Jewish Holiday Customs

Many Generations Back Jews Living in Jerusalem's Old City Gave Each Other Mishloach Manot on Tu B'Shvat

2012-01-29T00:30:00.000-08:00

One of the things I love about writing this blog is discovering how customs normally associated with one holiday have been adapted by different Jewish communities to another. Take the Purim practice of giving Mishloach Manot. Who would think that this custom would apply to Tu B'Shvat? A seventh generation Israeli whose forebears originally lived in Jerusalem's Old City reports that way back when in the Jewish Quarter, people sent trays filled with fruits, nuts and seeds to one another.

I can only give an educated guess as to why. There has been a continual Jewish presence in Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter since the 8th Century BCE. The Tu B'Shvat Seder dates (forgive the pun) back to the 17th century. The term Mishloach Manot literally means "sending portions" -- ensuring that everyone has enough food for the feast. Let's connect the dots. Seven generations back leads us to somewhere in the mid-19th century. Jews living in Jerusalem back then were not exactly wealthy. In all probability, they observed the ritual of a Tu B'Shvat Seder. But what if they didn't have enough money for fruits and seeds? Aha! Mishloach Manot, of course.

As I said, it's only a hunch, but there's no guesswork as to what fruits are eaten on Tu B'Shvat. All you have to do is bite into 5 of the 7 Species: grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates are all native to Israel. I say let's expand the list and teach our children about other fruits Israel is famous for (I know that Zvuvi has provided you with the latest innovation).

Let's start with prickly pears, commonly known in Israel as the Sabra fruit. Yes, it's the best way to explain the Israeli personality -- tough and thorny on the outside, sweet and soft on the inside. Please don't forget lovable and loyal.

Need another juicy Israeli fruit tidbit? Try our oranges.

I know that oranges and Florida are synonymous to you, but Israel put oranges on the European market map with its famous Jaffa brand. When Spain and Portugal started to heat up the competition, we branched out by developing unusual citrus varieties.

Finally, how about a new Pitaya hybrid Made in Israel?

Have I helped you make seder -- order -- about fruits for Tu B'Shvat? I hope so. Happy New Tree Year. Enjoy all the fruit that they bear.

Dried Fruit & Nuts Photo Credit
Prickly Pear Photo Credit
Oranges Photo Credit
Pitaya Photo Credit

Virtual Author Visits for Passover, Yom HaShoah and Yom Ha'Atzmaut

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

Shalom from Israel:

Yes, that's me on a smart board at the Talmud Torah of St. Paul where I had a wonderful virtual author visit on January 9th. In fact, I've conducted several virtual author visits recently, and have found them to be a fun and enriching experience for the students and myself. My latest one was at the Religious School of Houston's Temple Sinai, during which I read Keeping The Promise, followed by a short Q&A.

This visit led me to an aha moment. Passover, Yom Hashoah and Yom Ha'Atzmaut are coming up and I have a book for each one:

Why not "invite" me to your school? Virtual Visits have numerous benefits: They create a sense of excitement, they're part of today's new technology, they eliminate the bother of transporting an author to your school, and most important for today's economy, they are the budget-wise way for creating an enrichment program. For more details, please visit my website.

Looking forward to hearing from you and meeting your students this Spring.

Le'Hitraot...Tami

Iraqi Jews Connect Weddings with Tu B'shvat

2012-01-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time Jews living in the Land of Israel planted trees for babies born the previous year. Cedar trees were earmarked for boys, ensuring the infants develop into tall, upright citizens. Girls on the other hand were assigned cyprus trees because of their grace and fragrance. On wedding days these two trees intertwined, with branches from both used to make the huppah, wedding canopy -- a theme continued on modern-day huppot.

But what about the actual connection between Tu B'Shvat, trees and weddings? Ask Iraqi Jews who call this holiday Chag Livluv HaEtzim -- Holiday of Tree Blossoming. One of their special customs is taking the bachelorettes of their community to the forest and assigning a tree to each as a "husband." One month later they return to the forest, checking which trees have begun to blossom. These symbols of budding romances mark upcoming marriages during the coming year.

You can say this custom is quaint or sweet, but let's put it in today's ecological terms. After all, Tu B'Shvat is the original Arbor Day and by Iraqi Jewish lights one could say that in order to protect the environment, they wisely husband their energy.

Photo Credit

For 2012: A Technology Shabbat, California Style

2012-01-01T00:30:00.000-08:00

Let's face it. With all of technology's benefits -- and there are many -- today's electronic age rules our lives. It has become such an addiction that Californian
Tiffany Shlain -- founder

of The Webby Awards and recognized by Newsweek as "one of the women shaping the 21st century" -- is convinced that we need a once-a-week break from everything e or i. To this end, she and her family observe a 24-hour "Technology Shabbat" -- a rest from technology -- beginning every Friday at sundown. That's what she said on a PBS Tavis Smiley show that I caught this past November when I was in the States.

I was particularly intrigued by her announcement because, quite frankly, I feel like an Israeli Agatha Christie watching my Orthodox nephews go on Skype every Motzei Shabbat Israel time -- meaning the middle of Shabbat New York time. I don't claim to be any great Hassida. I live in that grey world of Conservadoxy and I'm all for live and let live, but huh? What's going on here? The answer came during this same November trip, when in a passing conversation my sister in-law told me that today many Orthodox kids observe a Half Shabbos. Which means, you don't have to be Conservative or Reform to open your computer or mobile phone on Shabbat.

Yes, this seems to be a teen thing and I don't write for teens. But what's at stake here is not the age level. It's the essence of Shabbat. Not the religious dos and don'ts, but what it does for our mind and soul. With all the quality time talk that parents spout, why is it that regardless of denomination we Jews fail to recognize that Shabbat is the prototype of family quality time? What other day of the week provides such a sense of togetherness? Name another evening where each member of the family is made to feel special. Think of the roles played by candle lighting, blessing children and saying Kiddush. And in today's hectic, 21st century life, name another weeknight when the family sits around the table, enjoys a home-made, mouth-watering meal while talking about the week's events.

How you extend that unified family feeling for a full 25 hours is up to you. So is how you teach it. Clearly, it's not about rules. Otherwise, Half Shabbos teens wouldn't feel the urge to break them. Shabbat is all about the gift the Jewish nation has given the world -- a day of rest. So, thank you Tiffany Shlain for reminding us. It's something to tweet about every Friday afternoon before pushing the shut down button.

Technology photo credit

Shabbat photo credit

From Hasmonean Coins to Hanukkah Gelt

2011-12-17T23:27:00.000-08:00

Did the Maccabees mint coins? Their descendants, who became a royal family, did. Not the yummy chocolate gelt pictured here. But have a look at these Hasmonean coins, and the front and back of this bronze prutah (BTW: the prutah coin was reintroduced shortly after the modern State of Israel was established).

Those Maccabees and their Hasmonean dynasty -- they really knew how to make a killing. Clearly, folks were ready to bet their money on them. Could it be that's why we give children Hanukkah gelt?

Maybe. While the word on the street is that the custom of giving Hanukkah gelt is rooted in Eastern Europe, I just discovered that some historians believe the practice does indeed connect to the Maccabees' minting of coins after they restored political autonomy to the Jewish people. It makes sense. The Hanukkiah reminds us of the burning oil miracle. Why shouldn't Hanukkah gelt remind us of self-rule?

Even if Hasmonean coins are NOT the source of this custom, detectives of Jewish religious law -- Halakha -- discovered that Rabbi Josef Caro, author of the Shulchan Aruch, declared that the light given forth by the Hanukkiah's candles can only be used for one specific purpose: recalling the miracle of the oil. Counting one's money by the light of the candles was forbidden. To remember this prohibition, Hanukkah money was distributed.

Here's another interesting detective tidbit. The Talmud states that on Hanukkah every Jewish household must light at least one candle per night, even if they are poor and have to go door-to-door asking for candle money. To eliminate this embarrassment, a custom evolved of giving Hanukkah gelt to the poor.

So, thank you Belgium for your premium chocolate used to mint our Hanukkah gelt. And thank you to all the manufacturers issuing these yummy coins. But most of all, thank you to all the Jewish history and halakha detectives who discovered the roots of this delectable custom.

Hanukkah Sameach.

Photo Credit

I've Launched My Virtual Author Visits

2011-12-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone:
Two weeks ago I talked about my new book Nathan Blows Out the Hanukkah Candles. I am pleased to report that I just did a virtual book reading of this new title via Skype with the second grade of Congregation Beth Hatikva's Religious School, located in Summit, New Jersey. As you can see in the photos, 2nd grade teacher Danielle Weiner held up a copy of the book as I read the story. Afterwards, the students asked me to explain what autism is. We then discussed what it would be like to have a boy like Nathan in their class and how they would befriend him. I was very impressed with their warmth and willingness to accept someone different into their midst.

I want to thank Nancy Hersh, Beth Hatikva's Educational Director, for organizing this virtual visit, sending me these photos, and reporting that "this was an experience the students won't forget."

Interested in a Virtual Visit? Read all about it and contact me. I'll be happy to book a date and meet your students.
Tami

Hanukkah is Called Januca in Mexico

2011-12-01T09:36:00.001-08:00

Yup. The census people are right -- Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic group in America. On my recent author tour to the United States, Spanish was in the air, everywhere. So, Hola everybody. This week I'm going to take you to Mexico, where Hanukkah is called Januca, and where our traditional dreidel game has a twin counterpart called Toma Todo or La Pirinola.

Mexican Jews know how to give Hanukkah a fun spin. No latkes or sugar doughnuts for them. They eat a homemade favorite called bimuelos -- fried fritters drenched in either sugar or syrup (yes, you can forget a heathy diet on Hanukkah) -- or corn dough balls with marmalade inside. Ooo...so many sticky fingers make for lots of laughs. But the real fun begins with making a dreidle shaped pinata and ends with banging it apart (as seen in this photo) and treated to a shower of sweets and toys.
Need I say more about Hanukkah party ideas?
O.K. One more.
Since Spanish is America's second language, sneak in a little Hanukkah lesson in Spanish while you're breaking the dreidel pinata.
Feliz Januca. Happy Hanukkah everybody.

Photo Credit

Connecting Hanukkah with an Important Jewish Value

2011-11-26T07:59:00.001-08:00

Ever since we were strangers in the land of Egypt, we Jews have been taught to always accept the other in our midst. The term other is a broad one, encompassing more than community newcomers. It incudes the needy, all types of handicapped people, as well as emotionally and mentally challenged individuals.

As the mother of a challenged son I know up close that the fight to be accepted is an uphill battle. That's why when Nicole Katzman -- the mother of an autistic boy -- told me of the unpleasant situations she was exposed to and asked me to co-author a book on an autistic child, I identified with her plight and picked up the baton. I knew she was right when she said the Jewish community needs a book like this. The issue was finding the right peg for a story that would speak to children and adults alike. The minute I discovered that in previous years her son blew out the Hanukkah candles, I yelled out "BINGO!"

This Hanukkah I urge you to read my new book Nathan Blows Out the Hanukkah Candles to your children and students. Use this compelling story as the opening for a discussion on how to accept challenged children into your midst. It's the miracle they are waiting for and it will light up their lives.

You can purchase this unusual Hanukkah story through Kar-Ben's online bookstore, Amazon, B&N, other online bookstores, or ask your local Judaica store.

Wishing you a meaningful Hanukkah.
Tami

Photo Credit

You have to be as Fit as a Fiddle for this Hanukkah custom

2011-11-19T09:29:00.001-08:00

Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, Joshua Bell, step aside. Come Hanukkah, you'll be playing second fiddle to the Rebbe of the Premishlan Hasidic court in B'nei Brak, Israel. Once the candles are lit and the familiar Hanukkah songs of Hanerot Halalu and Maoz Tzur are sung, he will dance by himself in front of his Hasidim in an increasingly frenzied whirl while his followers enthusiastically sing. Despite the frantic pace of his dance steps he won't collapse. To the contrary. He will prove that he is as fit as a fiddle by picking up his violin and transforming himself into the court musician. It's the moment everyone waits for and it's a Hanukkah custom dating back a couple of centuries to the Nadvorna Hassidim of Ukraine.

I can understand the frenzied whirl. It parallels the fast spins of the dreidel. But playing a violin? According to Bar-Ilan University professor, Menachem Friedman, an expert on ultra-orthodox society, Hanukkah is a time for lighthearted behavior. No work is permitted while the candles are lit, but the time has to be filled with some type of content that celebrates the victory of the Maccabees. Music is synonymous with many Hassidic sects and the violin is their favorite musical instrument. Why the violin? Maybe because it's portable and as close as they can get to King David's harp. Whatever the reason, playing it on Hanukkah is a custom that strikes the right chord.

While we're talking about notes and chords, enjoy the Maccabeats version of the Hanukkah story. Compare the classic dreidel song with this contemporary version. Or, open the piano, get out the violins and start creating your own Hanukkah musical. Make it a class custom that you do every year.

Photo Credit

Iranian Jews Know How to Make Strangers Feel at Home

2011-11-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year when we read about Abraham, the 3 angels and how Hachnasat Orchim -- welcoming guests into our midst -- became an integral part of the Jewish way of life. But are we practicing what we preach?

While none of us go to the pains that Abraham did by washing our visitors' feet, there are Jewish communities around the world who have their own special touch in making guests and strangers feel at home. This past January I brought up a unique custom practiced by Turkish Jews. After seeing a recent CNN Fareed Zakaria GPS piece on Iran, I decided to find out if there is a specific custom practiced by Iranian Jews. Sure enough, there is and it revolves around a tea ceremony.

