Wow! It’s hard to believe that Torah Center and Jewish High School classes are done for the year! Mazal tov to our fabulous Faculty and awesome Madrichim for a terrific year… and to the students and parents – we couldn’t have done it without you! Here are some highlights of the last few weeks…

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The Pre-K students learned what it means to be created B’tzelem Elohim, in God’s image, and decorated picture frames to help them remember how special they are:

Our Kindergarteners made flower necklaces as they talked about all that they learned:

First Grade students learned about Shavuot and played Jewpardy to review all the holidays discussd throughout the year:

The 2nd Grade made a game to help with their review of the Bible stories they learned:

The 5th Grade played ‘Prophet Lotto’ as part of their reveiw:

The 5th Graders also got to try their hand at Micrography, the scribal practice of employing minuscule script to create abstract shapes or figurative designs, an art form used by Jews for over a millennium. They looked at examples of microcraphy and then created their own pictures using symbols of peace or Israel, and writing Hebrew words from the prayers of peace learned in class.

During the 6th Grade Torah Day, students and parents got a close-up look at the Torah scroll:

Afterwards, the 6th Grade finished up their participation in the Eco-Connection with a Skype call to Carmiel-Misgav, Pittsburgh’s sister city and region in Israel. What awesome T-shirts!

Our 7th, 8th, & 9th Graders learned a lot from the personal story of Fritz Ottenheimer, a Holocaust survivor, who came to visit on the last night of class. He was joined by Moritz, a young German man who is working at the Holocaust Center this year as part of the Action Reconciliation Program for Peace. It made for a very interesting evening!

The 9th Grade finished up their study of the Israeli Minisry of Tourism’s different Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) posters by creating their own to commemorate Israel’s 64th birthday:

All in all, a great end to a great year!

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Coming Up:

Don’t miss Temple Emanuel’s annual Bagel Brunch Bash!  The event is FREE and will be Monday, May 28^th (Memorial Day) from 10:00 to noon, rain or shine at the Upper St. Clair Community & Recreation Center Outdoor Picnic Pavilion at Boyce Mayview Park.  Please RSVP to Temple at 412-279-7600 or [email protected] ASAP.

On Sunday, June 3^rd at 6:30 pm, Temple Emanuel is hosting an enjoyable evening of food, friendship and conversation.  There is no cost for this Family Event. Look to the weekly Torah Center email for more inf
ormation.

Last week we celebrated Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) and had a blast! With a schedule of special activites throughout the morning, it was a day to be remembered…Happy 64th birthday, Israel!

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Here’s a look at what kept our students busy on Sunday morning:

Our Bedoiun tent was a good place to rest and have refreshments – without dealing with the heat of the desert, of course. Mrs. Altschul read stories to our younger students and everyone enjoyed learning about the Bedouin people and culture during their visit to the tent. Hummus anyone?

In Jerusalem (aka the Torah Center Hallway), students visited the Kotel (Western Wall), one of the holiest sites for Jews. After admiring the fine work done by our 6th graders (way to go!), students had the opportunity to write prayers to insert in the wall:

In the gym, it was recess time! What fun it was to learn some Israeli playground games:

Rousing renditions of HaTikvah could be heard during music with Mr. Rosenthal:

In the Negev, students ascended Masada by correctly answering trivia questions about Israel:

And in the artroom students made postcards depicting their favorite parts of Israel:

The morning ended with a show by the Spirit of Israel 2012 Delegation – teens from our sister city/region, Karmiel-Misgav. It was a lot of fun to watch!

Another great morning!

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Coming Up:

It is wonderful to be back in the Torah Center!

A special thank you goes to Marci Barnes for filling in for me during my maternity leave… for helpings things to go smoothly in my absence. And of course, a big thank you to Helaine Labovitz, the Education Secretary, for her continued support as well.

With the eating of matzah behind us, time seems to be flying by as we we count down the weeks to the end of the year (just ask your children, they know how many Torah Center classes are left!). There is still so much left to do – mayhem – in the form of excitement and good (is there any other kind?!) chaos ensues!

A glimpse of what has been happening these past few weeks:

Our Pre-K students were joined by other soon-to-be-kindergarteners for Kindergarten Orientation. The morning included hearing a story, taking a pretend trip to Israel, decorating flower pots and planting flowers for Earth Day:

The Parent Connection concluded with a ceremony honoring our 1st Graders for reading at least 8 books with their parents. Way to go!

The 2nd Grade students made challah…the sweetest bread ever!

The 6th Grade worked on HaKotel (the Western Wall) to be used during next week’s special program for Yom Ha’Atzmaut:

Thanks to everyone who brought in cereal (and other food) boxes! Be sure to stop by next Sunday and see what you helped us to create!

