Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Studies Primary

Weekly Torah portion

Parashat Nitzavim-Vayeilekh Deuteronomy 29:9 – 31:30

In this week’s double Torah portion, Moshe continues his final speech and message to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Land of Israel. The people are reminded that the mitzvot are not a removed, abstract concept, but rather they are close to all, not in the heavens but “in your mouth and in your heart”. The Torah reminds us that we have freedom of choice and that whatever our choices, our actions have consequences for ourselves, others and the world around us. Our choices can have positive outcomes and impacts, which the Torah describes as berakhot/blessings or they can have negative impacts, which are described as kelalot/curses.  

Family discussion  

• What does it mean to have the Torah in “your mouth and in your heart”? How would this guide one’s behaviour and actions?

Ella Kirschner

Lilia Joseph

Year 6 visit the Sydney Jewish Museum

This term in Jewish Studies students have been learning about the rich and diverse Jewish world of Europe before WWII, and how that world was impacted during the 1930s with the rise of Nazi Germany. This learning connected to Project Heritage, as our amazing living historians shared their lives with our students, with many Historians’ lives affected by the Shoah. Project Heritage culminated on Monday of this week, with a special presentation by the students to their historians in the presence of their parents.

Visiting the Sydney Jewish Museum provided a powerful opportunity for students to make connections between their learning in Jewish Studies, the living historians of Project Heritage and personal family histories. Our visit to the newly renovated museum included a guided tour, where students learnt from the Museum’s guides and explored the exhibits and artefacts. We were also privileged to hear the survivor testimony of Jacqueline Dale, who survived the Shoah as a child in France hidden by the French underground. Our visit concluded with a Q&A session led by Simon Holloway, one of the museum’s educators. This open forum allowed us to ask questions and draw on Simon’s knowledge and expertise in this area.

Student reflection

Yesterday we went to the Sydney Jewish Museum where we saw many sad and inspirational things. One of the main concepts that we heard about was how many people risked their lives to save people who otherwise would have perished in the War. After visiting the exhibition in the museum we listened to a survivor called Jacqueline. She told us about her history. We learnt about her deepest sadness and also her happiest memories. After this we were invited to ask questions. While doing this we felt that our hearts were melting – we felt sorry for all the losses in the Shoah and to the survivors that experienced the devastation of this tragedy. The museum contains a memorial to the 1.5 million children who were murdered in the Shoah. The memorial is a continuous drip of water, representing the lives of the children and our tears.

By Ella Kirschner and Lilia Joseph 

שנה טובה

Wishing you, your family and the world a new year filled with peace and blessings