Iranians use a samovar to heat and boil water, with the tea essence brewing on top. The water is carefully poured into small glasses. If foam appears in the water, it is not served. It must be crystal clear -- a sign of respect for the guest. Rose water -- which has a distinctive flavor and is an important ingredient in Iranian cuisine -- is provided in a separate glass for those who want to add it to their tea. Cookies are served as well. Sugar cubes are placed in a small glass server and handed around, with everyone taking a cube and placing it in their mouth. The tea is now ready to be drunk. All of this is done as soon as a guest enters the house. It's the Iranian way of showing guests they are wanted and respected.

This charming custom should get you thinking. Are you doing enough to welcome new members into your community. Are you teaching your children the importance of this value? What about new students in a class? Are you making them feel wanted and part of the group? Have you dedicated a specific time and day for a welcome party? Think about how you can create your own Hachnasat Orchim custom that's your cup of tea.

Photo Credit

Connecting Gilad Shalit's Release with Jewish Values

2011-10-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago the NY Times' Thomas Friedman wrote a piece in which he lamented how Americans have lost sight of their original values. I gulped, thinking that I share a similar concern, only mine is over the loss of Jewish values among Israelis and the Jewish nation at large. On the spot I decided to devote part of the holiday gap period between now and Hanukkah to customs revolving around important Jewish principles. Then along came Gilad Shalit's release from captivity, the role the Israeli public played in this 5-year campaign, and voila! I knew I had the launching pad for customs relating to Jewish values. And I also realized that we're not as bad off as I thought.

What is it that connects the Gilad Shalit saga to Jewish values? That cardinal rule: Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh la'Zeh -- All Jews are Responsible for Each Other. Yes, it was the Shalit family that waged a tireless campaign. However, when a summary of the past five plus years was shown on Israeli TV the night Gilad was released, it became clear that it could not have been accomplished without the unending support of the Israeli public. Endless public protests, marches, petitions, concerts given by popular singers, and even a mock solitary confinement campaign conducted by the country's celebrities this past June turned the Shalits and the country into one gigantic extended family. Right after his release Israelis who never met Gilad showed up at his house to greet him. Not because they were nosy. Because they had fought for his freedom all these years. Because Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh la'Zeh -- All Jews are Responsible for Each Other.

How does this translate into the classroom? There's a lot to work on. Let's start with cliques and their impact on other students. Next come the loners. How can you make them feel part of the class? Gilad Shalit was in isolation but we now know that he didn't feel totally "alone" since he knew about all the support he was getting back home. And last but certainly not least, let's get a handle on bullying. We want our children to learn how to stand up for each other, not emotionally or physically abuse one another. As we witnessed with Gilad Shalit's captivity, we Jews excel in organizing protests. So, how about planning an anti-bully protest in school. Have kids create their own placards, develop anti-bullying slogans that can be chanted, have kids speak out against bullying. At the same time, find out why the bullies are bullying. There may be some deep-rooted problems that you can help solve. It's all part of being responsible for each other.

Photo Credits

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Sukkot Water Customs Lead to an Ecology Lesson

2011-10-09T00:15:00.000-07:00

The search for unusual Sukkot customs continues. This time I found a practical joke custom of sprinkling water on the synagogue service leader while he reads the prayer for rain.

Hmmm...not exactly environmentally-correct for our day and age. Which led me to another search: The connection between Sukkot, water and environmental studies. I found a wonderful website written by British Rabbi Lawrence Rigal z"l, explaining all aspects of Sukkot, including the connection between rain and this festival. He explains that: 1) During the Temple period one of the most important ceremonies was pouring water on the altar during each of the 7 days of the holiday as a way of asking God to bring a wet year; 2) the prayer for rain is said on Shemini Atzeret -- the holiday immediately following Sukkot. Similarly; 3) Shmini Atzeret is the first time that we recite the Shmoneh Esrai "add-on" one-line prayer requesting wind and rain for the winter; 4) Next, Rabbi Rigal gives a "guided tour" of the lulav. The Aravah that we attach to the lulav is a leafy branch of the willow tree, which he notes is especially associated with water. This sparked my interest so I googled willow tree and water, and look what I found -- a fount (pardon the water pun) of information about willows in North America. Now let's connect the dots with willow trees in Israel, and at the same time learn about the 4 species used on Sukkot. The palm leaves of the date palm tree stand center stage, and as Rabbi Rigal notes in his fifth point, 5) the shaking of the Lulav makes the sound of falling rain. Now that's a first for me. Sounds like we invented the first white noise machine.

Why all the interest and concern about rain? Because originally Jews were not doctors or lawyers. They were farmers, and the water resources produced by rain were (and continue to be) a lifeline for growth and sustenance. Humans need water to drink. So do crops and without crops say goodbye to the food pyramid which keeps us alive and healthy.

In essence, Sukkot is the first ecology oriented holiday on the Jewish calendar, so this Sukkot let's provide our children and students with more than simple Sukkot basics. Let's explain how vital water is to our daily lives, why Israel depends on its short rainy season and how we can conserve water.

Does this wet your appetite for more ecology lessons from the Bible? Check out my new book Green Bible Stories for Children and have a Chag Sameach.

Tami

photo credit

A 19th Century Jewish Family in Fischach, Germany Turned Their Sukkah Into A Family Heirloom

2011-10-06T00:19:00.000-07:00

It's not easy to find an outstanding Sukkot custom, but when I saw this photo I remembered a wonderful Sukkah exhibition held several years ago at Jerusalem's Israel Museum. While there was something unusual about each Sukkah, one stood out among all the rest. It was made of wood planks, with the outside looking similar to the Sukkah in this photo. The inside was an entirely different matter. It was literally a work of art. The Sukkah's original owners -- Naftali and Zili Deller -- commissioned a local artist to paint the inside walls of their Sukkah with scenes of Jerusalem, the Western Wall and images of the Fishach village (their home town) from that time. Have a look. It's something else!

In essence, Mr. and Mrs. Deller -- who lived in the second part of the 19th century -- commissioned a combination of an unusual piece of Judaica and an unforgettable family heirloom. It was handed down to their son Abraham, who along with his wife Sofie, put it up in the courtyard of their home every year. That is until the Nazis came to power. In 1937 Abraham and Sofie smuggled the Sukkah out of Germany to the Bezalel Museum in Jerusalem (forerunner of today's Israel Museum) by converting the boards into shipping crates, with the painted sides used as the interior crate walls.

What a brilliant way to save a legacy! This Sukkot think about how you, your family and your students can create Sukkah memorabilia that can be handed down from one generation to the next. I'll get you started. What kind of craft has lasting potential? How about paper mache. Look at what I found!

Enjoy putting up your Sukkah.
Tami

Photo Credit

Kaifeng's Jews Closed Their Doors to the World on Yom Kippur

2011-10-01T10:54:00.001-07:00

An ancient Yom Kippur custom from Kaifeng, China that can be applied to modern-day life? Sounds far-fetched but the answer is yes. About a thousand years ago, this city which was once the capital of the Chinese empire, had a small but thriving Jewish community. While they didn't celebrate all the Jewish holidays, they had their own way of observing some of them, and Yom Kippur is a good example. When this holiest of days arrived they closed their doors and remained inside in order to become pure. In essence, they closed their doors to the outside world.

What a great idea for our social networking era. Let's make sure that this Yom Kippur we virtually close the door. That means turning off cellphones, computers, iPod, iPad, iAnything. No roaming. No tweeting. No nothing except networking with our inner self.

Pass this message on to your students, your children, friends and family. Also, see my post on what Ethiopian Jews do when Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat.

G'mar Khatima Tova...Tami

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Women Wear Red on Rosh Hashanah in Cochin India

2011-09-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

Does East meet West when it comes togetting dressed for Rosh Hashanah? The answer is almost.Whereas we in the West have the cultural custom of wearing white onRosh Hashanah to symbolize purity, Jewish women in Cochin, India,make sure to wear red and white. OMG! How could they? Doesn't redmean “beware” – as in red traffic lights and red colored “DoNot Enter” road signs?

Think again. In India the color redparallels the color white. Bridal dresses are often red because forthat culture it symbolizes simplicity and purity. So why not make itthe perfect color to honor Rosh Hashanah?

Cultural customs surrounding color gotme thinking about our Jewish heritage. What is the most popular color associated with Judaism? Next, think about the board game “Clue”.What do Miss Scarlett, Mrs. White and Professor Plum have in commonwith the Jewish color scheme? Finally, think about the use of colorin different Bible stories. How are colors used to symbolize a contract between God and man? When does the use of color trigger rivalry?

These questions and others could mark anew way for teaching Tanach in the New Year.

Have a colorful Rosh Hashanah.

Tami

Photo Credit

Transform Elul into E-Lul through this Jerusalem Custom

2011-08-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

To put it in rock concert terms, Elul is the “opening act” leading into Rosh Hashana. Since I'm always on the lookout for Jewish holiday customs which speak to kids and can be easily adapted to the classroom, even home life, I asked myself what in the world am I going to do this year for Chodesh Elul? It marks the end of a fun summer vacation (some schools are already back in full swing), there's nothing amusing about it or for that matter, contemporary. Thanks to Jerusalem's Yeshiva Ohr Yerushalayim I was surprised to find that I was wrong about the latter. Since its establishment in the 1980's, this Yeshiva began its own “opening act” Chodesh Elul custom of wishing friends A Good Year when sending them a letter. The minute I read about this custom I had an Aha! moment. What better practice could there be for our social networking age? Put a Chodesh Elul wish on your school's Facebook page, have students “Like” each other's pages and post a “good year” comment. Get whole families involved. It's a wonderful warm-up to the main event – Rosh Hashana.

A good year to everyone...Tami

Libyan and Moroccan Jews Spray Each Other with Water on Shavuot

2011-05-22T05:17:00.001-07:00

A water fight on Shavuot? That's what Jewish children and adults alike did in Libya and Morocco. The Talmud says water symbolizes the Torah. Both are lifelines, both quench a thirst. In the case of the Torah, it quenches our thirst for the spiritual. Libyan and Moroccan Jews took the comparison of water and Torah literally by spraying or pouring water over each other. They believed that anyone who has water poured over him/her during Shavuot would not be sick for an entire year. No wonder parents helped their children out with the water fun, pouring buckets over passers-by, or simply spraying them with water guns. Libyan Jews, on the other hand, timed the water fun with the reading of the Book of Ruth, followed by piyutim – Jewish liturgical poems. Once the reader chanted the verse dealing with good luck – “B'simana tava u'b'mazalayah” – a full water pitcher would be turned upside down over his head, soaking him from head to toe, assuring him he would have a successful year.

So, what do you think? A water fight as a way to introduce Shavuot? Quit treading water. Take the plunge.

On Shavuot Lisbon's Jews Read a Special Marriage Contract

2011-05-08T04:18:00.000-07:00

We're all familiar with the Ketuba – marriage contract – that is read out loud during a wedding ceremony. But a specific Ketuba read only on Shavuot? Ask the Jews of Lisbon, Portugal, and they'll explain that because Shavuot signifies the unique bond between God and the Jewish people, they have composed a special marriage contract sung out loud by the Chazan – cantor. Before reading the Torah portion, the Shavuot Ketuba is removed from a long velvet covered tube. Two children stand on the Bima, holding the Ketuba open for the Chazan to read. At the conclusion, it is rolled up and inserted in the tube, to be read again the following year on Shavuot.

This is one of the most charming holiday customs that I've found over the past two years. What a wonderful way to illustrate our commitment to Zman Matan Torahteinu. We are wedded to the Jewish way of life. It's what makes us unique among all nations. I do not have the precise wording of the Lisbon Shavuot Ketuba, but the very idea makes for a fun classroom lesson where you and your students write your own Shavuot Ketuba.
I'll be back with more Shavuot customs.
Tami

For Tunisian Jews it's Back to Basics on Seder Night

2011-04-10T02:00:00.001-07:00

I'm back to Tunisia, this week for a Seder custom that is truly back to basics. Say the word Seder and most of us immediately associate it with a beautifully turned out table, including masterful pieces of Judaica – the seder plate, Elijah's cup, the Seder leader's Kiddush cup, a finely embroidered afikomen cover, not to mention beautiful china and cutlery.

Say the word Seder to a Jew of Tunisian descent and you get a description of pure home-made fun. To begin with, there is no table. Everyone sits on the floor. As my good friend's granddaughter explained: “we sit on thin mattresses laid out on the floor in the shape of a square.” I must have grimaced at the thought of getting up after sitting on the floor for so long, because she quickly added: “we make sure to have sofas nearby for older family members.” A seder plate? Think again. Tunisians use a large reed basket in which they place eggs (according to the number of children in the family), a leg of lamb for the shank bone, charoset, romaine lettuce for bitter herbs and shmura matzot wrapped in a large cloth napkin. Once the contents are neatly packed inside, the basket is covered with a large, beautiful cloth.

I am certain that a classroom model seder like this would be lots of fun. There's no doubt in my mind that the reed basket symbolizes baby Moses floating down the Nile – so make sure you point that out as well. Combine this with the Passover play custom that so many Sephardic Jews have adopted. It's about as playful as you can get. You may remember that I brought it up when I first started this blog over two years ago. A member of the family discreetly leaves the table before the seder begins, dresses up to look like one of the Children of Israel (make sure to include a walking stick) and sneaks out of the house. Just as the reading of the Haggadah is about to begin s/he knocks on the front door and the play begins. The head of the house gets up, saying: “Who could that be?” Opening the door, he sees a stranger. “Who are you?” he asks. “I am one of the Children of Israel.” “Where are you coming from?” continues the Seder leader. “From Egypt,” answers the stranger. “But how can that be? Aren't you a slave?” asks the Seder leader. “I was,” answers the stranger, continuing with a proud smile. “Now I am a free man.” “Where are you going?” continues the Seder leader. “To Jerusalem,” answers the stranger. “Then you must join us,” insists the Seder leader, “and tell us what it was like being a slave in Egypt.”

