Religious School 2017

From the pages of Kadima, the Newsletter of Congregation Adas Emuno:

Religious School News 

     from


Cantor Sandy Horowitz

Religious School Director

January is the month when we transition in our Torah readings from the stories of Genesis to the epic journey recounted in the book of Exodus. In Genesis we read about our ancestors Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel and Leah and their children. Each individual has his or her own story–many of these were recounted, in lovely dramatic form, by our 5th, 6th and 7th graders at their family services! As we now progress into Exodus we will begin reading about the transition of individuals, former slaves in Egypt, into a single community, the Israelite people. Both matter–who we are as individuals, and who we are as a community.

A similar transition takes place each year, though fortunately in a far less dramatic way, at our religious school. Students arrive in September and it is our job as teachers and educators to get to know each individual child; even if they have been coming for several years, we watch how they are continually growing and changing. By the time they return from vacation in January and we begin the second half of the year, the pattern of Sunday mornings at religious school has been established, and by now hopefully they each feel themselves to be an important part of the larger ensemble, the community of Adas Emuno Religious School. It is my hope that we are not only imparting Jewish knowledge to them, but that we are also creating positive Jewish memories which will remain with them long after they become bar and bat mitzvah.

For our post b’nei mitzvah and high school students, a new Youth Group is being launched this month, as we expand the options for our teenagers to participate in the life of the Adas Emuno community. We are excited to welcome this venture in providing new opportunities for this age group.



DATES TO REMEMBER:

Thursday, January 12
7:30 PM School Committee Meeting

Friday, January 20
7:30 PM Shabbat Family Service led by the Fourth Grade

Thursday, February 9
7:30 PM School Committee Meeting

Friday, February 10
7:30 PM Shabbat Service/TuB’Shevat Dessert Seder

Sunday, February 19
No School–Winter Recess

Confirmation Class and Youth Group meetings: Sunday, January 22 and February 12

Happy Hanuyearkah!

Yes, it's New Year's Day, but it's also still Hanukkah until sundown, so here's one more song, especially for those of you who had too much of a good time last night:

Happy HaNewYearkah

from 

Congregation Adas Emuno!

 

 

Don't Let the Light Go Out!

For this last night of Hanukkah, here is "Light One Candle," written by Peter Yarrow, performed as a beautiful and moving live concert rendition, by Peter, Paul, and Mary:

This is very much a song about social consciousness, social justice, and social action, one of the great themes of the Jewish religious tradition.  And here are the lyrics:

Light one candle for the Maccabee children

With thanks that their light didn't die

Light one candle for the pain they endured

When their right to exist was denied

Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice

Justice and freedom demand

But light one candle for the wisdom to know

When the peacemaker's time is at hand

Don't let the light go out!

It's lasted for so many years!

Don't let the light go out!

Let it shine through our love and our tears.

Light one candle for the strength that we need

To never become our own foe

And light one candle for those who are suffering

Pain we learned so long ago

Light one candle for all we believe in

That anger not tear us apart

And light one candle to find us together

With peace as the song in our hearts

Don't let the light go out!

It's lasted for so many years!

Don't let the light go out!

Let it shine through our love and our tears.

What is the memory that's valued so highly

That we keep it alive in that flame?

What's the commitment to those who have died

That we cry out they've not died in vain?

We have come this far always believing

That justice would somehow prevail

This is the burden, this is the promise

This is why we will not fail!

Don't let the light go out!

It's lasted for so many years!

Don't let the light go out!

Let it shine through our love and our tears!

Don't let the light go out!

Don't let the light go out!

Don't let the light go out!

Let that message ring out loud and clear, during the Festival of Lights, and beyond:  

DON'T LET THE LIGHT GO OUT!

HAPPY HANUKKAH!

Hanukkah Here and There!

Where would you spend the eight-day festival of Hanukkah, if you had to choose? Tel Aviv or Jerusalem? Paris, the "city of lights"?  At home, here in New Jersey, or across the Hudson in New York City?  Well, here are Tom Lehrer's thoughts on the matter:





Where you spend Hanukkah may determine what your dreydel says.  If you're outside Israel, your dreydel should have the four letters:
 nun נ
gimel ג
hei ה
shin ש
which stand for Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, a Great Miracle Happened There!

But in Israel, the fourth letter is a
pei פ
which stands for Nes Gadol Hayah Po, a Great Miracle Happened Here!  

Which brings us to this jazzy video featuring Israeli rapper Sagol 59's "Take Five"-inspired Hanukkah melody:





And so, wherever you may be right now, we wish you a very happy Hanukkah!

Candle Lighting Rube Goldberg Style

Now this is how to light those Hanukkah candles! Please enjoy Lighting the Hanukkah Candles Faster Technion Rube Goldberg Machine: 




But don't try this at home, kids! Just have a happy and safe Festival of Lights!

Zazzy Hanukkah to All!

"Hanukkah Zazz" is an app for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Android devices featuring Zazzy Katz, the holiday party cat! We're not involved in endorsing it, but they do have a pretty neat Hanukkah video on YouTube that we're happy to share with you here, in celebration of the season:






And here's another neat video with a bit of a promotion that we have no stake in or connection to, but that may be of interest, and may be worthwhile. The video features three Hanukkah songs, The Chanukah Song, Burn Little Candles, and Hanukkah, Happy Holiday. The songs are lovingly performed, displaying lyric and chords so you can learn to play them yourselves. And most significantly of all, they are presented in the video along with music therapy applications. On the YouTube page it says that you can download the songs for free at the http://musictherapytunes.com music page!





And with that, we conclude by saying, have a very zazzy, and loving Hanukkah!!

Boys Town Jerusalem Choir Sings Hanukkah

Boys Town Jerusalem is a high school in Jerusalem, Israel which has over 900 boys from grades 7 to grade 12 and a 2 year post high school engineering program. Once the boys graduate they continue on to enlist in the IDF (Israel Defense Force).

More than 75% of the boys come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and require substantial scholarship assistance. No student is ever turned away from Boys Town Jerusalem due to inability to pay tuition.

Here now is their Hanukkah 2016 Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah Song:





For more information about Boys Town Jerusalem, please click here.