KITAH BET (2nd)

Connecting to the Jewish state: Jewish language, holidays, stories, and prayers.

TOPICS:

Torah stories (Genesis and Exodus), Hebrew reading, holidays, Tefillah, Israel

SCHEDULE:

Wednesdays: 4-6 PM

BIG IDEAS:

• We are all part of the Jewish community, and Israel is our homeland.

• Jews celebrate special holidays and read special stories in the Torah.

• Hebrew is the language that Jews speak and read, including in Israel.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

• What does it mean to be Jewish?

• What are Jewish holidays and how do we celebrate them?

• What are Jewish stories? How do we learn about them?

• What is Israel?

OBJECTIVES:

Students will learn how to…

• Use the Aleph Bet letters to begin reading one- and two-letter “words.”

• Use basic Hebrew phrases that relate to Torah stories, holidays, and Israel.

• Review celebrations of major Jewish holidays.

• Review Torah stories from Genesis (Breishit) and Exodus (Shemot).

• Identify the main cities, landforms, and climates of Israel.

Students will understand that…

• Hebrew is the language that Jews from all over the world can use to communicate, including in Israel.

• Being able to read Hebrew allows us to participate in synagogues all over the world.

• Israel is the Jewish homeland and also a modern country.

• Torah connects us to Israel; it is the land in which our ancestors walked.

Students will believe that…

• Israel is the Jewish homeland, and it is for all Jews, everywhere.

• Because we celebrate Jewish holidays every year, it is always good to review them.

• Because we read the Torah every year, it is always good to review the stories and we can always learn something new from them.