Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Studies Primary

Weekly Torah Portion

Parashat VeEtchanan Deuteronomy 3:23 – 7:11

In this week’s Torah portion Moshe stresses to the Israelites the importance of keeping God’s commandments and ethical teachings when they enter the Land of Israel. Moshe recounts the Aseret HaDibrot  – the 10 Utterances (commonly referred to as the 10 Commandments). We also read the opening paragraph of the Shema. 

Family discussion: The Shema begins with an instruction to ‘love God’

• What does it mean to love God? It is possible to command someone to love another? What words and actions express feeling of love? When is it easy to love others? When is it difficult to love others?

Hatred and love in the month of Av

In Hebrew, there is no word for history. 

In Hebrew, the words we use to talk about the past are all connected to the shoresh (root letters) ז.כ.ר, memory. History is something that happened, memory is something that happened to us. Our memories shape who we are and how we see the world. 

Tuesday was Tish’ah BeAv (the 9th of Av), a significant and sad day in Jewish history and memory. Many atrocities have befallen the Jewish people on this day that remain part of our collective memory and psyche. Both the First and the Second Temple, according to Jewish tradition, were destroyed on this day and the Jewish people were exiled from the Land of Israel. 

During a Tish’ah BeAv ceremony on Tuesday, Primary students reflected on the concept of שנאת חינם/sinat chinam – baseless hatred of others – which is an explanation in our tradition for the cause of the destruction of the Second Temple. In thinking about the destructive power of hatred in our lives and the world, students were asked to think of the constructive power of love and how we can all bring love and kindness into our lives. To work towards building a feeling of love and kindness, students in Years 3-6 created ‘hesed (kindness) cards’ sharing words of love and kindness to share with their fellow students.

Emanuel in Israel

Over the school holidays and during the first week of Term 3, Morah Bar-On and I had the privilege of attending the Legacy Heritage Teacher Institute’s Summer Program based at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Participating in the Program were around 30 educators from a variety of schools and backgrounds. The Hebrew and Jewish Studies teachers came mainly from North America, with a strong Australian contingent from Emanuel School, Moriah College and Bialik in Melbourne, and even one teacher from Mexico.

The program is generously supported by the Legacy Heritage Fund and provides mentoring, leadership training, project implementation support and professional development for senior Jewish educators. During our time in Israel, Morah Bar-On and I began work on a long-term project for the Primary School to develop our Chaggim Program in Hebrew and Jewish Studies.

Whilst at Hebrew University, we collaborated with academics and expert educators on a variety of topics including:

• Tanakh study and engagement through Bibliodrama, artistic interpretation and an approach based on Philosophy for Children.
• Literary approaches to Tanakh study.
• Chavruta (paired learning of Jewish texts) study techniques
• Utilising the latest ICT in the Jewish Studies and Hebrew classroom
• Israel’s unique political system.

The program also provided a rich array of experiential educational opportunities, allowing participants to reflect on their own understandings of Judaism and Israel and what we in turn present to our students. These activities included:

• A Shabbat musical and learning experience with Rav David Menachem, an amazing scholar, musician and singer from the Sephardi world.
• Listening to the famous Israeli author Etgar Keret speak about his development as a writer and reflect on his work as representing both Jewish and Israeli literary characteristics.
• A ‘Walking the Bible’ tour led by Reb Menachem Leibtag, who connected the stories of the Tanakh (Bible) to its historic and geographic setting of Jerusalem and the Jordan valley.
• A visit to the Neot Kedumim Biblical Park, to learn about the flora of the region and its ecological and symbolic significance in the Tanakh and for the lives of the ancient Israelites.
• A night tour of graffiti of the Machaneh Yehudah Shuk and how it tells a story of this developing neighbourhood and of Israel itself
• A visit to the Kotel to hear from Shulamit Magnus, a founder of the Original Women of the Wall, and to then explore the different voices and visions for the Kotel in the Jewish world and Israel.

When in Israel, you never know who you might meet. During our time in Israel we created new connections and friendships, whilst also meeting some familiar Emanuel School faces, including:

• Udi Cohen: a former Emanuel School teacher who now directs several kindergartens in Jerusalem and does amazing work supporting disadvantaged refugee families and their children
• Avia Madar: an Emanuel alum, leading an Australian Birthright Tour
• Shiri Nassi:  an Emanuel alum and madricha with Habonim Dror, who was leading a North American group at the Kotel
• Emanuel parents and students who were part of the Australia’s Maccabiah Games team.

Both Morah Bar-On and I found Legacy Heritage Teacher Institute’s Summer Program personally and professionally enriching and we look forward to sharing our learning and experiences with both our colleagues and students.