Sitting on the floor to eat a meal seems like a logical part of a slave's life in ancient Egypt. Let everyone take a turn and describe the slavery experience. You'll find that your students have some pretty keen insights.

Chag Sameach...Tami

For Libyan and Tunisian Jews Rosh Chodesh Nissan Commemorates the Start of a New Life

2011-03-28T00:42:00.001-07:00

There’s nothing like connecting current events to our rich Jewish heritage. All of us are waiting to see how the Arab Spring will play out. Regardless of the outcome one thing is certain – the yearning for freedom marks the start of a new awakening. And isn’t that precisely what Rosh Chodesh Nissan and Passover are all about?

According to the Book of Exodus (12:2) the month of Nissan is the first month of the year. Certainly it is the month when Moses and the Children of Israel sprang into action, going from a daring escape to freedom, to building the mishkan – a portable synagogue for housing Hashem – in the desert. The men were the construction workers and the women recyclers, donating their gold jewelry to the building process. To commemorate this process Libyan Jews put together a sweet mixture called a “bsisa”. A concoction of roasted grain seeds, almonds, nuts and raisins, they also add pieces of gold jewelry and oil, knead it together with a key to the house and recite a blessing of thanks. This ceremony, that many Jews of Libyan origin continue today, was created to give the sense of a new beginning.

From Libya we go to Tunisia where Jews marked Rosh Chodesh Nissan by placing a single candle wick into a cup of oil, toss a coin into the cup and say a blessing for the new year.

While only a handful of Jews remain in Tunisia and none are left in Libya, these countries are part of the Jewish Mosaic as well as today’s headlines. Rosh Chodesh Nissan is neatly tucked into that mosaic as well. This year it falls on Tuesday, April 5th. Make this Rosh Chodesh Nissan an opportunity to combine your Social Studies Current Events lesson plan with your Jewish studies curriculum – and connect the dots.

Dutch and Italian Jews Share a Haman’s Ear Custom

2011-03-13T12:09:00.001-07:00

My friend Ida hails from Holland. When I told her about my research and blog dealing with Jewish holiday customs she eagerly added her own Dutch treat for Purim. “You know,” she said, “I never quite understood why Hamentashen stand for Haman’s ears. You have to go to Holland to see what a Haman’s ear really looks like.” Ida then proceeded to describe a family baking session consisting of dough dripped into a deep pan of hot, bubbling oil, carefully shaped to look like an ear. Once golden brown, it was removed, drained from oil and then sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar. Placed on a cake tray, the final display showed numerous ear shapes to choose from. “After all,” smiled Ida, “we all have different shaped ears.”

Being a pretty thorough researcher herself, Ida decided to Google the recipe. Here’s what she came up with. As you can see, the Italians share this custom as well. It’s more than a tradition. It’s an earful.
Hearty appetite and Happy Purim.

The Jews of Alsace France have a Unique Way of Remembering Haman

2011-02-27T01:07:00.000-08:00

Skip the Hamantashen. The Jews of Alsace France prefer to eat Hanukkah style doughnuts on Purim, and they have created their own gallows humor to remember Haman. They don’t tell Haman to hang on to his hat, but in their own way they hang him out to dry – literally. You’ve got it. They eat smoked beef that they have hung out to dry and put it in their pea soup or steamed cabbage, making it an important course in their Purim feast. It’s a fun idea and translates well if you want to turn your classroom into a Purim Deli. I can envision hanging salamis “dressed up” as Haman and his sons. It’s a delicious idea for a holiday that’s full of fun.
Enjoy!

Portuguese Jews Reach Out to the Poor on Purim

2011-02-20T04:06:00.000-08:00

With a month to go, we’re all in the throes of getting ready for Purim – the happiest holiday on the Jewish calendar. But there’s a serious side to Purim that kids should be aware of as well, and that’s Matanot Le’Evyonim – Gifts for the Poor. Portuguese Jews make sure to bring this message home. Once the Megillah is read on Purim morning the synagogue youth leader takes youngsters on a door-to-door campaign, collecting money in velvet bags that are distributed to the less fortunate in the community. What’s more, on Purim day poor people are not ashamed to knock on the doors of their fellow Jews, asking for help. Every household has its own pile of coins ready for distribution.

Helping the underprivileged is an important Purim lesson. In between learning about the story of Esther, how about organizing a Purim Costume Drive? Ask your students to bring in last year’s costume as a donation to less fortunate kids who don’t have the means for creating a fancy getup.

What about volunteering at a local soup kitchen the day before or after your Purim festivities?
I am sure you can come up with even better ways to get the message across that it is important to reach out to the needy.

Food for thought as you start your Purim lessons.
Speaking of food for thought – I’ll be back over the next few weeks with some fun Purim food customs.
Tami

Jews in Turkey Welcome Guests with a Teaspoon of Apple Jam

2011-01-01T08:18:00.000-08:00

We all know that Hachnasat Orchim – welcoming of guests into one’s home – is an important Jewish value dating back to Abraham. The question is how does one go about doing it? Certainly we are not going to wash our guests’ feet as Abraham did. Most of us feel that a gracious verbal welcome suffices. Not so for Turkish Jews. They go out of their way to make guests feel at home by turning their Rosh Hashana custom of eating home-made apple jam into a year-round Hachnasat Orchim practice. When a guest enters their house s/he is first treated to a teaspoon of apple jam and a glass of water. It’s their way of wishing sweetness and happiness to every visitor.

Why do I bring this up? To begin with, it is wonderful to see how one Jewish community reveres our values as much as our holidays. In addition, I believe that Hachnasat Orchim is a value so important that it should be engraved in the psyche of every Jew. When we made Aliyah in 1977 I was overwhelmed by the number of invitations we received. It didn’t take long for us to understand how essential it was to adapt this practice into our own lifestyle. Seven years later, we went to the States on our first Sabbatical. This time I was underwhelmed by the lack of invitations. Over the decades many of our friends and colleagues experienced the same treatment during their sabbatical years. When we were able to muster up enough courage to ask “why”, we couldn’t believe the answer: “It’s not worth our energy to invest in people who won’t be here after a year.” It was not until our last Sabbatical in Providence that we finally came upon a Jewish community that truly understood the meaning of Hachnasat Orchim. By then my expectations were less than low. Thirty-two years after making aliyah, I was once again happily overwhelmed.

Obviously, every community is different, as is every era. Nonetheless, Hachnasat Orchim is a timeless value that should be handed down by parents, as well as taught in the classroom. Turkish Jews have it right. It is so important, it is worthy of a custom.

The Aleksander Hasidim May Be Nearly Extinct But Their Havdalah Custom Lives On

2010-12-12T02:15:00.000-08:00

My husband and I spent this Shabbat in Neve Aliza (located in Israel’s Shomron region) to celebrate a family Bar Mitzvah. The proud parents grew up in Israel but their joint roots are American and British. I was expecting a warm family setting with all the usual trappings, including familiar customs. And so it was, until Havdalah. I didn’t pay much attention to the fact that the father held up two long Shabbat candles crossed in an “X” position instead of the typical braided Havdalah candle. Sniffing small clusters of cloves and/or lemon scented fragrance followed the usual bill of fare, as did the singing of Hamavdil Bein Kodesh Le Khol and Eliyahu Hanavi.

I was about to give my husband the "let’s go" signal when I finally picked up on the fact that this was not a routine Havdalah ceremony. The Bar Mitzvah boy’s father, who hails from London, never extinguished the Havdalah candles. Instead, he placed them in the silver candlestick holders that his wife had used to welcome the Sabbath Queen and carried them back to stand on their silver tray, flames aglow. I quickly rushed over to him, asking “what are you doing?” “I’m extending the Shabbat another two hours,” he answered with a smile, realizing the irony of having just formally ended the day of rest. “Where did you get this custom from?” I asked. He shrugged his shoulders, explaining that it was always done in his house and that he thinks it started with the Aleksander Hassidim. At least, that’s what his mother, a descendent from this sect, once told him.

Who were the Aleksander Hassidim and where did they come from? He wasn’t sure, maybe the Polish city of Lodz. All it took was a quick Google search to find out that the now nearly extinct Aleksander Hassidim were the second largest Hassidic group in pre-Holocaust Poland. Clearly the flames of extinction did not succeed in obliterating their spirit. However, this prompted me to think about the numerous customs many of us practice without really knowing their origins. So there you have it, the perfect family roots activity: Take a specific ceremony (and we have lots of them), ask your students what customs they have for it, then give them an assignment of sitting down with their parents/grandparents to trace the custom’s origins. In the process, have a Shavua Tov.

Fried Cheese Blintzes for Hanukkah? Sephardim Shed Light on Why it is Customary to Eat Dairy Foods.

2010-11-21T05:26:00.001-08:00

Guess what? There are two dairy holidays in the Jewish tradition. That is, if you come from a Sephardi background. We all connect dairy with Shavuot. But Hanukkah? Yes, Hanukkah. If your ethnic roots are Kurdish or Persian, then you're eating dairy delights on Hanukkah.

Sephardi women love to cook, so it’s no coincidence that this custom directly relates to one of the Hanukkah heroines. Maccabim aside, who else knew how to live by the sword and make the enemy die by the sword? Judith, of course. An attractive, seductive, wealthy widow, she knew how to milk a situation for all its worth. That’s why when the Assyrian general Holofernes blockaded the city she lived in and cut off its water supply, Judith understood what had to be done. She went to the general’s camp and pretended to surrender. Holofernes was so struck by Judith’s good looks that he invited her into his tent. Judith came armed with just the right weapons – wine and cheese. The combination was even more delectable than Judith’s beauty. The general ate, drank and didn’t have a chance to make merry because he fell into a drunken sleep. A slumber so deep that Judith easily beheaded him and saved her people from the siege. To honor Judith’s daring deed, Sephardim eat dairy and fried foods on Hanukkah.

What does this mean for your classroom? A lot. To begin with, it opens the window on Hanukkah’s heroines. Who were these women who showed their mettle? The girls in your class will be happy to know and the boys will learn a lesson or two about female bravery. Next, what about your Hanukkah celebration? Ask some of the parents to help you out with a Hanukkah cottage cheese noodle kugel or fry up some classic cheese blintzes that fit the double bill of dairy foods fried in oil. Want the kids to “cook” on their own? Mixing granola with yogurt and topping it with fresh or dried berries is easy to do. How about a “7-layer cream cheese cake” made from whole wheat bread and low-fat cream cheese? I just thought of these two options off the top of my head, so I can imagine the creative “cooking” ideas you’ll come up with. Whatever dairy dish you decide to bake or make, enjoy and have a Hanukkah Sa'meach.

Don’t forget, you can buy my book Hanukkah Around the World through Karben’s on-line book store, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, or your local Judaica store.

On Hanukkah, Galician Jews Knew How to Play Their Cards

2010-11-07T03:20:00.001-08:00

Playing cards during the day? Oy Vey!

As far back as the 15th century, the Ashkenazim of Worms, Germany forbade this indulgence – except during Hanukkah, and even then the Rabbis debated its function. Clearly, the “ayes” won, as card playing continued to be a Hanukkah custom that eventually spread to the Galician city of Rzeszow, in south-eastern Poland, where they played a card game similar to Black Jack. On Hanukkah, Heder (lower Yeshiva) students stopped learning for several hours a day to play cards or watch others play. What was interesting were the cards themselves. Hanukkah playing cards had four nicknames: “Kvitlech” meaning little notes – a name that we connect today to the “kvitel” bearing wishes that we fold up and tuck into the crevices of the Wailing Wall; “Klein Shass”, which means a small Talmud; “Tilliml”, representing a small book of Psalms; and “Lamed Alefniks” – the “thirty-oners” representing the 31 kings of Canaan mentioned in the Book of Joshua. Even more important was who made the cards. In Poland, no one ever heard of the company Bicycle Cards. It was up to the teachers or children to hand paint each card.

I’m sure you see where I’m heading. In this day and age of virtual everything, it’s nice to go back to some home-grown, hands-on activities, especially when we’re looking for new ways to connect students to the messages of Hanukkah. Adapting an age-old Hanukkah custom to the contemporary classroom might just do the trick. Hanukkah is all about celebrating heroism, courage and religious freedom. There are enough heroes, heroines, religious symbols and even food to draw on for creating a hand-made Hanukkah card game where you decide the type of game and how many cards make the deck.

Now there's an ace up your sleeve!

You can read about eight other fascinating Hanukkah customs and try some yummy Hanukkah recipes when you buy my book Hanukkah Around the World. You can purchase it through Kar-Ben’s online store, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or ask your local Jewish book store.

Mexican Jews Laugh It Up During Havdalah

2010-10-24T00:05:00.000-07:00

Long before Laughter Yoga hit North American shores, Jews in Mexico understood that a good giggle is one of the best ways to start the week. To that purpose they created a custom that I would like to name

HA-HA-HAvdalah. It goes like this: before the head of the house recites the blessing over the spices, the entire family laughs out loud. It’s their way of welcoming a happy week. When I asked “Why laughter?” the Mexican woman who told me about this custom broadly smiled and replied: “Laughter helps you accept your life.” Sounds good to me. After all, haven’t we all been told at one time or another to “laugh off” whatever bothers us? And aren’t there studies indicating that laughter is the best way to relieve stress, feel happy, strengthen your immune system, diminish pain and more? If there’s one thing that’s contagious that each and every one of us wants to catch, it’s a good laugh. Laughter is the only medication that doesn’t cost a penny and is guaranteed to make you feel better immediately. So here’s what I’d like to suggest: Lighten up your students’ life by jump-starting the week with a small dose of laughter. Whether it’s Sunday Religious School or Monday back to school, begin the day with a roaring Shavua Tov ritual. Adapt the Havdalah service to the classroom, share it with your colleagues and let the school shake with gales of laughter.

Repeat after me: HA-HA-Havdalah, HA-HA-Havdalah, HA-HA-Havdalah.

