Louisville Beit Sefer Yachad is in session a very brief time in April and May, but we are making the most of those hours.
On Tuesday, April 12, we had a special session with the delegation of 10 educators from our Partnership2Gether Region in the Western Galilee to actively engage with Israeli life and culture. The previous day, our teachers had the opportunity to learn with our fellow educators, as we shared a lavish spread at Ramsi’s Café on the World.
On Sunday, April 17, we had a special treat as we learned about the task of writing a Torah scroll and Jewish scribal arts from Soferet Julie Seltzer. Students had the opportunity to practice Hebrew calligraphy with actual quills.
That program was immediately followed by our interactive Pesach program, “Stepping Through the Seder.” Students were able to paint a doorpost with “blood,” sample and vote for their favorite karpas, participate in a matzah drop to see who could get the most even break, create their own charoset, take part in a afikoman treasure hunt, practice Pesach yoga, write their own psalms in haiku and cinquain, and record sections of Chad Gadya, complete with animal sounds. Students completed fourteen stations in all, discovering creative ways to learn about the Seder.
On Wednesday, April 20, students in our 6th grade participated in the model Seder with the Senior Adults at the JCC.
On May 1, our last Sunday, we will begin with a special Mimouna celebration. Mimouna, emerging out of the Moroccan Jewish community, but now observed throughout Israel marks the conclusion of Pesach and the return to chametz. We will serve muffleta (Moroccan pancakes), shakshuka, Israeli salad and more, accompanied by Moroccan Jewish music and other activities.
On Sunday, May 15, at 10 a.m., at Adath Jeshurun, LBSY will honor our 8th graders as they transition to the High School of Jewish Studies, as well as present siddurim to our third graders. We will also honor those students who have won awards in each grade.