Neve Shalom, Metuchen, NJ

JAN 2014

Volume IX, Issue 3

Hebrew School Happenings

DATES TO SAVE:

JANUARY

Fr 3 Dinner 5:30pm Fam. Service 6:30 Sa 4 Multiple Minyan Shabbat Su 5 Midrasha 11am, PJ Library Prog afternoon Sa 11 After Shul Fun We 15 Tu B’Shvat Dinner & Seder Sa 18 Night of Study at Temple Emanu-El Su 19 Youth Learning Team Mtg 9am Tu 21 GADNA program for Teens 7pm Sa 25 4th grade leads Havdalah 6 pm Fr 31 Youth Service & Dinner 6:30pm

FEBRUARY

Su 2 World Wide Wrap 6th & 7th grades and parents 8:30 am Midrasha 11am Fr 7 Dinner 5:30 pm Fam. Service 6:30p Sa 8 Family Service with Rabbi Zelizer 6th grade chants Torah Su 9 3rd grade Consecration & Play Su 16 No Hebrew School We 19 Youth Learning Team Mtg 8pm Paris Baguette, 1739 Rt. 27 (Hmart Shopping Center), Edison Sa 22 After Shul Fun Kids Night at Neve 7pm Su 23 Java Nagila 9am: Social Media: Keeping Up With Your Kids

MARCH

Sa 1 5th, 6th & 7th grades lead service In the Sanctuary 9:30 am After Ours (Adult) Masquerade Party) Su 2 Midrasha 11am Fr 3 Dinner 5:30 pm Fam. Service 6:30p Sa 8 After Shul Fun Sa 15 Purim Eve Service 8 pm Su 16 (During School) Purim Family Service 10am and Purim Shpiel: Wizards of PersOz performed by the kids Purim Carnival noon– 3pm JCC Su 23 Confirmation Phila. Trip Su 30 7th Grade Trip to NY

YOUTH LEARNING TEAM (HEBREW SCHOOL COMMITTEE) Abridged Minutes December 18, 2013

1.Next Family Shabbat Dinner on January 3, 2014 Jammies and Jeans – Breakfast for dinner will be served Sponsored by Bet (2)/ Vav (6) who will donate the food and drinks, cook, set-up and clean-up Registration required – Cost $ 5 per family, register through shul cloud http://neveshalom.shulcloud.com/event/family-shabbat-dinner.html and pay $ 5.00 to Jeanne on Sunday, January 5, 2014 (after the dinner)

2. Library Committee (Subcommittee of Youth Learning Team) Chairperson – Melissa Israel Sunday, Jan. 5, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 2, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Sunday, March 2, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Sunday, April 6, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Sunday, May 4, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Initial focus of committee: renovating the library with new folding tables Current library table and chairs to be donated World Book Day – Wednesday, April 23, 2014, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. (Intergenerational Book Group or Young Reader book sharing), participants will pick up their books on that day and meet to discuss at a later date 3. Bible Fun Day took place on December 22, 2013 at Neve Shalom Community Program produced by Neve Shalom, Highland Park Conservative Temple, Beth Mordecai, JCC of Middlesex county, Temple Emanu-El with grant from Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County 4. Breakfast and Wii Bowling Tournament took place on December 25, 2013 at the Temple Sponsored by the Men’s Club, Well attended, may become an annual event 5. Kids Night At Neve – Parents Night Out February 22, 2014 at 7:00 p.m., Cost $ 15 for first child, $ 5 each additional child, Ages 3 (must be potty trained) to 10, Snacks, Movie and Craft, 6. Weekly Family Discussion Topic and Recipe, Included in weekly Heb. Sch. Reminder Email 7. Java Nagila Start with an ice breaker, so attendee can meet one another Sunday, February 23, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. Social Media: Keeping Up with Your Kids - What is Vine? Snap Chat? How do they utilize Facebook? Instagram? Learn about resources that they already know about. Educate yourselves on different types of social media being used by our children. Share your own experiences and ask your questions. 8. Family or Parent Outing, Organized by class parents for each class, Start with Mom’s Outing 9. Combining students from different classes Have sixth grade students meet with Madrichim to discuss getting ready for B’nai Mitzvah 10. Remind 101 To receive short text message reminders about Hebrew School events and closings 11. Upcoming Team Meeting Dates Sunday, January 19, 9:00 a.m. at the Temple Wednesday, February 19, 8:00 p.m. at Paris Baguette, 1739 Rt. 27 (Hmart Shopping Center), Edison Sunday, March 23, 9:00 a.m. at the Temple Wednesday, April 23, 8:00 p.m. at the Temple Sunday, May 18, 10:30 a.m. at the Temple

In Case of Inclement Weather * If Edison or Metuchen Schools close that day, close early or cancel after school programs due to bad weather we automatically cancel Hebrew School that afternoon and evening * Call 732-548-2238 x 3 and the announcement will say if school is cancelled that day * Check our Neve Shalom PTA Facebook page * You will receive an email from our Constant Contact PTA reminder site * You can go to CentralJerseySnow.com or WeatherClosings.com and under Metuchen look to see if Neve Shalom posted a closing message * If you subscribe to the Remind101.com message board you will receive a short text message from the Hazzan about closings

Hebrew Hebrew letters this past month included hey and chet, with a review of nun, gimel, hay and shin (dreidel letters). We played a game to review all the letters that we’ve learned so far. In January, we'll study the letters yud, alef and ayin, and work more on Hebrew colors and then possibly numbers. Some students can write their Hebrew names without any help!