Shavua Tov…Tami

Combine a Kibbutz Rosh Chodesh Custom with Shabbat Rosh Chodesh and You have the Makings of a Wonderful Kaballat Shabbat

2010-10-10T04:15:00.001-07:00

A good friend of mine used to live on Kibbutz Sa’ad – a B’nei Akiva kibbutz located in Israel’s southern region. Sitting next to her in synagogue yesterday on Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, I asked her if the kibbutz had any special Rosh Chodesh customs. She longingly licked her lips, remembering the yummy fresh rolls given to each kibbutz member for the Rosh Chodesh meal. My mind immediately began to hyper wander. First to my Rosh Chodesh post last year, where I mentioned that in days of yore Rosh Chodesh was celebrated through a delicious feast. Then I thought of the numerous specialty rolls sold on today’s market – seven-grain, plain, seeded, tomato herb, onion, marble and so much more, each topped with an equal amount of unusual seeds and grains. Many rolls are even braided. Finally, I started thinking about Kabbalat Shabbat and how to integrate this custom into the classroom. The answer came on Motzei Shabbat when I Googled Rosh Chodesh, only to discover that in many Sephardic communities there is a custom for women to light candles without a blessing. “There it is,” I said to myself. Combine the Kibbutz custom of a mouth-watering roll with the Sephardi candle lighting custom and you have the ingredients for a wonderful classroom Kabbalat Shabbat Rosh Chodesh. After all, the next Shabbat Rosh Chodesh is only four months away. Adar Aleph (this is a Jewish Leap Year, with two months of Adar) starts on February 5th – another Shabbat Rosh Chodesh. Add some hot chocolate for the winter weather and you’ll be set.
Chodesh Tov…Tami

In Lisbon, Hakafot Have a Sense of Military Efficiency

2010-09-26T05:34:00.000-07:00

Zvuvi has decided to go on vacation this week, so that I can send out a Simchat Torah custom. This time we’re going to Lisbon, Portugal, where Hakafot are somewhat akin to a military operation – in kinder words, Yekke efficiency, Sephardi style.
Hakafot in Lisbon are strictly an evening activity held on Erev Simhat Torah. The sense of a military operation comes with the organization of the event. There are approximately 30 Sifrei Torah standing on a bench dedicated to them. Each male member of the congregation receives a card ahead of time, informing him which Sefer Torah he is to take and for which Hakafa. For instance, your card says that you are to take Sefer Torah #26 for the 3rd Hakafa. The Hakafa seems to be a personal event, with one person at a time holding a Sefer Torah going around the Bima only once. When the Hakafa is finished you return to the Sefer Torah bench, waiting for the next “soldier.” When he takes his Hakafa turn you remain at the bench, standing guard over the Sifrei Torah until the next rotation. The epitome of Rules & Regulations, this custom can be easily adapted to the classroom in a variety of ways. I leave it up to your imagination.

Speaking of the classroom, I thought it might be interesting to find out when the holiday of Simhat Torah as we know it first began. All it took was a little Googling and I discovered the interesting facts behind an evolutionary holiday: The Jews of Babylonia invented this holiday, its name and the dancing associated with it. In the 12th Century, the French added the Attah Horeita verses. At the beginning of that same century, Spain’s Jews began reciting the beginning of Bereishit by heart. Ping Pong back to the the Jews of France who at the time instituted the concept of Khattan Bereishit reading the beginning of Bereishit. By the early 15th century, evening Hakafot were instituted in Ashkenaz. How did the number of Hakafot reach 7? The ARI and his students in sixteenth-century Safed were responsible for that addition, making sure the Hakafot should be around the Bimah – most probably copying the bride’s circling her groom seven times under the khuppa. All this illustrates that customs do not stay stationary, they evolve. If you have a new and interesting Simhat Torah custom, please share it with us.
Chag Sameach…Tami

Good Samaritan. Great Sukkah!

2010-09-19T03:54:00.001-07:00

It takes a good Samaritan to come up with a creative solution on how to commemorate holiday customs while at the same time avoid persecution. That’s exactly what happened with the Samaritans’ building of a Sukkah. However, before I divulge this unusual custom, let’s first examine the origins of today’s Samaritans.

While the phrase "A Good Samaritan" is commonly associated with Christian beliefs and a kindly person in a Jesus parable, Samaritans – Shomronim in Hebrew – actually hail from Samariah, or as it is called in Israel, the Shomron. The Samaritan religion is an ancient form of Judaism. It is monotheistic, believing in the God of Israel and the Five Books of Moses, in addition to adhering to the ways of the Torah. In fact, the Samaritans claim that they are the real thing – their faith is the true religion of the ancient Israelites. Despite the Babylonian Exile, they remained in the Land of Israel, practicing the religion as laid down in the Torah, while Diaspora Jews developed their own Talmudic codes.

The Samaritans started out as a large people but their numbers shrank, especially under Byzantine rule when they were severely persecuted. It is precisely at this point that they began their unusual Sukkah tradition. In order to avoid persecution and vandalism by their neighbors, the Shomronim resorted to building their Sukkot indoors. A tradition that started out for reasons of safety has today evolved into an event of exceptional beauty. Today’s Samaritans – all 700 of them – continue to build their Sukkot inside their homes, with many erecting permanent wall and ceiling mounts for assembling the sukkah frame. The ceiling mount is especially strong since Samaritans create the most unusual and breathtaking, enormous ceiling fruit montages from large, colorful, succulent fruits. Picture themes are developed, with each Sukkah decoration connected to an associated topic. In essence, a Samaritan Sukkah is a spectacular work of art and a major attraction for Israelis who come to enjoy the colorful setting and experience warm Samaritan hospitality. Israelis who do not want to travel beyond the Green Line need not go to Samariah for such an event. Since 1954, half of the Samaritan community has been living in Holon – a city adjoining Tel Aviv. The remaining half live in the village of Kiryat Luza on Mount Grizim, above the West Bank city of Nablus (in Hebrew, the biblical Sh’khem).

Can you adapt this custom to your classroom? Absolutely. All it takes is a little creativity. Since you can’t mount live fruit montages of Samaritan magnitude, how about making fruit montage sculptures based on a specific theme and hold a Sukkah exhibit? Alternatively, have your students draw wall hangings of fruit montages and display the fruits of their labor. If not this year, then next, and may your creative juices bear the fruits of your labor.
Chag Sameach…Tami

What Happens When Yom Kippur Falls on Shabbat? Ethiopian Jews Have Created A New Custom.

2010-09-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

I am sure you were not expecting me to send out a Yom Kippur custom. After all, isn’t its observance universal, with little room for unusual traditions? The answer is yes and no. Yes, there is a standard ceremonial pattern. No, not everything is the same when this holy of holy days falls on Shabbat. Yom Kippur is also known as Shabbat Hashabbatot – the Sabbath of Sabbaths. Because it is prohibited to fast on Shabbat, all other fast days in the Jewish calendar are postponed to another day if they fall on Shabbat. Not Yom Kippur. It stays put regardless if it falls on Shabbat – as it does this year. What to do? Ask our fellow Jews from Ethiopia. When they lived in the land of their birth, they strictly adhered to the “no fasting on Shabbat” decree, and so they did eat something. Now that they are living in Israel they have created a new twist, as reported in a recent article appearing in the New York Jewish Week. They recite the Shabbat Kiddush, but let a child taste the wine. By developing this new practice they honor the Shabbat without violating the practice of fasting.
You may want to pass this custom on to your class and use it as a segue for learning more about Ethiopian Jewry.
Have an easy fast…Tami

Indian Jews Greet the New Year

2010-08-29T05:30:00.000-07:00

Let’s travel to Calcutta – a bustling port city in India where 5,000 Jews once lived. Today the community numbers in the tens, but their traditions are still carried out by descendants living across the globe. Custom had it that on Rosh Hashana, Jews hosted each other for an afternoon reading of the Book of Psalms together with a light meal of fruit and sweets. A collection of 150 psalms, this is the longest book in the Bible and a good starting point for the self reflection that Rosh Hashana is all about. As for the traditional Rosh Hashana greeting – the Jews of Calcutta focused on longevity. Tizku L’Shanim Rabot – May You Merit a Long Life – is the Calcutta Rosh Hashana salutation answered by Tizke V’Tehiyeh – May You Merit and May You Live.

How to apply this to the classroom? A mini-feast of sweets and fruits is easy to put together and perfect for the Rosh Hashana wish of a sweet year. Next, have each student write his/her own 2-line psalm around a theme found in the Book of Psalms, such as creation, wisdom, justice, war, peace, etc. Discuss why each of their psalms is appropriate for Rosh Hashana. Follow this by a “parade” of traditional Rosh Hashana greetings. Let each student pick the greeting of his/her choice and explain why. Here are some sample greetings:
· Shana Tova – A good year
· Shana Tova Umetukah – A good and sweet year
· Ketiva ve-chatima tovah – May you be written and sealed for a good year [in the Book of Life]

My greeting to you: Shana Tova Umetukah Ve Harbei Bri'ut – a good year, a sweet year and a year full of good health.
Tami

A Rosh Hashana Custom that’s in the Cards

2010-08-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

In the same way that email has revived the art of letter writing, the electronic age has revitalized the custom of sending Rosh Hashana cards. It’s difficult to pinpoint when and where this custom began, but one thing is for certain – it crossed all geographical boundaries.

Sent either just before Rosh Hashana or during the ten days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the message is always clear – wishes for a healthy, happy, prosperous, and depending where you live, safe New Year. Take for example the card on the upper left hand side. It dates back to the early 1900’s and depicts Russian Jews gazing at their American relatives, urging them to come to the U.S. My guess is a history of pogroms is behind this message. Of course, not all opted for America. For many, The Holy Land was the obvious choice, and the card on the upper right hand side bearing a family photo with different Holy Land locations in the background was the commonly sent Rosh Hashanah greeting in the 1930’s.

Still, many in Eastern Europe led a good life and were determined to convey a message of love and prosperity, as seen in the next card. Printed in Germany, it was sent in 1931 from Jews in Poland to relatives living in America.

By the 1950’s, 60’s & 70’s, Rosh Hashanah cards with the popular motifs of apples & honey, a shofar, the Book of Life, and round loaves of challah, abounded. But let’s transition to our e-age and the fact that both the school year and Rosh Hashanah are just around the corner. Developing a set of Rosh Hashanah greetings (sent via e-mail) for these turbulent times could be the e-sense of your first school project.

Wishing you lots of creative quality time with your students and children…Tami

Wonderful Italian Custom Connecting Tisha B’Av with Hanukkah

2010-07-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

How can we take a traumatic event and give it a hopeful spin? Ask Italian Jews and they’ll give you the answer. Next week when you read Eicha – Lamentations – on Tisha B’Av in your synagogue by candlelight, don’t throw out the candle when you’ve finished the reading and blown it out. Take it home, wrap it up and store it in a safe place. Come Hanukkah, remove the candle from its wrapping and use it as the Shamash candle for lighting your Hanukkiah candles. What’s the logic behind this custom? On Tisha B’Av we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple, but on Hanukkah we celebrate its rededication. Italian Jews use the candle to close the circle and to end Tisha B’Av on an optimistic note. Learning from history never hurts and in these tumultuous times an upbeat message is exactly what we need.
Have an easy fast…Tami

Turkish Jews Wear Havdalah Besamim from Sundown Friday to Nightfall Saturday

2010-05-23T04:58:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. School’s coming to a close and for now there are no more holidays on the horizon. All the more reason we should take a look at Shabbat, especially if you’re giving some thought to next year’s lesson plans.
We all have our Shabbat comfort aromas. Like a yoga mantra, these fragrances envelope us in a sense of calm. The Havdalah service ending the Sabbath day reminds us of Shabbat’s sweet scent through the use of Besamim – fragrant spices. While most of us use a dry blend of whole cloves, cinnamon pieces and allspice, Turkish Jews prefer a spice from nature. In fact, they use fresh Besamim to bookend the Shabbat. Here’s what they do. Before Shabbat begins they pick or buy a fresh sprig of an aromatic spice such as rosemary or mint. The men place the herb in their jacket lapel and go to synagogue wearing this sweet smelling reminder. The sprig is never removed. By Havdallah time it becomes a convenient accessory. Returning to synagogue with the same herb lodged in their lapel, they say Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha olam, bo're minei b'samim, "Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the universe, Who creates varieties of spices." They then remove the sprig and breath in its aroma in order to savor Shabbat and the tranquility it provides.
What a wonderful way to start the work week! You can get that message across to your students every Friday afternoon. Add some seasoning to your lesson plan by explaining the symbolism of the Havdalah spices, then send your students home with fresh spice sprigs. Ask them to come up with some creative post-Havdalah ways to use the spice.
Keep me posted on their ideas.
Have a Shavua Tov…Tami

Moroccan Jews Eat Matza on the First Night of Shavuot

2010-05-08T23:55:00.001-07:00

Did you or your school over-buy Matza for Passover? A Moroccan Shavuot custom ripe with symbolism will help diminish the number of Matza sheets piled high in kitchen cabinets.

Once Moroccan Jews recite the Kiddush on Shavuot eve they take a few pieces of Matza that they saved from Passover and break them into small pieces. They then make a mixture of honey and milk. Immediately after, they blend the Matza pieces into the mix. Everyone gets their own portion, savoring the taste of this Shavuot treat.

You might consider this custom ‘cute’ or ‘quaint’, but let’s examine the meaning behind it in order to appreciate its true worth. Matza is our bread of affliction, representing the journey we began as a people. It also reminds us of the difficult escape we made from Egypt. The honey symbolizes the sweet feeling of being given the Torah. By receiving a code of law that we could call our own, we officially became a nation. To quote Jackie Gleason: “How Sweet It Is.” The milk is part of the Shavuot dairy tradition. Blended together, the combination of these three ingredients reminds us that Shavuot marks the conclusion of our Exodus from Egypt and the beginning of our collective, national experience.