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In the Jewish High School, the 7th Graders painted ceramic butterflies that will become part of the San Diego Jewish Academy’s  Zikaron V’Tikvah (Remembrance and Hope) project, an evergrowing collection of handmade butterflies created to memorialize the children who lost their lives in the Holocaust. For more information on this worthwhile project, check it out:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?  v=N362ncgPEvI

Our 9th Grade students have been studying Israel through a curriculum that uses posters from previous Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) celebrations:

Stay tuned for pictures of next Sunday’s Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) celebration!

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Coming Up:

While Jewish families everywhere are planning what to serve for the Passover Seder (Friday night, April 6th and Saturday night, April 7th!), students in the Temple Emanuel Torah Center are getting ready for Passover in their own way.

The 4th Grade made Passover tile/trivets in Art Class to use on their Seder tables…

Our third grade students worked with Hebrew teacher Mr. Karp to learn the Four Questions…

And the 6th Graders reviewed the Four Questions in music with Mr. Rosenbloom…

The Kindergarten classes made “Matza Men” in Art Class…

The 2nd Grade had a model seder ….

And so did students in Grades 3-6!

Whew!!  Lots of prep for Passover!!  Everyone should enjoy the time off for the next two weeks!!

No Torah Center or JHS Classes until after Passover when classes resume Sunday, April 15th.  Chag Sameach!!

Lots of fun and games occupied our Torah Center recently as the excitement of Purim filled the air!!

Second graders made graggers to shake at Haman’s name when the Megillah was read….

Fourth graders made Shalach Manot baskets to give traditional Purim gifts to others during this festive season…

And teachers and madrichim performed a Purim Shpiel (play) for all of the students in Grades K-6 in the Beit HaTefillah!!

Meanwhile, in Mrs. Levy’s 5^th Grade Lifecycle class, students learned about Jewish weddings.  From the ketubot…

To the huppah…

To the breaking of the glass!!

Next up:  Passover!

Please note:  There will be NO Torah Center classes from Sunday, April 1^st through Sunday, April 8^th due to Pesach and Spring Break. Classes will resume on Sunday, April 15^th.

Did you know that February is Jewish Disability Awareness Month??  We have been honoring the nationwide designation at Temple Emanuel’s Torah Center in lots of ways….

Our February Class Shabbat Service, led by the 3rd Grade, focused on special readings that discussed disabilities.  Students in Grades 3-6 met with Agency for Jewish Learning Special Education Consultant Joan Charleson to learn about students with special needs.

And this week, our 7th and 8th Graders in Jewish High School met with Mrs. Charleson, as well, to watch clips from Praying with Lior, an award-winning film about a student with Down Syndrome who becomes a Bar Mitzvah.

Even though February is over, you can check out more information at The Jewish Special Education International Consortium at http://www.jsped.org/.

Meanwhile, the Pre-K class was busy making clay Shabbat items in the art room recently…

Bagel Sales are still going strong every Sunday morning, thanks to lots of teen and adult volunteers!!

Coming Up:

• Friday, March 2^nd is our next Shabbat LaMishpacha Dinner and Family service featuring 6^th Grade!
• Join our Temple Emanuel family for a pizza party, costume parade and contest and, of course, to listen to our SPECIAL Megillah Spiel and the Megillah itself! The fun begins in the Temple Emanuel Social Hall on Wednesday, March 7^th at 5:45pm.
• Temple Emanuel’s PURIM CARNIVAL!!! Games, food, prizes and much more… Tickets, refreshments and hamantaschen will be available for purchase. On Sunday, March 11^th, the fun begins from 11:30-12:00 for preschoolers only and continues from 12:00-1:30 for children of all ages!

For details on these events and so much more, check out your weekly email from the Torah Center office or give us a call!!

It sure hasn’t felt like Spring outside in Pittsburgh recently, but the Torah Center students certainly enjoyed celebrating the Jewish New Year of the Trees inside!!  Seders, art projects, story times and lots of activities in between marked the celebration of Tu B’Shevat all around our Torah Center!

Students in Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grades heard Tu B’Shevat stories and pretended that they were trees.  They started out as little seeds in the ground…

and then grew…

and sprouted branches!

The 2nd Grade had their very own Seder in the Gym.

6th Grade made terrariums as part of their year-long study of the Israel environment

All students in Grades 3-6 participated in a Tu B’Shevat Seder in the Social Hall…

with beautiful decorations made by our students!

We certainly are getting ready for the weather in Pittsburgh to catch up with our “Spring Holiday” feeling inside the Torah Center!!

