Shalom from TBD Religious School

Shabbat newsletter compiled by
Gal Kessler Rohs, Education Director
Od lo avdah tikvateinu,  (Our hope is not lost)
As we pledge allegiance to the Flag!

Last High Holy Days,  Rabbi Lachtman ’s sermon to his congregation underlined Israel as the Homeland of Jews. It is our responsibility to consider Her a focal home in our Jewish lives. This Sunday, at Religious School, our emergent learners will be tour Zooming the country, on  Jason ’s Egged bus, and ending the tour with  Cantor Orly ’s singing  Hatikvah , the Israeli anthem of hope.  Rabbi in Training MinsterCheng  will culminate the tour with a message of  “our hope is not lost, our hope is to be free in the Land of Zion, and Jerusalem”. 

Our preschoolers will begin the bus ride by waving the country’s blue and white flag. A flag that was adopted shortly after the declaration of the State of Israel’s independence in 1948, depicts symbols identified with Judaism. It resembles a Talit, a prayer shawl, the white signifies purity, the Star of David shields us, and symbolizes Zionism, and it is this flag that is boastfully hung on rooftops, terraces, cars, and street signs on Israel’s Day of independence. The streets of Israel dictate patriotism, the skies light up with nationalist fireworks, shaving cream is sprayed amongst playful youngsters, and there is much investment in the Israeli entertainment industry with modern twists to Hebrew Horahs. 

Some years ago, a Tel Aviv ribbon balcony portrayed an Israeli flag (see picture above), and a young couple with a modest smile, a cigarette (I think) in hand, and house plants. It was a typical Tel Aviv pre Yom Ha’atzmaut scene, only with one harsh difference- the purity symbolizing white of the flag was ripped. Might this have been a political statement against the white symbolism? Annulation of patriotism? A social propagation against the shield of David? A shout for help? A wake up call? Or a mere natural phenomenon of forceful hail that has no moral ethics, but still aims for destruction?

A public uproar was created around this image, with extreme references to the justification of a destroyed flag, to the upmost contrary. Indeed, social media channels ranged in comments to this image about frequencies of parking fines, to immigration status of the Land, to the respectful ways in which a flag, with divine, socio, cultural, Biblical and political symbolism should be portrayed on social media. Surely, when we  pledge allegiance to the Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,  we do not   envision a torn flag! 

We can certainly do our share. In religious school, our young Sunday preschoolers will be waving their blue and white newly crafted flags, the same flags they made with their innocent growing hands, to the nurturing teaching of teacher  Miriam . And for that, I stand oh so very proud!  

Shabbat Shalom,
- Gal Kessler Rohs , Education Director
The wheels of the bus go round and round in Israel (next Sunday)
The wheels of the Egged bus will carry us through Israel, our homeland, as we explore different aspects of the Holy Land next weekend.

Jason will be the bus driver (don’t forget to buckle up!), Cantor will sing the Hatikvah anthem of Hope, Doris will float in the Dead Sea, Steve will be Theador Herzl who will promise that “if you will, there is a way” and more will come our way as we climb the milk flowing hills and the honey covered valleys of Israel.

Start your packing, as we’re planning on being “Next Year in Jerusalem”.
Optional dress code for Sunday's bus tour around Israel
It is customary on Yom Ha'atzmaut to wear Israel's national colors, blue and white (Kachol Velavan) as is the flag of Israel.

Dressing in the traditional colors of Yom Haatzmaut is in itself a learning opportunity, and brings a discussion topic!

Why Blue (Kachol)?- to symbolize the prayer shawl's lines.
Why White (lavan)?- to symbolize purity, and the prayer shawl.
Socially distancing animals
Officials are still learning more about coronavirus and pets, but the CDC is recommending that people limit interactions between their pets and people or animals outside the household. It has been reported that feline loved ones can carry the Corona Virus. We send well wishes to Nadia, the 4-year-old  Malayan Tiger  at the Bronx Zoo who has tested positive for the virus.

Cats should be kept indoors when possible, the CDC said, and dogs should be walked on a leash, maintaining at least six feet from other people and animals. The agency said dogs should also avoid public places where a large number of people and animals gather, such as dog parks.”

While the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the World Animal Welfare Organization and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) say on their websites that there is so far no evidence that  domestic animals  can pass on the COVID19 infection to people, the websites advise that people who are  sick  should take the same precautions about contact with their  pets  that they would with  humans .

(Pictured is a social cat in non-pandemic times in Jaffe Port in Israel.)
Bauhaus Architecture
An architectural design characteristic of Tel Aviv, is the Bauahus. Over 4,000 Bauhaus-style buildings were constructed in Tel Aviv between 1920 and 1940, by German-Jewish architects who immigrated to the city that never sleeps, after the rise of the Nazis.

As in this image of a Tel Aviv apartment building, most of the Bauhaus structures feature elements typical of  Modernism  – like undecorated surfaces, ribbon windows, flat roofs, outdoor living spaces and pilotis. This ribbon balcony apartment building also boasts a flag of Israel, as is typical of Israeli homes towards Israel’s Day of Independence, or Yom Ha’atzmaut.
Chalk unicorns or rainbows?
National Kindergarten Day 🍏
Things we sorely miss: Kindergarten kids, kindergarten teachers, kindergarten learning, kindergarten class, kindergarten curriculum in action, and all things kindergarten, and not only today on #NationalKindergartenDay. 

Each year on April 21st, National Kindergarten Day honors the birthday of the man who started the first Kindergarten. Friedrich Wilhelm Frobel is credited with starting the first Kindergarten in Germany in 1837. Frobel was a German teacher and a student of Johann Pestalozzi. Frobel laid a foundation for modern education, recognizing that children learn through play and experience. 

The first kindergarten fostered Frobel’s social experience for children, which would allow them to transition from home to school more smoothly. Eventually, the Prussian government banned Frobel’s unorthodox methods. However, the rest of the world was eager to accept Frobel’s idea of kindergarten, including the United States. In 1873, Kindergarten became part of any public school system.

On this  #NationalKindergartenDay  we say thank you to Morah Shoshana , and all Kinder teachers alike. Thank you for your dedication, your love, your hands on learning, your neshama, your happiness, and you being you. 
Shabbat Shalom and see you once, or twice, or thrice, or more, this weekend!