Volume 31 Issue 3 18 Feb 2022 17 Adar I 5782

Ma Koreh

Shalom everyone! 

After a long and relaxing summer holiday (and a slightly longer break for one of us), we’re super excited to finally be back together working with the Primary School students in our second year as the Informal Jewish Life Educators. Our role involves creating peulot (informal experience-based sessions) to encourage students to engage with their Judaism and with Jewish learning through fun, experiential activities that encourage critical thinking and personal reflection. These peulot help the students interact with the curriculum in a new and exciting way and are often a great medium for bringing Jewish content into their everyday lives. 

Josh and Mia dress up for Purim

Joshua New: Last term, I had the opportunity to spend five months in Israel with 16 now lifelong friends on a Shnat program with Habonim Dror. I had the opportunity to live both on a kibbutz and in the cities of Jerusalem and Rishon Letzion whilst engaging in educational content around Judaism, Zionism and Kvutzah (group living/collectivism). The program allowed for many volunteering experiences, including working in the kibbutz fields and leading at Youth Centres with Habonim’s sister movement. The trip was incredible, very eye opening and has made me even more excited to be back working with Mia this year.

Term 1 is one of our favourites, filled with lots of fun as we have Purim and Pesach to look forward to. Alongside preparing for these events, we get to work with our new Jewish Life Leaders and the new Year 6 leadership cohort, as they embark on their leadership journey. We will be engaging with the students in activities during the upcoming leadership days, emphasising the concepts of leading in Shitafut (partnership) with one another and through Dugma Ishit (personal example). 

We look forward to sharing photos of our peulot with you all the year progresses and can’t wait to work with all of the Primary School students and bring the Ruach (spirit) that is Informal Jewish Life at Emanuel.

Shabbat Shalom

Mia Shapiro and Joshua New