So, if you’re looking for a creative way to get the Shavuot message across to your class, try this recipe out during snack time.
May you have a yummy and meaningful Shavuot…Tami

Let’s Create Our Own Lag B’Omer Custom

2010-04-25T01:53:00.001-07:00

In another week we will be celebrating Lag B’Omer – the 33rd day of the Omer. The Omer is known as period of mourning which began with the death of Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students from a heavenly ordained plague. Legend has it that the plague stopped on this day.

There are several customs associated with Lag B’Omer, which is also the Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, author of the Zohar and father of Jewish mysticism. Some of the customs revolve around the Rabbi and his request that the day of his death be turned into a celebration. Consequently, to symbolize the light he spread to all of his followers, we light bonfires on Lag B’Omer night, singing and dancing around the fire, mock archery contests are held, and (not related to the Rabbi) 3-year old boys get their first haircuts.

How to do all these customs fit in with your school day? Not very well. This got me thinking about the origins of the Omer, some lesser known Israeli customs, and how we can combine all of this into an original school custom.

First of all, what is an Omer? It is a measure of barley. In Biblical times, it was a commandment to bring barley the size of an Omer on the second day of Passover to the Temple in Jerusalem. Counting the Omer is a Biblical commandment found in the book of Leviticus. The days of the Omer run from the day after Passover night – when the Jews physically became free – to the night before Shavuot – when the Jews achieved spiritual liberation through the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai.

Step 2: Little known Israeli customs. On Lag Ba’Omer night many Sephardi Israelis go to Mount Merom, pitch huge tents, serve festive multi-course dinners and enjoy the beat of live music. On Lag B’Omer day, Israeli universities hold open fairs on their campuses in honor of “Student’s Day.”

Step 3: Let’s work out a combination by pitching one tent in the school yard and have a student run fair. One table can be devoted to barley: how it looks, how it grows, barley based food and drink, etc. For instance, do you know that the word barn originally meant barley-house? A second table can be devoted to Rabbi Akiva. Who was he? What was his connection with Bar Kochba? What was the reason for the plague that killed his students? What was his connection with Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai? Recreating a visual “map” of his life could be a challenging and enjoyable activity for your students. Finally, since Jewish mysticism deals with the soul of the Torah, how about singing and dancing to some Jewish soul music.

I hope this gives you some inspiration. Enjoy Lag B’Omer.
Tami

Get Ready for Yom Ha’atzmaut with the Perfect Annual Israeli Custom

2010-04-10T23:59:00.001-07:00

Tafur Alecha/Alei’ch. That’s the Hebrew idiom for “it’s made for you” and the annual International Bible Contest held in Jerusalem every Israel Independence Day is just that – the Israeli custom that is really Tafur Alecha/Alei’ch for your Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration this year. Students from all over the world fly to Israel to participate in this competition which was started by David Ben-Gurion – the George Washington of Israel. All of them have already won their own national competition. This year, Israelis will be paying special attention to the Israeli contestant since he is none other than Avner – the 16 year-old son of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Avner comes from a tradition of Bible Quiz winners on his mother’s side.

So what will be the focus of your Bible contest? Here’s an idea: famous siblings in the Bible. Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, Moses, Aaron and Miriam (yes, please don’t forget to include sisters), to name a few. How about including this question in the quiz: “Who were the first set of brothers that didn’t fight and how do we remember them?”
Answer: Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Menasheh. How do we remember them? Through a beautiful Shabbat custom. Before we start the Shabbat meal, or right after candle lighting, we bless our children. The blessing for boys is “May God make you to be like Ephraim and Menasheh.” The reason we recite this blessing dates back to Jacob, when he was about to die. He summoned his family around him so that he could bless them. Surrounded by his closest of kin, he chose to first bless Ephraim and Menasheh. Aware of the jealous streak that ran in his family, Jacob was proud of how these two grandsons behaved towards each other. He used them to stress the point that brothers should live in peace.
On that peaceful note, I wish all of you a Yom Ha’Atzmaut Sameach.
Tami

Collective Memory is a Jewish Custom

2010-03-28T01:39:00.001-07:00

Before we sit down at tomorrow’s Seder table let’s take stock of the collective memory months we are observing. In Adar, we recall Amalek, perfectly embodied by Haman. We seamlessly transition to the month of Nissan, retelling the story of our slavery under Pharoah, our eventual freedom and entry into nationhood. Our long memory doesn’t end here. A mere six days after Passover we’re declaring “Never Again” by marking Holocaust Remembrance Day. We want our children and students to do more than just memorize the date. We want them to etch the message in the deep recesses of their mind. The question is “how?” Last year I devoted my Holocaust Remembrance Day blog to telling you what we do in Israel. This year I’m going to keep you on Israeli shores by urging you to take a virtual visit to the Ghetto Fighter’s Kibbutz and Museum – an appropriate place to “go to” since Holocaust Memorial Day has purposely been positioned on the 27th of Nissan, the Hebrew date of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in April 1943. Pictured above is the museum’s model of the Treblinka Concentration Camp. You’ll also see a second photo of the museum’s Children’s Memorial. Expand your trip’s horizons by taking it to a different dimension provided by an 8 minute film on the kibbutz and its museum. Even if you don’t understand Hebrew, you’ll get the gist. There is an English translation of sorts and the archival footage is wonderful. You decide if it fits in with your Holocaust Memorial Day lesson plan.

So, as you sit down at your Seder table and say the blessing of “She’Hecheyanu” bear in mind everything that Jewish nationhood has gone through – from Pharoah to today – to get us to our present point. Also think about this appropriate word play. The word "remember" is actually "re-member". Each generation of the Jewish people has to repeat the historical memory of its national past in order to continue being a member of our wonderful nation!
Chag Sameach…Tami

In Byelorussia a Different Child Asked Each of the 4 Questions

2010-03-13T22:54:00.001-08:00

One of the standard Passover customs is having the youngest child in the family ask the Mah Nishtana -- The 4 Questions. Sometimes the child is embarrassed and the adults chime in. A custom practiced by many families in Byelorussia decades gone by, solved this problem. All the children in the family knew the Mah Nishtana by heart and each one would ask a different question, starting from the eldest down. If there were more than four children in the family, they would pair up. This custom got me thinking about how we could continue the Passover Play that we began with the Turkish custom and continued with the Moroccan custom mentioned in my last blog. The answer is obvious: Divide the Mah Nishtana into four parts and have each child playfully illustrate what the question is about. Let the script continue with The 4 Sons and make sure it is not gender based. After all, children are children and both boys and girls enjoy dressing up. Think about what the wise child could wear, the bad one, the one who is simple with very few interests, and finally, the one who is so small s/he doesn’t know how to ask questions. Once you’ve determined the costumes and who should play which role, ask your chosen actors if they would like to read the matching passages as well.

We’re half-way through Act I of the Seder night and there’s still more fun in sight: acting out The 10 Plagues, singing Dayenu Persian style (see my book Passover Around the World), eating a fabulous feast followed by singing favorite Passover ballads.
Enjoy your model Seder at school, your seder at home, and savor the sweet taste of freedom.
Happy Passover, Pessach Sameach…Tami

Dress Up Your Seder Plate with this Moroccan Custom

2010-02-28T10:07:00.000-08:00

True, we’ve just finished with Purim, but that doesn’t mean you should pack up your costume kit. If you read my Passover blogs last year, you’ll remember that I suggested a Turkish custom revolving around a play complete with costumes to start the Seder night. If you haven’t read it, then please go into this blog’s archive. I still think it’s a wonderful way to involve children, plus it serves as a great companion for the following Moroccan custom. With the food symbols in place, some Moroccan Jews “dress up” their Seder plate by covering it with a beautiful scarf. It is brought out to the table once all the guests are seated, so that it can be passed around. Apparently the scarf is removed at this point. Background music accompanies this practice, with everyone singing songs expressing a love for Israel. The last stage of this ritual is gently placing the plate on a child’s head and tenderly turning it around so that all can see the different symbols. Although everyone is sitting, this is a custom that keeps you on your feet – one small slip of the plate, and ooops, you’re a slave to cleaning up the mess.

I know you have loads of Passover preparations and lesson plans to get ready, but please don’t tell me you have enough on your plate. This is a custom you can adapt to your classroom. For starters, here’s a link to some favorite Passover songs. The spiritual “Let My People Go” is a perennial favorite. Next, have a scarf beauty pageant. Ask each student to bring in the most beautiful scarf s/he has at home and have a panel of judges decide which is the winning scarf. Finally, hold a model Seder with your class and make sure to start it with the Turkish play from last year, followed by this custom.

Sounds good to you? In two week’s time I’ll bring you another custom to help you get more kids involved on Seder night.

Happy Passover Planning…Tami

Here’s a French Purim Custom that Should Be Carved in Stone

2010-01-23T12:20:00.001-08:00

Haman was like Pharoah. He had a heart of stone. Today, the thought of having to live with any type of Haman within our midst leaves us stone cold. Could a combination of these two factors be the reason that French Jews created a unique Purim custom using stones? It seems that at one point in history French Jewish children would take smooth stones and either write or engrave Haman’s name on them. They would then take two stones each to the Megillah reading and bang them together whenever Haman’s name was mentioned. The logic behind this custom lies with the Biblical verse in the Book of Exodus (17:14-16): "And God said to Moshe: Write this for a remembrance in a book, and repeat it in Joshua's ears, that I will surely wipe out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens.” We all know that Haman was the Amalek of his time. By smacking the two stones together the children would wear away his name little by little, so that it would be “erased” by the end of the Megillah reading. In my opinion, this custom is not only a unique alternative to groggers but also a timely way to vent our frustrations about today’s Amalek. He comes from the same country as Haman and his name deserves to be erased as well. Anyone for putting the name Ahmadinejad on two stones and using them as this year’s grogger?

I hope you are enjoying my blogs. I’m off to the States so both this blog and Zvuvi will be on vacation for the next 4 weeks.
See you on February 21st.
Le’Hitraot…Tami

Tu B’Shvat is Three Weeks Away: Adapt an Ancient Jewish Green Custom to Your Curriculum

2010-01-10T02:39:00.001-08:00

The original “Arbor Day”, Tu B’Shvat, dates back to the second century CE, when Jewish Rabbis were hard at work writing the Mishnah and developing the first ecology lesson plan by creating the “New Year for Trees”. The lesson plan was expanded in the 1600s, by the kabbalist Rabbi Yitzhak Luria of Safed. Together with his pupils, he began a new tradition – a Tu B’shvat Seder celebrating the fruits and trees growing in the Land of Israel. I found another ancient custom practiced in the Land of Israel, tying in with Tu B’Shvat. Following a child’s birth, a tree was planted on Tu B’Shvat. Cedar trees were planted for boys and cypress trees for girls. As each child grew so did the tree planted for him or her. The pioneers of the modern state of Israel used the same line of thinking by turning Tu B’shvat into a reason to plant trees as a way of symbolizing the rebirth of the Jewish state. The JNF – Jewish National Fund – is responsible for all tree planting in Israel. Their website reports that Israel is only one of two countries in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees. While Israel is not blessed with natural forests, hand-planting has done the trick.

Today we know that planting trees helps reduce pollution because trees filter out pollutants and help the atmosphere stock up on oxygen. So here’s an interesting way to adapt the above ancient Jewish Green custom to your classroom curriculum between now and Tu’Bshvat. How about doing a research project on the different types of trees mentioned in the Bible and how many of these tree types still stand in Israel today? Have your students find out about the benefits of each tree, the kind of soil and climate they require, the types of fruit or flowers that they yield and in what seasons. If you can, take this a step forward by seeing how many of your students have names that stand for trees and ask each one to research his/her name, including the ecological benefits of the specific tree. Let me get you started: My name is Tami, the Hebrew nickname for Tamar, which is a palm tree. Palm trees grow in tropical or warm climates. They are great for the ecology because they are susceptible to very few pests and diseases. Palm trees supply food (dates and sometimes coconuts) and oil. Palm oil can be used for cooking and making soap. In fact, back in the 1700s the English used palm oil as a medication and a hand cream.
I’ll stop here and let the Tamar in your class continue. Do you have students named Alon or Alona to research oak trees? Anyone named Oren who can look into fir trees?
Have a lot of green fun.
Tami

Connecting the Fast of the 10th of Tevet to Jewish Genealogy

2009-12-27T08:51:00.000-08:00

Today is the fast of Asarah B’Tevet – the 10th day of the month of Tevet, commemorating the day when Babylonian King Nebuchadnetzar blockaded Jerusalem – the first step to destroying our holy Temple on Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av. In my November 14th post I mentioned an Italian custom linking Hanukkah with Tisha B’Av, an important Fast Day on the Jewish calendar that falls between the curriculum cracks because it occurs during the summer. It’s true that some of you are on vacation until January 2nd, and that once again another Fast Day will get lost in the shuffle, but I still want to provide you with an interesting way to tuck this day into a lesson plan.
Israel has an interesting take on Asarah B’Tevet. In addition to stressing the historic importance of this fast, it has designated the day as Yom Hakaddish Haklali – the umbrella day of mourning for all Jews whose date or place of death is unknown. Last night I happened on a religious radio program discussing this very topic and linking it to Jewish genealogy. That immediately caught my attention since my paternal grandmother was a victim of the Nazi genocide and to this day the family has no idea as to her exact day of death. The radio panel pointed out that these loved ones lost in time can serve as the bond to family roots. To my surprise, I then discovered that Jewish Genealogy has been transformed into an academic subject taught at and promoted by The International Institute for Jewish Genealogy and Paul Jacobi Center at the Hebrew University’s National Library of Israel.The center is certainly not kid oriented but it might give you some good ideas to pursue. In fact, you may want to use the fast of Asarah B’Tevet as your launching pad for a “Family Roots” project that you can start now and end in June. I’ve already talked about Jewish Genealogy and various kid sources to pursue for the classroom in my June 2nd 2009 post, so you may want to go back and have a look. And you may also want to stop and think about the importance of Fast Days. Yes, we want to make sure they go by fast, but behind each day is a lesson in Jewish history that kids should be aware of. FYI: the next fast day falls on February 25th – Yud Aleph B’Adar. It’s Ta'anit Esther -- the Fast of Esther. While Purim is meant to be fun, fun, fun, without fasting Esther wouldn’t have had the courage to expose Haman and his wicked plot. How’s that for “fast” food for thought for your Purim lesson plan?
Kol Tuv...Tami

Connecting the Jews of Avignon, France with Hanukkah & Rashi

2009-12-13T04:35:00.000-08:00

We have just finished this year’s first Shabbat Hanukkah, which brings me to a wine & dine custom practiced by Avignon Jews in Southern France. We all know that the French are masters of haute cuisine and wine making. French Jews have taken on these cultural habits as well, applying them to the evening following Shabbat Hanukkah. That’s when the Jews of Avignon open new casks of wine to sample and toast the holiday. Of course something savory accompanies the wine – sugar dusted beignets. Apparently, this deep fried pastry became a French export, eventually reaching the shores of New Orleans. I have found a wonderful, short video clip to show you how to make this treat. Yes, the voice-over accent is not ours and beignets are certainly not the healthiest dish around for the cholesterol and weight-watching minded, but it’s Hanukkah, so if you want, cheat a bit.

