7 minute read
Jewish Life
Our adorable Senior Kinder children recently celebrated Kabbalat Shabbat with grandparents and special friends. A penguin and some dinosaurs made special appearances, chicken soup was “prepared” and joyous Shabbat songs could be heard throughout the celebration. The children made beautiful gifts for their families which were presented to them with a massive hug before saying their goodbyes. Families were also able to enjoy creative video presentations of the children in class, preparing for Shabbat. Many thanks to our dedicated educators and to the wonderful Daniel Light for the music.
YEAR 4 ELEH HASHEMOT ROSH HASHANAH LEARNING
Our Year 4 students presented their Jewish learning at our Eleh HaShemot celebration. It was a truly meaningful experience where the students were able to share what they have been learning in their current Jewish Studies Torah unit. The students were also able to delve into the meaning of their Hebrew name with a focus on personal attributes - what makes us, us, and who we aspire to be. Year 4 students have also been looking at connections between their names and the Tanach. It was wonderful to watch their love of Judaism grow and share it with their families.
Rachel Ben-Atar & Kim Fulop Junior School Teachers In the lead up to Rosh HaShanah, students across the School were engaged in a range of learning experiences about this chag. Wonderful Rosh HaShanah art was created in the ELC and learning included a visit by a bee keeper who taught the children many interesting facts about bees. Junior School students created Rosh HaShanah cards for Emmy Monash residents and the Junior Choir then visited Emmy Monash to deliver the cards and sing to the residents. Each morning in the month of Elul, Year 2 students visited all the classes at the Junior School to sound the shofar at the start of each day. The learning culminated in a half-day Rosh HaShanah Festival of varied activities, celebrations and assembly.
YEAR 7 KABBALAT MITZVAH
This term we held a Kabbalat Mitzvah ceremony for Year 7 students and their families. Centring around the theme of becoming B’nei Mitzvah and what this means, Shabbat was adopted as a lens through which receiving (kabbalah) Judaism and responsibilities could be explored. To quote the Zionist thinker Ahad Ha’am, ‘More than the Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews.’ The evening began with hearing from members of three generations about their thoughts and associations with Shabbat: Year 7 student Luca Kaye, Year 7 parent, Doodie Ringelblum and Year 7 grandparent, Esther Kister. Participants then chose from multiple Shabbat-themed sessions on offer, ranging from challah plaiting, kiddush cup and challah-cover decorating and mindfulness, to how to host a Shabbat dinner, Shabbat in Israel, Kabbalah, and Shabbat in secret. Following the sessions, a communal Havdalah ceremony was held and parents presented their children with hand-written messages of hopes and prayers to be placed in a mezuzah.
Sidra Moshinsky Director of Jewish Life and Learning
IMMERSION IN ISRAELI CULTURE
Each year, the Jewish Life team at KDS facilitate a group of young Israelis to lead Israeli educational programs at the School over several weeks with the aim of offering a culturally immersive experience where students become more connected with Israel. Earlier in Term 3 we welcomed this year’s dynamic madrichim, Avital, Aviv and Gavriel. They were billeted by three of our warm and welcoming KDS families and spent their time engaging students at the ELC, Junior School and Senior School in innovative programs and activities. In the Junior School, these learning experiences included discussions about the Maccabiah, Israeli Book Week and leadership. From tefillah to tug of war, lunchtime ruach, farming in the Arava to drumming in the Negev, it was a memorable experience for our students. Year 9 students spent time away on an Israel camp immersed in the rich history of Israel, modern Israeli politics and discussions on social hierarchy in Israel. Dali Bernhaut reflected after the camp that as “someone who hasn’t been to Israel, it can be hard to have a real connection, but by having this camp, it has not only prepared me for Yesh, so I can appreciate it even more, it has shown me where I have come from, and who a part of me is.”
JEWISH LIFE ON OUR CAMPS
Sidra Moshinsky
Director of Jewish Life and Learning
The capacity to extend the walls of the classroom to include significant places and spaces is one that we relish in Jewish Life. Whether it be within Victoria, interstate or in Israel, an overnight Shabbaton or a nearly month-long trip, we recognise the opportunity presented by being away from our usual environments and rhythms to explore and unpack Judaism, big ideas, and to create experiences of both belonging and challenge. We also look to create opportunities in time – whether they be daily or through Shabbat – to embed meaningful Jewish moments and rituals. On camps, typically the day begins with a moment of gratitude as we recite ‘Modeh ani’ (Thankful am I) as a brief Shacharit (morning service), and boisterous singing of Birkat haMazon (Blessing after meals) ends the evening meal. We model the centrality and relevance of Judaism wherever we go. Camps, seminars and of course Shabbatonim, that offer the ability to be together through the 25 hours of Shabbat, bring unique opportunities to experience this beautiful gift of time. As students move through our school, we look to them to run many of these Shabbat experiences, thereby instilling a sense of ownership and agency over their practices. From Year 9 upwards, the Jewish Life team moves from participating on camps to running one for each year level: Year 9 Shvil Israel (Israel trail); Year 10 Hadracha (leadership) seminar; and Shabbatonim for Year 11 and for Year 12 where the pressures of VCE are set aside and students are encouraged to savour their time together as a cohort, reflect on their Jewish journey so far and look at the course it might take beyond the school walls. Finally, as a school, we are incredibly proud to offer Yesh, our four-week Israel trip, to Year 10 students. This is outdoor education at a whole other level, as we walk the land, place our hands on the Kotel, see the proximity of borders, taste the foods, listen, ask questions and discuss. Whether it be on Yesh or locally, wherever possible we embed a love and wonder for the natural world and our responsibility to be its custodians, harkening back to the createdness of the world in Bereshit and humanity’s task of Tikkun Olam.
