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.
Each week students prepare a D’var Torah for their peers. Students are asked to read, analyze, and think critically about their assigned parsha. They also plan an activity that relates to their parsha. Students have created Blookets, Kahoots, Jeopardy games, and many other activities. Others have led meaningful discussions with their cohort. In Grade 8, students must also examine the corresponding Haftarah portion. They must determine the connection or parallel between that particular parsha and the Haftarah. Check out some of their Divrei Torah below!
The Grade 8 class is embarking on an incredible journey this year. Students will be working with four clients from Jewish Family Services in an effort to build relationships, create connections, and bear witness to their testimonies. Students will be engaging with four wonderful women who survived the atrocities of the Holocaust. Their stories are unique and their experiences are significant. Our class has been working closely with Ranit Braun and leaders at JFS to plan a variety of activities that will take place throughout the year, culminating in a meaningful presentation on Yom HaShoah. Last week, we discussed the importance of active listening. We also talked about the importance of understanding that the clients’ experiences during the Holocaust are only one part of their lives. Although we want to bear witness to these testimonies, we also want to learn about the different moments of their lives that bring them immense joy. We look forward to meeting monthly with the participants and working together to create a strong bond.
Over the course of the last month, our class has been analyzing various historical events that contribute to the origins of antisemitism around the world. Students will showcase their knowledge by preparing for their assessment on November 28th. This quiz will be made up of multiple-choice, true or false, and short-answer responses. To prepare for this assessment, I suggest reviewing your notes (slides 5-33) and making flashcards.
Over the course of the last two weeks, our students engaged in meaningful service learning opportunities within our Jewish community. Last week we had the opportunity to work with Jodi Green and learn a bit more about the incredible services thatTAMIRhas to offer. The students helped pack care packages in preparation for the Rise Up Ottawa event. Students also created sets of Shabbat candles for the residents of TAMIR. They also worked on a video to wish the participants a Shabbat Shalom! We look forward to working together in the future.
The students met with representatives from the cemetery to learn about the important work that they do within our community. They also read narratives of local Ottawa Jewish veterans who served our country in a variety of ways. Students were then broken into groups and were provided with 15-20 gravesites to mark with Canadian flags. The students had the opportunity to pay their respects to these veterans who risked their lives for our freedoms. This was one of the many Remembrance Day activities our students engaged in throughout the week.
Check out this articlethat was posted about our Mitzvah Trips in the Ottawa Jewish E-Bulletin!
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