Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

During Hebrew and Jewish Studies, students have been busy learning, doing and thinking about Hanukkah. 

Each morning Years K-2 joined Morah Bar-On to light the Hanukkiah and Years 3-6 joined Mr Carpenter either on Zoom or in person for the lighting, brachot and COVID safe singing outdoors when possible.

During class time (and a few days at home), students engaged in a range of activities, including:

• Designing Hanukkiot from Lego or items around the home
• Learning the Hanukkah story 
• Playing sevivon (dreidel)
• Applying the Hanukkah themes of light, miracles and thanksgiving to our lives and world today

Year 3 Dan Garfinkel Lego hanukkiah

Year 1 Hanukkah

Homelearning Hanukkiah

Homelearning Hanukkah Activity

Ella Cohen Yr 2 – Lights in her life and Gratitude

Morah Martine and Morah Jemma’s Year 5 Hebrew class created own acrostic poems using the Hebrew letters of the word חנוכה and discussed some of the following ideas:

 ח ‘Chet’, the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, corresponding to the eight days of Chanukah. 

נ ‘Nun’ reminds us of the word ‘Nes’, alluding to the miracle that occurred when the oil lasted eight days rather than one day.

ו ‘Vav’ is the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, alluding to the last day of the week before Shabbat arrives! When Shabbat and Hanukkah coincide, we light the Hanukkah candles first, before the start of Shabbat. It also means ‘and’ – we eat latkes (levivot) ‘and’ jam doughnuts (sufganiot)!

כ ‘Caf’ is like the palm of our hand, our ‘Caf Yad’. We give a high five to the person in our family who wins the game of dreidel!

ה ‘Hey’ is for HaShem, one of God’s names, whom we acknowledge on Hanukkah as the creator of life and of miracles!