Food aside, how can you connect this custom with Rashi? The link is in the wine. Our great Biblical commentator followed in his father’s footsteps of learning Bible while working to make a living. Rashi was an only child born in Troyes, Champagne, located in northern France. His father was a winemaker. When Rashi was five, his father gave him his first Torah lesson and continued to be his Torah teacher until Rashi reached adolescence. Apparently, Rashi learned the trade from his father as well. Common knowledge has it, that like his father, Rashi was a vintner. His extensive knowledge of the utensils used to make wine comes through in some of his commentaries. The importance to stress to students is not the wine, but “Torah ve Avodah” – Torah study and work…and to that we can say “Le’Chayim”.
Happy Hanukkah…Tami

For Kurdistan Jews Hanukkah is a Time to Reuse & Recycle

2009-11-28T10:52:00.001-08:00

The three “Rs” – Reduce, Reuse & Recycle – have become today’s environmental mantra. As Westerners who really have it all, we never stop to think that there are Jews who don’t need the ecology cause to practice the “Reuse” principle. Take the Jews from Kurdistan and their charming, low budget way of shedding light on Hanukkah’s oil miracle. Kurdish Jews who could not afford a Hanukkiah used eggshells as cups for wicks and oil. There was no egg on anyone’s face because they didn’t have enough money. On the contrary. Eggs were eaten either for breakfast, lunch or dinner and the cracked egg shells were saved for lighting what I call the Eggnukia, every night. Tell your students to scramble home and try out this neat Hanukkiah alternative. Every which way, it gives the correct message – they’ll learn how to reuse and at the same time not take material goods for granted. If anything, maybe it will prompt them to start accumulating their own nest egg for next year’s Hanukkah presents.

For more Hanukkah customs don’t forget to take advantage of Kar-Ben’s 20% discount on Hanukkah Around the World when you shop at Kar-Ben’s online store. Use the special code TAMI when you check out. This offer is available until January 15, 2010.

Chag Sameach...Tami

The Right Book for Giving Hanukkah 8 New Angles

2009-11-14T14:22:00.001-08:00

In four weeks’ time we will be celebrating Hanukkah and I’d like to introduce you to my new book Hanukkah Around the World. If you’re looking for 8 new angles on how to present Hanukkah to your class, this is the book for you. It captures everyone’s imagination by transforming Hanukkah into a trip across the globe through 8 original stories revolving around customs, many of which you’ve never heard of. Take your students on an exciting expedition to Australia, Israel, Italy, Poland, Tunisia, Turkey, Uzbekistan and the United States. Each story is accompanied by a sidebar giving you the background of the Jewish population in that country plus a matching native recipe. You couldn’t have a yummier way to celebrate each Hanukkah day. The book provides you with even more added value through its intro with unconventional interesting facts, and the “Potpourri” section at the back that includes 10 more customs.

To whet your appetite, let me tell you which story is my favorite. It’s the one that takes place in Turin, Italy describing a very touching custom linking Hanukkah with Tisha B’Av. The latter is an important fast day that falls through the classroom curriculum cracks because it occurs during the summer vacation. By connecting Hanukkah with this most important day on the Jewish calendar you get a chance to make a lasting link that your students won’t forget.

Enjoy the book and let me know what you think. You can benefit from a 20% discount on Hanukkah Around the World when you shop at Kar-Ben’s online store and use the special code TAMI when you check out. This offer is available until January 15, 2010.

I’ll be back in two weeks with an unusual Hanukkah custom.
Tami

Welcoming the Shabbat Afghani Style

2009-10-31T23:56:00.001-07:00

Shavua Tov to all of you.
Since the High Holiday season is behind us and Hanukkah is about six weeks away, I think it’s time we start focusing on our favorite weekly holiday – Shabbat. During my year in America numerous teachers told me that they are always looking for new Shabbat activity ideas. So, I’ve decided that in between holidays I’ll sneak in some neat Shabbat customs from around the world that you can apply to the classroom and family Shabbat programs. I’ve also decided to make this first Shabbat blog a bridge between the past and current events.
The war in Afghanistan makes daily headlines. Because it’s an Islamic Republic and because America is waging another war in Iraq the Jewish focus tends to get lost. So here’s the thing: Just like Iraq once had a thriving Jewish community, so did Afghanistan, with a 2,500 year history. However, by 2004 there were only 2 Jews left.
Today, Afghani Jews primarily live in the United States and Israel. Still they haven’t forgotten many of the wonderful traditions handed down through the generations. One Shabbat custom that I found seems tailor-made for the classroom. Afghani Jews would designate a shelf in their house to “Lich-vod Shabbat” – “In Honor of the Sabbath.” This shelf was more like a weekly treasure chest displaying all the special treats bought during the week in anticipation of the Shabbat. Fruits, baked goods, candies, anything you can think of not ordinarily eaten during the week, were purchased weekly and stored on the shelf until the arrival of the Sabbath Queen. That was the way Afghan Jews made Shabbat special, separating it from the weekday routine.

Do you have any type of shelf in your classroom that you can dedicate to Shabbat? Call it the “Lich-vod Shabbat” shelf and hold a weekly Shabbat Show & Tell, with different students bringing in different goodies every week. The time to enjoy these delectable delights? Friday, of course!You determine the hour – snack, lunch, recess, right before dismissal…it’s up to you and it’s something for your pupils to look forward to.

Have a Shabbat Shalom this coming Friday and every Friday of the year.
Tami

Reach for the Moon with Rosh Chodesh

2009-10-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

Sunday night and Monday are Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan. Your students might be interested to know that during Biblical times Rosh Chodesh was known as a “ma’or festival” – a holiday of (lunar) light – and was considered a special occasion. Once two reliable eyewitnesses spotted the first sliver of the moon in the night sky, messengers were sent out, informing everyone that the new month had begun. Trumpets were blown, delicious feasts were held, and sacrifices were brought to the Temple celebrating the new moon and month. The Rabbis of the Talmud compared the moon to Israel, since both were active and constantly renewing themselves.

Eventually Rosh Chodesh celebrations receded into the background. Today, it is viewed by many as a woman’s holiday. But there is nothing new under the moon. According to the Talmud (tractate Megillah 22b), women are exempt from doing work on Rosh Chodesh. Rashi elaborated even further by listing the exact tasks women don’t have to do – spinning, weaving and sewing – because of the specific contributions women made to building the Mishkan. It is also believed that Rosh Chodesh is dedicated to women because they refused to physically participate in the creation of the golden calf. Finally, there’s the obvious comparison to the monthly female cycle.

So where does this leave you and your students? First of all, who doesn’t like to eat yummy food as in days of yore? Rosh Chodesh is one more (Jewish) reason to make snack or lunch time a special event. Rosh Chodesh is also a great time to hold a class on the moon and its different phases. I found this link to help you with a lesson plan. Finally, keeping in line with the feminist aspect, dedicate each Rosh Chodesh to a different female Jewish heroine that boys will enjoy learning about as well.

Chodesh Tov…Tami

YEMENITE JEWS CELEBRATE THE ARRIVAL OF NEW BABIES ON SIMCHAT TORAH

2009-10-04T11:17:00.001-07:00

We’ve seen how much children enjoy taking part in Simchat Torah, with all the flags and goodie bags. Yemenite Jews extend the joy of children even further by celebrating the arrival of new babies on the first Simhat Torah after their birth. The father or grandfather makes a donation to the synagogue by purchasing a hakafa (circular Torah procession) in the baby’s honor. He then becomes the leader of the specific hakafa. Instead of carrying a Torah scroll he carries the baby in his arms, leading the procession around the block or neighborhood.

This custom might be a good way to help your students adapt to the arrival of a new sibling. Among your many classroom activities surrounding Simhat Torah you might want to include a hakafa for all pupils who have become new big brothers and sisters. Let them bring in a picture of their new sibling along with the name and birthday and help them celebrate their new position in the family.

Chag Sameach…Tami

Crypto Jews & Yom Kippur

2009-09-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

An article recently appeared in the Israeli newspaper “Ha’aretz” about the offspring of Portugal’s Crypto Jews and their burning desire to re-embrace Judaism. Since my late father was Austrian by birth but could trace our family’s roots back to the Spanish Inquisition and Expulsion, the subject of Jews publicly claiming they are Christians but clandestinely practicing Judaism has always fascinated me. After reading the article I was prompted to find out if Crypto Jews have an unusual Yom Kippur custom. After all, they secretly light Sabbath candles in their bedroom. Instead of going to Church on Sunday they take their children out to parks and fields where they recount stories from the Bible. Maybe they have a different twist for Yom Kippur as well? Sure enough, they do. The women of Marrano families living in northern Portugal gather together and braid oil wicks while reciting 73 blessings. Mind you, this is not an original tradition. It is mentioned in the Shulhan Aruch, correlating to the fact that G-d has 73 different names. But do any of us practice it? Not at all. We use store-bought memorial candles and simply light them right before Yom Kippur sets in. Leave it to the Crypto Jews to continue this ancient custom.
Why am I bringing all of this up and what does it have to do with your classroom? The answer is simple: It’s detective time again. Your students don’t have to cross the Atlantic to find Crypto Jews. There are Crypto Jews in Texas and New Mexico, and perhaps other states. The rediscovery of their Jewish roots has been an exciting and eventful journey. Wouldn’t it be great to have your class find and contact kids their age who are the descendants of Crypto Jews? How can you do this? For starters, contact the B’nai Israel Synagogue in Albuquerque and ask them if they can help you out. I spent a Shabbat there and I’m pretty sure they will oblige. You might also want to try the Jewish Federation of New Mexico . Once you get some good leads point out to your students that the meaning of the Yom Kippur prayer “Kol Nidre” is “declaring a vow”. Suggest that now is the time for a new vow -- a promise made to Crypto Jewish children that they can trust you and share their secret practices with you.

May this Yom Kippur be a day of productive soul searching.
G’mar Khatima Tova…Tami

Egyptian Jews Use Wheat to Watch the New Year Sprout

2009-09-06T03:40:00.000-07:00

We all know these Rosh Hashanah food customs: a round challah to symbolize the cycle of life; apples dipped in honey for a sweet year; eating the pomegranate as a new fruit because its 613 seeds represent Judaism’s 613 commandments; preparing carrot tzimmis because the Yiddish word for carrots is “merren”, connoting “more” – more children, more wealth, more good deeds, etc. But watching wheat sprout? It’s an ancient custom practiced by many Egyptian Jews that can easily be turned into a Rosh Hashanah classroom science experiment. Anywhere between a week to ten days before Rosh Hashanah, the family would scatter grains of wheat on a piece of damp cotton wool placed on a small plate or in a shallow bowl. Alternatively, they would use either barley or lentils. Sure enough, by the time Rosh Hashanah rolled around, the wheat would sprout, signaling the beginning of a New Year and all that it will yield. How can you adapt this to the classroom? Try comparing how quickly lentil seeds take to sprout if they are placed on or inside damp cotton (make sure to keep it damp), as opposed to being planted in fresh soil inside a yogurt container, making sure the soil is always damp and not overwatered.

May this budding experiment mark the beginning of a year full of growth.

Shana Tova…Tami

A Roman Holiday Custom for the Month of Elul

2009-08-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

I hope you’ve all had a relaxing summer. We have returned to Israel and I’m back on track with new Jewish holiday customs that you can adapt to your school curriculum.

It’s the month of Elul and school is about to begin. Elul is a time for “Kheshbon Nefesh” -- a spiritual inventory of all that went right and wrong over the past year. It’s pretty heavy stuff to lay on kids, but the right trick can get them thinking. A custom practiced by the Jews of Rome may be just the thing. Vacationing at the Italian seaside resort of S. Marinella, Roman Jews mark the month of Elul by gathering together on the last morning of their vacation to hear the blowing of the shofar, eat a meal of thanks (and we know how yummy Italian food can be), and then distribute charity to the needy.

So here’s what I’m thinking: how about marking the beginning of your school year with a pizza lunch that starts with a blowing of the shofar. Tell your students about the Jews of Rome – how old the community is, how it can trace its origins back to the time of the First Temple, and how they follow age-old traditions. Then turn the pizza into food for thought. It’s fun to munch and think about Rosh Hashana resolutions dealing with how to help the needy. Let each student come up with his or her own idea, then transform the resolution into a year-long project that includes a chart and an individual student report given once a year to the entire class. Don’t be shy about tooting your own shofar. Share your students’ ideas with fellow teachers and turn a Jewish-Roman holiday tradition into an annual classroom custom.

