By Shari Shapiro (4-15-09)

Today is the sixth day of the Omer.

 

It is a tradition to count the days between Passover and Shavuot, as we mark our freedom from slavery and celebrate our freedom to accept Torah. This is called "counting the omer." This year we will observe the tradition of "counting the omer" by sharing stories about the many different ways that we have been turned on to Jewish learning, and through Jewish learning to Torah.

An Inspirational Field Trip

For several years, my TEBH Religious School second grade class enjoyed going on a Jewish Community Scavenger Hunt.  On a Sunday morning at 9:30, we assembled into casual carpools with students, parents, and staff. Each group had a white envelope with directions to a specific Jewish destination from among the synagogues, bakeries, Kosher meat markets, retail outlets, and other Jewish addresses in our city. 

Here is an example:

Drive to Schwartz Kosher Bakery on Fairfax Ave.  Ask the baker or salesperson: "What makes this a kosher bakery?"  Write down five bakery items you see.  With the enclosed 10-dollar bill, please purchase two dozen or more assorted cookies.  We will enjoy the cookies later for a snack in class at 11:30 a.m.  Take a photo at the bakery

Another group might have this envelope:

Please drive to the Jewish Federation Building on Wilshire Blvd.  Go in and ask a security guard if you can get a pamphlet about the Children's Discovery Center.  Ask the guard how many floors there are in the building. What is special about the architecture of this high-rise building? Take a group picture outside the building.

At 11:30, back in class at TEBH, we compiled our best photos on large posters to share later on a bulletin board with each carpool's group name like, "The City Searchers," or "The Community Discovery Team."  The posters were filled with smiling faces of students, leaders, parents, and funny captions.

 

This was the Spring highlight of the year.  It was a memorable, inter-generational school event that everyone raved about for weeks.

 

By Shari Shapiro

These stories are brought to you by the Temple Emanuel RE-IMAGINE project, an 18-month initiative sponsored by Hebrew Union College, devoted to re-thinking and re-structuring our religious school.