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Take a family
vacation to Israel, or at least in your imagination. Here is your
itinerary. Get Packing - Explain your "trip" to your children. Set the scene by providing facts about Israeli culture, weather, food, and sites. Ask them, "What should we bring with us on our trip to Israel?" Gather items in a suitcase such as binoculars which you can make, as a craft project, made from two toilet paper rolls taped together with a piece of string to wear around their neck. You will need a hat to shield from the hot sun. Don't forget a bathing suit and sunscreen for a trip to the beach. Of course, you will need a camera to capture the memories of your trip. Create an itinerary - You can travel to any city or region in Israel. Find out something about the area and create an experience that relates to this area. Examples include visiting the walled city in Jerusalem. Have your child explore building a wall with blocks or legos. Take a trip to the beach on the Mediterranean Sea in Tel Aviv. If the weather is nice, head outside to play in a sandbox or splash in the pool. Travel south to the desert where you might find camels that you can ride on. Engage them through story to set the mood for your journey though imagination. Make a passport and fly away - Don't forget to have a check-in booth with stamps or stickers. Next, create an airplane that can double as your bus, by lining up your chairs in rows with an aisle. Buckle up, put the bag under the seat and watch a movie like "Sesame Street in Israel." Don't forget the snack and drink. When you arrive, play "Hatikvah", the Israeli national anthem. Stretch when you arrive to remember how long a trip to Israel really is! Travel by bus - Give each child a cup of water and explain to them that they will need to keep drinking because it is so hot and dry! (A good time to introduce the word mayim, "water" in Hebrew). Visit the Kotel, the Western Wall remaining from the second Temple. You will see people praying and leaving prayers in the cracks between the stones of the wall. Stop and have a snack at "Bonker's Bagel", a bagel chain in Jerusalem. Explain to the children that people refer to Jerusalem as "Jerusalem of Gold" (Yerushalayim Shel Zahav) and let them make a collage out of precut shiny gold paper. While in Israel, you can pretend to ride a camel, climb Masada and float in the Dead Sea. Don't forget to write notes to leave in the Western Wall. Fly home - Return home to the United States. Play the "Star Spangled Banner" when you arrive. Have another taste of Israel with CJP when New England Celebrates Israel on May 20th in Foxboro. Details below. | ||||
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Find recipes from
Israel, or use the one below, to create a fun, themed dinner.
Israeli Salad From Lisa Katz, Your Guide to Judaism at www.about.com The secret to a really good Israeli salad is finely chopped vegetables. Of course, your salad is also guaranteed to be a success if you live in Israel and can get really fresh cucumbers and tomatoes from the shuk (outdoor market). INGREDIENTS: 3 cucumbers 3 tomatoes 1 green or red pepper 3 green onions olive oil lemon juice salt zaatar (hyssop spice) you can use parsley instead or just leave it out. PREPARATION: 1. Chop the vegetables in small pieces. The secret to a really good Israeli salad is finely chopped vegetables. 2. Immediately before serving, season lightly with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and zaatar. | ||
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Debbie
Friedman-The Alef Bet CD
Young people (of any age) will enjoy learning Hebrew vocabulary via this happy songfest that integrates grammar, prayers, blessings and Torah texts. English, Hebrew and transliterated Hebrew lyrics. $19.99 - available at www.jewishsource.com. Mayer Aaron Levi and His Lemon Tree by Tami Lehman-Wilzig Mayer Aaron Levy lives in a small village. Like his fellow Jews, Mayer Aaron studies Torah and goes to the synagogue three times a day. Unlike everybody else, he also owns a lemon tree. When the lemons are ripe his wife Raizel brews her special lemonade, chills it and puts it in jars so that Mayer Aaron can make extra money for the family by selling it in the town square. Even though Raizel is very possessive about the lemons, Mayer Aaron realizes that they have more than enough. While he finds a way to secretly share the extra lemons with the village's poor people, Raizel thinks a thief is stealing them. The plot thickens as Raizel sits outside guarding the family property, only to find that her husband has a lesson he wants to hand down from generation to generation. Shalom Sesame 5 DVD Set Complete Shows 1- 11. Israel "Sesame Street" in English and Hebrew. In these eleven shows, the culture, history, values and traditions of the Jewish people and the State of Israel are presented in a familiar way. The set of five long- playing DVDs containing a total of eleven 30-minute shows are available from your library, Blockbuster, JFS/MW or for purchase at your favorite website. | ||
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Sign up today, there
are only 23..20..17 spots left! PJ Library is a part of Kulanu,
(Hebrew for "all of us") a program of Jewish Family Service of Metrowest.
