class will also participate in a dreidel spinning competition! Who will be crowned dreidel champion in each class?
Students are being asked to complete a reading comprehension/two viewpoints graphic organizer assignment. This assignment is based on the WWI/Treaty of Versailles note packet that we have spent the last four classes reviewing. We have been focusing on discussing these events from varying perspectives. When we return from the break, our class will examine the rise of Hitler.
Today our middle school students had a Zoom session with lone soldiers and banot sheiruts in Israel. We spoke to both a soldier and a bat sheirut in order better understand how the Michael Levin Base supports them while they are defending/volunteering for the Jewish people. This was a wonderful chance for our students to ask questions and get to know these important heroes. These individuals shared their stories, answered questions, and shared their love for Israel. We hope to partner with the Michael Levin Base in future mitzvah endeavors.
A “lone soldier” is a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with no family in Israel to support him or her – a new immigrant, a volunteer from abroad, an orphan, or an individual from a broken home. Today there are over 7,000 lone soldiers serving in the IDF, many of whom struggle to fulfill their most basic needs.
A “lone bat sherut” is a young woman with no family in Israel to support her, who has chosen to provide national service in Israel rather than join the army. This type of service can include volunteering in the areas of special education, hospitals, geriatric and nursing homes, health clinics, teens at risk, environmentalism, and other related non-profit organizations. There are currently hundreds of lone b’not sheirut volunteering in Israel.
As we continue to study and analyze the various components of the Grade 8 Jewish Studies curriculum, this week we are beginning to set up the Holocaust. Rather than diving directly into the start of the Holocaust, the Grade 8 class is learning about WWI. This foundation will play a very important role in understanding the historical context in which the Holocaust begins.
Attached you will find the WWI/Treaty of Versailles Presentation and Guided Notes Packet. This will be useful for any students that missed any of the notes during class. Students should be reviewing their notes throughout the week.
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