I’ll be back soon with another Rosh Hashana custom.
Until then,
Le’Hitraot…Tami

Visiting Israel Has Become an Annual Summer Custom

2009-06-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

Even before the economic downturn, visiting Israel as a family became more economically viable than sending the kids to summer camp. Over the past decade we Israelis witnessed an influx of American families touring our wonderful terrain and making travel to Israel a summer practice. What a wonderful way to celebrate the summer!

Not feasible this year? Here’s the next best thing to bringing your kids over. Watch this trailer for my new book shown above, Zvuvi’s Israel. This playful 32 page book, gorgeously illustrated by Ksenia Topaz, is a “fly’s eye” view of the entire country. The name Zvuvi comes from the Hebrew word Zvuv, which means fly. That means you and your family can see Israel on the fly, whenever you want. Join Zvuvi as he flits from place to place, playing hide-‘n-seek with the reader while he gives you the latest buzz about each site.

You are planning to fly over? Then Zvuvi is the perfect travel companion for your kids and/or grandchildren, ages 3-8. It’s the best way to help kids get excited about touring Israel.

Not bringing the children with you? Give them Zvuvi’s Israel as a gift when you return, showing them all the places you’ve seen. And of course, there's also your school library or classroom, plus other educational institutions that could use fun and informative material on Israel for the younger set.

Come August, Zvuvi’s Israel will be available in Judaica shops and book stores. Right now, you can purchase it online by visiting Kar-Ben’s on-line bookstore.When you do, don’t forget to take advantage of Kar-Ben’s exclusive offer to TAMI LEHMAN-WILZIG KIDS BOOKS readers: 10% off your next order! Use coupon code TAMI when checking out. Offer expires August 10, 2009. One use per customer. Offer not valid with any other discounts.

Enjoy Zvuvi and enjoy Israel!

Turn the Summer Vacation Into A Jewish Genealogy Celebration

2009-06-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

Meet Gavi Kaplan. Better yet, let me explain to you how I just met Gavi Kaplan.
He’s the grandson of a long lost relative of mine. Gavi participated in my June 1st author appearance at Yeshiva Central Queens (YCQ). Ironically, this time my presentation revolved around my Jewish Heirloom Stories series, which is designed to connect the generations. Staying at other cousins the night before my appearance, I received a phone call from Gavi’s mother, explaining that the minute she saw my name on the school flyer promoting the event, she knew she had to track me down and clarify the blood connection. And yes, I remembered her grandmother. She was part of my childhood, but somehow the family contact got lost through the passing of generations over the decades.

This got me thinking. Since I’ve done some minor genealogy hunting of my own, I know that an annual international Jewish genealogy conference is held every summer in a different venue (BTW – this August it will be held in Philadelphia). I also know that other than Tisha B’Av, there are no Jewish holidays during the sultry summer months to write customs about. So I started to jell an idea that I want to throw out to you. Why not make the summer months a Jewish Genealogy celebration? Give your students something fun and interesting to work on over the summer – an opportunity to be family detectives and trace their roots. Give them some help by providing a reading list:
• Climbing Your Family Tree: Online and Off-line
Genealogy for Kids by Ira Wolfman
• The Kid’s Family Tree Book by Caroline Leavitt
• Roots for Kids: A Genealogy Guide for Young People by Susan Provost Beller
• The Great Ancestor Hunt: The Fun of Finding Out Who You Are by Lila Perl Yerkow

I have done several interactive presentations revolving around my Heirloom Stories, asking kids to bring in family heirlooms and tell the tales behind them. What I’ve seen is an enthusiastic involvement on the part of both kids and parents. For instance, what did Gavi bring in? Photos of the needlepoint made by his great-great-grandmother showing the story of “The Judgment of Solomon”. He proudly explained the story and how this needlepoint has been handed down from generation to generation. Telling stories like this is another wonderful way to trace family roots. Visit my website to find out more about my Jewish Heirloom Stories: Mayer Aaron Levi and His Lemon Tree, and Lotty’s Lace Tablecloth. Each has a separate section at the end where the reader can write his/her own heirloom story.

“Holiday” is the British term for vacation. How appropriate. Now is the time to turn the upcoming summer vacation into a Jewish genealogy holiday.
May your students have an interesting and happy “holiday.”

A Shavuot Custom That’s a Cut Above the Rest

2009-05-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Many of us have seen a lot of papercuts in the form of a Mizrach or Ketubah hanging on walls in Jewish homes. Papercutting is not something new to Jewish life. It began in the Middle Ages when in 1345 Rabbi Shem-Tov ben Yitzhak ben Ardutiel’s ink froze while he was writing a manuscript. A resourceful fellow, he did the next best thing – cut the letters into the paper. Around the 17th century, papercutting became a popular form for small religious artifacts like mizrachs, and guess what – Shavuot decorations too! By the 18th century, Eastern European Cheder and Yeshiva students were creating intricate lace patterns of flowers that they called Shavuoslekh (little Shavuot) which they displayed in the windows of their homes.

If you’re looking for a creative Shavuot classroom activity, this is it! Of course, no one expects you to come up with an intricate Shavuot papercut like the one above that I found on Google Images.

Try adapting these snowflake papercut instructions by transforming the flakes into flowers. Don’t wrinkle your nose and tell me to cut it out – you can do it!

Speaking of cutting it out, I know I can be a nudge, but don't forget to take advantage of this exclusive offer for TAMI LEHMAN-WILZIG KIDS BOOKS readers. Kar-Ben Publishing is offering 10% off your next order at their online bookstore. Use coupon code TAMI when checking out. Offer expires August 10, 2009. One use per customer. Offer not valid with any other discounts.

That's all the cutting up for now.
Have a Chag Sameach...Tami

Shavuot & Jewish American Heritage Month

2009-05-13T16:32:00.001-07:00

Let’s put customs aside this time and focus on history. An article appearing in today’s Jerusalem Post reports how President Obama praised Jewish American Heritage Month -- a May event for the past three years. Having recently visited the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, my curiosity was immediately piqued: could there be some type of historic event connected to Shavuot?

Surf, Google and ye shall find… sure enough, on May 28, 1773, Rabbi Raphael Chayyim Isaac Carregal of Hebron (pictured above along with the poster announcing his sermon) gave a Shavuot sermon at the Touro Synagogue that attracted the attention of Reverend Ezra Stiles, who was Minister of the Second Congregational Church of Newport, Rhode Island. Reverend Stiles eventually became President of Yale University. This was not the first time that Reverend Stiles went out of his way to hear the visiting Rabbi. In fact, the two became close friends.

Ask your students to become detectives. Find out what these two close friends talked about. What important words are found on Yale University’s seal? Is there a connection to Rabbi Carregal? Is there a connection between all of this and President Obama’s reflection that “Jewish American history demonstrates how America's diversity enriches and strengthens us all.”

Speaking of President Obama, in his proclamation he also notes that the Jewish American community has demonstrated that “Americans can choose to maintain cultural traditions while honoring the principles and beliefs that bind them together as Americans.” That brings me back to holiday customs. I’ll see you next week with one more quick and fun Shavuot custom you can do in the classroom.

Le’Hitraot…Tami

Shavuot Is The Original GREEN Holiday

2009-05-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

One of the customs associated with Shavuot is decorating the synagogue with branches and leaves. I remember when I was a child my father applied this custom in our home, adorning framed artwork with branched leaves during the two-day holiday. There are several reasons we do this: among the holiday’s many names are Yom ha-Bikkurim – the day of the first fruits, and Hag ha-Katsir – the harvest holiday. Some Biblical commentaries add an additional twist to this custom. Since another name for Shavuot is Zman Matan Tora'teinu – the time we received the Torah (actually the 10 commandments) – it’s our way of remembering that the Torah was given to Moshe on Mount Sinai, a mountain with greenery. Another explanation is that baby Moses was hidden among the river reeds and we recall the way he was saved by using greenery for decoration.

A more relevant 21st century reason is that Shavuot was the original GREEN holiday. We read about our ecology-minded ancestors every year in the Book of Ruth. It is Ruth’s idea to glean the leftovers. One of Boaz’s servants explains to Boaz that Ruth is the Moabite woman who returned with Naomi and requested: “I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves." While the story then revolves around Boaz’s kindness to Ruth, beyond the message of tzedaka and helping one’s kinsmen, there is another lesson to be learned. Are the leftovers in the field Grade B harvest? Not at all! They are simply grain that has not been collected during harvest time. Both Ruth and Boaz understand that the grain should not go to waste.

Can we create a contemporary custom for this holiday? Absolutely. Just look to the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island (JCDS). When we first came to Providence this year I read about an edible garden using a mixture of store bought and composted soil being planted at this school under the supervision of fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Jamie Woods. In an article published by the Jewish Voice and Herald, Mrs. Woods explained that “Judaism teaches us to be shomrei adama, guardians of the earth.” Mrs. Woods continued by elaborating on a very important Jewish law: “Bal tash’hit, which means not to destroy, is the concept that teaches us not to be wasteful, but to protect our natural resources. The establishment of an edible school garden has been a vision of mine for more than a decade…With the help of a dedicated garden team made up of teachers, parents and community members, the JCDS edible garden will become a reality this spring.”

What perfect timing for Shavuot – the original Bal tash’hit holiday. Planting a garden in the Fall so that students will harvest its produce in the Spring, making sure nothing goes to waste. Ruth and Boaz would be proud. It’s something for all of us to think about come next year. In the meantime, this year plant the seeds of this idea by discussing it with your students so that they will be ready to take part in a new Shavuot custom. As for Mrs. Woods and the JCDS, all I can say is Kol Ha’Kavod and Todah Rabah.

See you soon with more existing customs and new custom ideas.In the meantime, don’t forget to take advantage of this exclusive offer for Tami Lehman-Wilzig Kids Books readers. Go to Kar-Ben Publishing’s online bookstore and get 10% off your next order. Use coupon code TAMI when checking out. Offer expires August 10, 2009. One use per customer. Offer not valid with any other discounts.

Chag Sameach

Yom Ha’Atzmaut with the Author

2009-04-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I had the privilege of participating in a live video “Q&A with the Author.” These twelve 5th graders attending the Congregation Har Shalom Religious School located in Fort Collins, Colorado, appeared on my computer screen (and I on theirs) in order to engage in a pre-Yom Ha’Atazmaut celebration that entailed asking an Israeli-American children’s author why she moved to Israel 31 years ago, what she likes the most about Israel, which holiday she likes celebrating the most, plus a host of other well thought-out questions dealing with life in Israel, as well as my writing. This live electronic event was one of the more memorable episodes of my sabbatical year here in the States and it has prompted me to create my own Yom Ha’Atzmaut custom. From now on I will do up to five live “Q&A with the Author” on life in Israel during the days around Yom Ha’Atzmaut.

Perhaps it’s the Shaliach inside of me, but when school librarian Judy Peterson (pictured here with the class) told me how hard it is to get kids to connect with Israel, I spontaneously suggested we hold this live meeting using Skype. The truth is she wasn’t the first to express this concern. I’ve been hearing it all year, wherever I go. This time around I instinctively felt that a small school so far away deserved attention. I was right. Here’s what Judy emailed me later that day:

Hi Tami,
It was such a pleasure to meet you "face to face" today! The kids really enjoyed the conversation, as did I. You answered their questions so thoughtfully and fully and really gave them some things to think about. I hope you enjoyed the conversation as well and that it gave you an idea of what kind of misperceptions these kids have about Israel.
It's so wonderful when we can employ modern technology in the education of our children, and for our kids to "meet" good Jewish role models such as yourself. If you’re willing, maybe we can do something similar again next year.
Best regards…Judy Petersen

I’ve already told Judy that she’s on for next year. There will be new fifth graders with new questions about Israel. If you’re interested in helping me get this custom more widespread contact me:tami@tlwkidsbooks.com

In the meantime, Chag Sameach….Tami

Celebrating Independence

2009-04-21T05:33:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last blog, we have now entered the “Freedom & Remember” season. When it comes to Independence Day, Israel does it back-to-back. Fallen soldiers are honored on Memorial Day, which like Yom Ha’shoah is marked with sirens and on-the-spot, standstill attention. In typical Jewish time, as soon as the sun sets uncontrollable happiness breaks loose over having an independent state.

We all know that Israelis are openly expressive. They show off their joy through some goofy customs – like hitting people on the head with a plastic hammer, or squirting their neighbors’ faces with shaving cream. But, they do have another side connecting today with the Jewish yesteryear of long ago.

Like what? Here are two examples you might want to adapt to your classroom:

• On cue, all Israelis take part in a Yom Ha’atzma’ut barbeque. “Big deal,” you’re saying to yourself, “Americans do that too on July 4th.” So here’s the BIG DEAL connecting Israelis with yesteryear. Remember all those Temple sacrifices that the Israelites offered for every holiday? While modern Israelis don’t engage in that ritual, barbequing fresh meat on Yom Ha’Atzma’ut can be viewed as the contemporary way of expressing thanks for having a modern Jewish State.
This is literally food for thought for you and your students. Have the cooks in your kitchen, or your PTA, grill some hamburgers and hotdogs and serve them alongside Israeli salads that the students can help prepare. Need some recipes? I found these variations of the classic Israeli salad:

• Another custom that bonds modern Israelis with their past is the annual televised Bible Quiz held on Independence Day. This is a VERY BIG DEAL, as the contestants are not only from Israel – they are young students from all over the world. So here’s another idea: hold your own Bible quiz and connect it with today’s modern Jewish State. How? Let’s say you ask a question dealing with King David. Have a map and picture presentation ready to show where the City of David is located and what it looks like today. You can do this with dozens of Biblical events and personalities. Let the Bible stories they’re learning about come alive through a virtual tour.

