Kitah Aleph students and teachers finished off our year with a very busy morning. We began with some class time. The children shared some highlights of the year including playing games with Bar, learning to recognize and read the Hebrew Aleph-Bet and getting to know the Jewish holidays. It was wonderful to have all the children present for this last day of our year together. We played aleph-bet bingo, Simon Says in Hebrew and reviewed the ten commandments. We also read a story about how a group of children in Israel celebrated the harvest aspects of Shavuot by first planting and growing wheat in the fall and then harvesting it in the spring to make cheesecake for Shavuot. We learned about the various Hebrew names for the holiday including Chag HaKatzir (the harvest holiday for wheat), Chag HaBikkurim (the harvest of the first fruits) and Z'man MaTan Torahteinu (the time of the giving of the Torah).
Kitah Aleph students joined the congregation in the sanctuary for hallel and the beginning of the torah service. We watched as the torah was passed from one person to the next. Each child also had a chance to give the torah a hug as it moved around the room.
Along with the other children in the school, Kitah Aleph students then participated in reenacting the Exodus from Egypt, crossing the Red Sea, wandering in the dessert and finally receiving the ten commandments at Mount Sinai. It was great fun for the teachers and students alike. We followed Moses (who looked very much like our own Bar) and the pillar of cloud (which resembled Robin) and even received some manna in the dessert that tasted very much like marshmallows.
I want to extend my thanks to all the children and parents of Kitah Aleph. I truly enjoyed getting to know all the children this year. It was a pleasure to spend Sunday mornings with them. Best wishes for a wonderful, relaxing and fulfilling summer. Joanne
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