Coming Up:

• Friday, March 2^nd is our next Shabbat LaMishpacha Dinner and Family service featuring 6^th Grade!
• Join our Temple Emanuel family for a pizza party, costume parade and contest and, of course, to listen to our SPECIAL Megillah Spiel and the Megillah itself! The fun begins in the Temple Emanuel Social Hall on Wednesday, March 7^th at 5:45pm.
• Temple Emanuel’s PURIM CARNIVAL!!! Games, food, prizes and much more… Tickets, refreshments and hamantaschen will be available for purchase. On Sunday, March 11^th, the fun begins from 11:30-12:00 for preschoolers only and continues from 12:00-1:30 for children of all ages!

For details on these events and so much more, check out your weekly email from the Torah Center office or give us a call!!

Tu B’Shevat, the New Year or birthday of the trees, is just a week away and students at Torah Center have been very busy this week getting ready while also focusing on lots of other things that they love to learn about.

Mrs. Schlesingers’ 6^th Graders have been spending the year learning about Israel through special technology-based lessons and others that focus on the environment.

In the cooking elective in Jewish High School on Monday, Ms. Freed’s class made a beautiful Jewish breakfast with homemade gravlax, cucumber sauce, egg salad and freshly squeezed orange juice.

The 1^st Grade read some stories in Mrs. Schorr’s class about Tu B’Shevat

The 3^rd grade is getting ready for their class Shabbat service this Friday night with a practice in the Sanctuary on Wednesday and special projects in the Art Room.

Kindergarten students spent time with Mrs. Altschul listening to a story in the Library.

And members of lots of different grades have begun to practice after school hours for the Purim Shpiel!  Details coming in the coming weeks.  This will be another “Don’t miss” event!!

This Friday, February 3^rd is our next Shabbat LaMishpacha Dinner and Family service! It is also our Jewish Disabilities Awareness Shabbat here at Temple. Please plan on joining us that evening! Please let Lori in the main office know if you are able to attend the dinner. The cost is $15 for adults, $5.50 for children under 14. Can’t make it to the dinner?  Join us for the service.  Hope to see you there!!

We have a new addition to the Torah Center Family!

Rabbi Jessica Locketz, Larry Schwartz and big brother, Eitan are enjoying their newest family member this week!  Ezra Locketz Schwartz was born on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 6:19 a.m. He weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and “Rabbi Mommy” and son are both doing well.  The congregation is invited to the Brit Milah on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. in Temple Emanuel’s Beit HaT’fila.

While Rabbi Locketz is on maternity leave, Marci Barnes will be filling in as Interim Torah Center Educator.  She will be in the Torah Center office on Sunday mornings, Monday evenings and Wednesday afternoons.  She can be reached at [email protected] or at 412-279-7600 x 13.  She is happy to help out at the Torah Center and looks forward to working with all of students, parents and staff at Temple Emanuel again beginning this Sunday.

Meanwhile, lots of exciting things have been going on around the Torah Center this week!

Mrs. Levy and the 8th Grade weren’t sleeping!  They were doing a special concealed vote for a project they did in class on Monday night.

While, other students at Jewish High School had fun… and made Gravlox with Ms. Freed in the kitchen!

On Sunday, the 3rd Grade (including Mr. Karp!) enjoyed singing in Music!

The 2nd Grade worked very closely with Mrs. Katz on learning the Hebrew Aleph-Bet.

The 1st Grade worked in the Art room on special trees to celebrate the upcoming holiday of Tu B’Shevat.

And, our Pre-Kindergarten class learned how all of our friends and family members are links in the big chain of our extended Jewish family at Torah Center.

It’s been a busy week and so much more is coming up…

Friday night, February 3rd, is our next Shabbat LaMishpacha Dinner and Family service featuring the 3rd Grade! It is also our Jewish Disabilities Awareness Shabbat here at Temple. Please plan on joining us that evening. Please let Lori in the main office know if you are able to attend the dinner. The cost is $15 for adults, $5.50 for children under 14. Can’t make it to the dinner?  Join us for the service.  This is a “don’t miss” event!

Looking Ahead… Melinda Freed will be starting a new round of Adult Hebrew classes beginning Sunday, February 5^th.  Some Hebrew knowledge is needed.  Contact the Temple office for more information.

AND DON’T FORGET!    As the temperature continues to drop, the important question this time of year becomes, “Do we have Torah Center today?!” To find out whether or not there will be classes, tune into KDKA, WPXI or WTAE or checkout www.KDKA.com, www.WPXI.com, www.WTAE.com for the latest decisions regarding Torah Center closings.

Shabbat Shalom!!