Customs aside, throughout this year I have been told by numerous teachers, librarians and parents that it is getting harder and harder to connect kids with Israel. They feel it’s a dangerous place. They have a good life in America and they don’t understand why they have to worry about having a Jewish State. There are numerous answers, but I’ll just give you a few.
• Dangerous? Yes, I’ll agree that Israel is not located in the best of neighborhoods and terror is a threat. HOWEVER, throughout our 31 years living in Israel I don’t ever recall any Israelis going on crazy shooting rampages in schools or public places. Even better, by the time my kids were 5 years old they were going to the local grocery by themselves, sent there by me with a short shopping list. From first grade on, once they finished their homework I never saw them until suppertime because they were outside with their friends, playing without any adult supervision. Did I worry? Not at all.
• The Good Life: We’ve got it as well. The country is dotted with malls, country clubs, and all types of entertainment venues – from movies to extreme sports. Plus, we have all the technology you have. In fact, you can thank us for some of that technology. Pass this on to your students: thanks to Israel, you have mobile phones and you text message on them. “WHAT???!!” you’re asking. That’s right, “Made in Israel.” And that’s just a tiny example of what Israel has given the world.
• One BIG Mishpacha: Israelis certainly don’t behave like Americans. More like relatives who never hesitate to tell you what to wear, what to eat, why you should do this or that. And that is exactly the point. We are all one BIG mishpacha – family. You don’t need a direct blood link in Israel to feel like family. The warmth and hospitality is overwhelming…and if you need help, let me assure you that you will never feel at a loss.

I could go on (most Israelis tend to do that). But I’ll stop here and with unbridled pride wish you a Chag Atzma’ut Sa’me’ach!

What You Can Do for Yom HaShoa – Holocaust Memorial Day

2009-04-17T05:41:00.000-07:00

Yom HaShoa – Holocaust Memorial Day – is neatly tucked in between the last day of Passover and Israel’s Memorial/Independence Day celebrations. I call it Jewish precision planning, revolving around the Jewish mantra “REMEMBER.” Remember that we were once slaves in Egypt. Remember that the Nazis tried to destroy us.

In Israel it’s a lot easier to remember. Like clockwork at 10 a.m., air raid sirens blare forth for two minutes. The whole country literally comes to a standstill. Schoolchildren stand at attention next to their desks. Even cars on the highway brake to a halt; drivers get out and solemnly stand still on the road.

You could try simulating a moment of silence in your classroom and school. Better yet, Yom HaShoa is a wonderful opportunity to read a relevant book to your students. With today’s elementary school students being third and fourth generations away from the Holocaust, they don’t share the same emotions we did at their age. It is our job to connect them with this major event in the not so distant past that almost destroyed most of the Jewish world.

I have been doing interactive presentations on my book Keeping The Promise ever since it came out in 2003. The photo above is the beautiful display created by Elayna Weisel, the librarian at The Rose and Jack Orloff Central Agency for Jewish Education of Broward County, who arranged a wonderful author's tour for me this past November. Presenting Keeping The Promise was part of that tour. I can tell you that kids are spellbound by Holocaust stories. Whenever I finish reading this timeless tale of a Bar Mitzvah secretly celebrated in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp I always get the same response from every group of students. First they applaud and then they immediately ask: “Is that a true story?” I have yet to do a presentation on this book where this question is not asked, and right away. That says something. Kids want to connect. They want to feel that there is a direct link between their Jewish history and where they are today. Once I answer “yes”, inevitably there is always one student who gets the ball rolling by stating: “my grandmother/father (or great-grandmother/father) escaped the Nazis”. Then the discussion begins.

There are so many wonderful, true Holocaust stories for children. Pick the one you feel best suited for your class and give it your all when you read it out loud. The sirens don’t have to blare to get them to be quiet. You will appreciate the sounds of silence in your room as your students absorb every detail.

If you’d like to find out more about my book Keeping The Promise please visit my website and click on the book tour section.

I’ll be back next week with some Yom Ha’Atzmaut customs from Israel. In the meantime, don’t forget to take advantage of this exclusive offer for TAMI LEHMAN-WILZIG KIDS BOOKS readers. Go to Kar-Ben Publishing’s online bookstore and get 10% off your next order. Use coupon code TAMI when checking out. Offer expires August 10, 2009. One use per customer. Offer not valid with any other discounts.

LET THE PASSOVER FUN CONTINUE

2009-03-31T06:46:00.000-07:00

After the Seder, then what?
Yes, the Seder is the main event, but we don’t want children to lose sight of the Passover message after the Seder is over. How can we get across the concept of freedom during Hol Hamoed, or if we want to stretch it, on the first day of school after the Passover vacation?

Here’s a quick, cute and fun way. It’s one of the most creative Passover customs that I’ve come across. On the 7th night of Passover the Ger Hassidim in Jerusalem get together in their shteibel (small synagogue) to reenact the crossing of the Red Sea. They throw a barrel of water on the floor, lift up their long coats and “wade” through the water, calling out the different names of towns on the way to Ger. In contemporary kid terms, they create their own mini water park. What and how you do it in your class or at home, are up to you. One thing is certain: it will be a splash!

Chag Sameach.
Have a wonderful and meaningful Passover.

Play-Full Passover Customs for the Seder

2009-03-16T05:04:00.000-07:00

With Passover right around the corner, we’re all asking: “how can we make this year’s Seder different from all Seder nights in the past?” The answer is simple if you incorporate a few Sephardi customs plus one from Hungary, and tie them all together.

If you’re familiar with my book Passover Around the World you know that Turkish Jews literally have a first act to their Seder. As the Seder leader breaks the middle matzah in half and covers one part for the afikomen, a designated guest leaves the table, slips into a costume, returning as an Israelite – much like the illustration above from my book.

They then put on a little play that goes like this:

A knock is heard at the front door.

Seder Leader: Who could that be?
The Seder leader gets up and opens the door wide so everyone can see the guest.
Seder Leader: Where are you coming from?
Guest: The land of Egypt
Seder Leader: What!! You’re no longer a slave?
Guest: No. Now I am free.
Seder Leader: And where are you going?
Guest: To Jerusalem

At that point everyone sitting around the table applauds and the guest is invited in.

I’ve discovered two more customs that sound like a lot of fun and easily complement the Turkish script. The first one comes from Yemen, where in many households it was the Seder leader who pretended to be one of the Israelites. Using a wood cane, he would walk around the table, telling everyone about his life as a slave and the miracles he witnessed. Let’s say we stick with the Turkish script and give it a Yemenite twist. After everyone applauds and the guest steps in, the guest circles the table, recalling life as a slave. When s/he finally sits down, a custom practiced by some Egyptian Jews can then be incorporated – tying a piece of Matzah into a small sack made out of a napkin, placing it on one’s shoulder (the same way a slave would carry an object), then passing it around the table from shoulder to shoulder. My suggestion here is to continue the play. Have everyone say something as the matzah “sack” is placed on his/her shoulder. Finally, let’s get the Ashkenazim into the act with a custom practiced by some Hungarian Jews. They decorate their Seder tables with gold and silver jewelry as a way of remembering the precious metals the Egyptians gave the Israelites, hoping that the plagues would stop. My suggestion: when you reach the 10 plagues, stop either before or after the 10th plague and have some of the Seder participants pretend they are Egyptians offering their jewels to the Israelites, begging them to end the plagues.

If I’ve gotten your creative juices flowing, write up the entire script and try it out in the classroom, at your home Seder, or both. Want to share it with me? Send your script to tami@tlwkidsbooks.com and I’ll post it.

Interested in more customs? Please visit my website to find out about my book Passover Around the World.

Finally, a quick reminder: Don’t forget to take advantage of this exclusive offer for TAMI LEHMAN-WILZIG KIDS BOOKS readers! Kar-Ben Publishing is offering 10% off your next order. Go to their online store and use coupon code TAMI when checking out. Offer expires August 10, 2009. One use per customer. Offer not valid with any other discounts.

Purim Stands for Precipitation

2009-03-03T13:36:00.000-08:00

What’s the meteorological connection with Purim? Coming from Israel, I can tell you that the rule of thumb is it always rains on Purim – it’s the last winter downpour. Now that I’m in Providence for the year, and we’ve just experienced a classic, major snowstorm, I’m beginning to wonder if it will snow on Purim. If it does, ironically I just stumbled on a Bukharan Purim custom that will fit the bill. Since Purim always coincided with the snowy season, Jewish Bukharan children built a snowHaman next to the synagogue. His head was large with charcoal eyes, a carrot nose and a beetroot mouth (sound familiar?). His hat was made out of a broken pot. Meanwhile, his physique was equally odd -- funny-shaped torso with long thick elephant-like legs. This snowHaman was not meant to melt naturally. After the meal, the whole community got together and surrounded their snow creation with wood, rags and paper – all of which were used to light a large fire. With the fire lit, they sang Purim songs while watching snowHaman melt in the heat. So if Mother Nature decides she wants to give us one last blast of freezing snow this Purim, you might consider this fun way of keeping warm outdoors.
For your classroom: Explain the origins of Bukharan Jews

True, I did say one custom per holiday, but I just couldn’t resist sharing this with you.

I’ll be back after Purim with an unusual Passover custom. In the meantime, don’t forget to take advantage of this exclusive offer for Tami Lehman-Wilzig Kids Books readers. Go to Kar-Ben Publishing’s online bookstore and get 10% off your next order. Use coupon code TAMI when checking out. Offer expires August 10, 2009. One use per customer. Offer not valid with any other discounts.

Purim Same'akh!

This Purim, Let’s Take a Look at the Country Where the Holiday Began

2009-02-18T06:29:00.000-08:00

Iran and its President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are making headlines all the time. Having a modern-day Haman bent on the destruction of the Jewish State feels like déjà vu. It also makes me curious as to how Iranian Jews celebrate Purim. Here’s what I’ve found:

When Israel was established in 1948 the Jewish population in Iran numbered 100,000. By 2006 that number had dwindled down to a little under 11,000. For obvious reasons, I can’t tell you exactly how Jews in Iran observe Purim today, but I can tell you what happened in the past.

While Purim provided Iranian Jews with a reason to celebrate, by and large it was considered a serious holiday. The story of Purim was so much a part of the Jews' consciousness, that they traveled to Esther and Mordechai’s tomb throughout the year. The tomb – located in the city of Hamadan – still stands and is considered an important shrine thanks to Esther’s status as Queen of Persia. Want to see the tomb?

If Iranian Jews couldn’t make it to Israel and the Kotel HaMaaravi (Western Wall), this was the place to go to cry and pray.

For the Jews of Iran, Purim was very much a part of their persona. Religious and secular Jews kept “Ta’anit Esther” – the Fast of Esther observed the day before she revealed her Jewish identity to Akhashveirosh and told him about Haman’s plot to kill the Jews.

Jewish children in Iran did not get dressed up in carnival costumes. They did make a Haman puppet with a triangular hat and pull the puppet on the floor behind them, as though he were their slave. Since the date of Purim was very close to that of the Iranian New Year, children often received gifts and coins. That certainly sounds like the same influence Christmas customs have had on the way we celebrate Hanukkah!

What about Hamentaschen? That’s another Western invention. The favorite Purim dessert for Iranian Jews is halva with the consistency of a Mexican flan. Halva is associated with events of happiness – such as weddings – and sadness, such as a shiva. Purim is the perfect bridge. It begins with the misery of Haman’s evil intentions but ends with the merriment of victory. Nothing honors the holiday better than mouth-watering halva carved into different theme designs and decorated with almonds, saffron, pistachios and other goodies.

If you want to go all the way, do a web search for an Iranian Halva recipe. Here's one I found.

Try whipping it up with the kids in your class; have them also make a Haman puppet and enjoy an Iranian-style Purim!

In the meantime, don’t forget to take advantage of this exclusive offer for Tami Lehman-Wilzig Kids Books readers. Kar-Ben Publishing is offering 10% off your next order at their online store: Use coupon code TAMI when checking out. Offer expires August 10, 2009. One use per customer. Offer not valid with any other discounts.

To find out more about my books please visit my website
See you soon...

Jewish Holiday Customs Around the World for the Classroom

2009-02-09T17:11:00.000-08:00

Shalom:
As many of you know, I am in Providence, accompanying my husband on his Sabbatical at Brown University. I am using this year to travel the country, giving presentations on my books at JCCs, Jewish Day Schools and Hebrew Schools. What has struck me is the year-round interest in my book Passover Around the World. This Sydney Taylor Honorable Mention (2008) has 8 original stories revolving around Passover customs in America, Israel, Gibraltar, Turkey, Ethiopia, India, Iran and Morocco. It also has a “Potpourri” section that includes an additional six customs from around the globe. From the moment this book hit the bookstore shelves, the enthusiasm has been tremendous. So much so, that my publisher Kar-Ben/Lerner commissioned me to do a second book – Hanukkah Around the World – which is scheduled to appear Fall 2009. As my book writing credo is “Added Value”, I have decided to extend it even further by creating a blog dedicated to Jewish Holidays Around the World. Approximately a month before each holiday, I will describe and explain one unusual custom from a foreign land. Interested? In order to automatically receive my blog, all you have to do is contact me: tami@tlwkidsbooks.com
Do you have colleagues that might be interested as well? Send them either my email address or the address of this blog: http://www.tlwkidsbooks.blogspot.com/
To automatically receive blog updates, please subscribe to my RSS feed.

Exclusive offer for TAMI LEHMAN-WILZIG KIDS BOOKS readers! Kar-Ben Publishing is offering 10% off your next order at www.karben.com! Use coupon code TAMI when checking out. Offer expires August 10, 2009. One use per customer. Offer not valid with any other discounts.