PJ Library is available to families with young children in our area to
help create stronger Jewish homes. When you sign up, your child (aged
birth to 5 years) will receive a high-quality Jewish children's book or CD
every month, for one year. Each book comes with resources to help you use
that month's selection in your home. Kulanu has a special grant to reach
80 families in our target communities. If you do not live in the greater
Holliston/Franklin area, contact us anyway and we will let you know how
you can enroll in PJ Library and connect you to the Jewish community in
your area. Contact Malka Young at 508- 875-3100 or myoung@jfsmw.org.
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Temple Beth
Torah
May 6 Mitzvah Day May 11 Small World Shabbat 6:30-7:15 pm May 20 Beth Torah Tots For more information: Mindee Meltzer- mmeltzer@jfsmw.org. Temple Etz Chaim May 5 Tot Shabbat, 9:15-10:00 am May 18 Tot Shabbat, 6:45-7:30 pm June 2 Tot Shabbat, 9:15-10:00 am June 15 Tot Shabbat, 6:45-7:30 pm For more information:Kimberly Cohen- kimberlycohen@comcast.net A Taste of Judaism: Are You Curious? This engaging class on Jewish spirituality, ethics and community is designed for beginners - Jewish or not. A Taste of Judaism: Are You Curious? is free. Pre- registration is requested. Thursday evenings - May 3, 10 & 17, 2007 with Rabbi David Widzer from 7:30-9:30 pm at Temple Etz Chaim. Kulanu CONNECTIONS Kulanu invites you to be in on a "girls night out" e-vite list for conversation and connections. Meet other women in their thirties and forties living along the "495 belt" to make Jewish connections and build relationships as part of the larger Jewish community. The calendar of events is ready for May, June, and July. To sign up or for a calendar of events contact Kimberly: 508-928-1290 or kimberlycohen@comcast.net Metrowest Jewish Day School Whimsical Wednesdays May 16 - Lag B'omer Whimsical Wednesdays are monthly gatherings for parents (and grandparents!) to introduce their toddlers and preschoolers to Judaism in a very casual and fun environment. Each hourly gathering centers around a holiday (usually Jewish) using stories, songs, crafts and a yummy snack. To make a reservation, or for further information, contact Joyce Bohnen at 508-620- 5554. New England Celebrates Israel! Gillette Stadium, Foxboro Sunday, May 20 - 1:00-7:00 pm Bring your kids to the Kids Zone and experience the excitement of Israel. For more information call CJP at 617-457-8788 or www.celebrateisrael.org. | ||
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Jewish Family
Service of Metrowest
475 Franklin Street Framingham, MA 01702 508-875-3100 FAX 508-875-4373 www.jfsmw.org Strengthening Lives, Building Community JFS/MW is a non-profit agency providing social and community services throughout the life cycle for people of all ages, faiths, and backgrounds. Temple Etz Chaim (Reform) 900 Washington Street Franklin, MA 02038 508-528-5337 www.temple-etzchaim.org Temple Beth Torah (Conservative) 162 Washington Street Holliston, MA 01746 (508) 429-6268 www.bethtorah.org www.interfaithfamily.com Charles River Hadassah www.charlesriverhadassah.org MetroWest Jewish Day School 29 Upper Joclyn Avenue Framingham, MA 01701 508-620-5554 www.mwjds.org Metrowest JCC 29 Upper Joclyn Avenue Framingham, MA 01701 Phone: 508-879-3300 www.jccgb.org | ||
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We hope you enjoy Kulanu's e-letter, Jewish Partners
in Parenting. Kulanu is supported through a generous gift from Clare and
Richard Lesser. As parents, we are our children's first teachers. Antoine
de Saint-Exupery wrote:
Sincerely,
 Kim, Mindee and Malka Jewish Family Service of Metrowest email: myoung@jfsmw.org
phone: 508-875-3100
web: http://www.jfsmw.org |
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