Bible We read and completed the corresponding exercises from the story of Abraham and Sarah. We will read the ever popular Joseph and his Brothers.

Holidays In December we continued having fun with Hanukkah! We saw the hanukkiah as well as the menorah in the sanctuary and learned that the Syrians destroyed the holy Temple. We talked about the Ner Tamid, the miracle of the oil, the shamash and gelt. We reenacted the time in which Antiochus wouldn’t let the Jews pray, and the bravery with which Judah Maccabee fought and led his army. We learned that Hanukkah means rededication. We played Hanukah bingo, made paper dreidels and got more familiar with Hanukkah symbols. We read the story When Mindy Saved Hanukkah and we watched a wonderful kids’ video entitled Hanukkah Tales and Tunes which reiterated the Hanukkah story and included lively songs, Hanukkah blessings, and dancing. On the 1st of December, the Hebrew school gathered for the Hanukkah Fun Fair. We colored Hanukkah pictures, played dreidel and sampled latkes with applesauce and sour cream. Also this month, we created beautiful Wheels of Time, depicting the Hebrew months of the year and Jewish holidays that correspond to those months. We’ve been working on some Hanukkah dittos (dreidel letter find, which item doesn’t belong, etc.) which are a fun way of learning for the children. In January, we’ll learn about the holiday of Tu B'Shevat. We’ll learn to appreciate the many uses for trees and G-d's role in their growth, the Hebrew month the holiday falls in (Shevat), the need to replace trees, recycle, and repair the world (Tikkun Olam) and what saplings are. We’ll read the short story Charlie's Birthday Present and possibly The Giving Tree.

Kindergarten-GAN Susan Kashan

Page 2 JAN 2014 Hebrew School Happenings

HEBREW We have continued to do a unit on the Hebrew colors where we select a different color each week and the children have to bring in something from home which represents that color. They really like this. I started to teach the children the names of the seasons in Hebrew. I will also teach them the different family words such as mother, father, son and daughter. Finally, the children have begun to learn the Hebrew vowels or nekudot which are placed under the Hebrew letters to make words.

HOLIDAYS

This past month in Kita Aleph we were very busy reviewing and learning about Chanukah. We hope you liked

the crafts we made for Chanukah. PRAYERS We have also been learning the blessings for some of the foods we eat. If we eat a cookie or cake we say the following blessing: bo-rei mi-nei m'zo-not. For the blessing over foods that grow from the ground such as cucumbers and carrots we say: bo-rei p'ri ha-a-da-mah. We still have a few more blessings to go but the children are enjoying the assortment of food they get to eat. MITZVOT This coming month we will learn about the Mezzuzah, what is inside of it, where it should be hung and the blessing we make when we affix it to the door post. We will also decorate our very own Mezzuzah cover.

1st Grade-ALEPH Pam Birbach

2nd Grade –BET HEBREW Elise Berlin We know most of our Hebrew letters. Every class we review the letters we’ve learned. Whether we play cham- hot and kar- cold, Alef Bet tic tac toe, Alef Bet Bingo or writing Hebrew letters in chocolate frosting, the students can't wait to review. We can blend Hebrew letters together and are amazed that we are actually reading Hebrew words. Aba- dad, Ema- mom, Bayit- house, gag- roof and Torah, are just a few examples. We practice our Hebrew writing in our Hebrew workbooks. We learned many words having to do with the holiday of Hanukkah: Gelt- kessef- money, matana- present, leviva- latke- potato pancake, and S’vivon- dreidel- spinning top, are some of the new words we learned. We write the word in Hebrew print, then we spell it out in English, and next we write the English meaning. We illustrate every word with our own drawings. The chil-dren are achieving so much and by the end of the year will surely have an expanded Hebrew vocabulary.

Neve Shalom invites you to

MULTIPLE MINYANS Sat., Jan. 4 10:15-11:30 a.m.

During the Shabbat morning service, several options

will be offered throughout the building including

The Regular Service starts 9:30am

A Torah Study Session

A Learner’s Service

Yoga with a Jewish Twist (Yoga participants should bring Yoga mat

or towel and wear appropriate clothing).

All will join together for Musaf and Kiddush.

Info contact whkushner@gmail.com

Neve Shalom’s Hebrew School invites you to

Dinner

before

Family

Services Feb. 7, 2014 Join us for a pasta/dairy buffet dinner

Dinner at 5:30pm Service at 6:30pm

Just $5 feeds your whole family!

ALL CLASSES ARE INVITED and the next dinner will be hosted by the following class Feb. 7 – Daled (4th grade)

We’ll need your help with purchasing the food, setting up, cooking, and cleaning up.

An email will be sent to class parents in the weeks prior to your dinner.

Registration Form – Family Services Dinner – Friday Feb. 7

Please return with $5 payment, to Jeanne Cowhey by Feb. 2 Family: __________________________________________ Number to include for dinner: ___________________________ Does your family require a gluten-free option? YES NO Any other food allergies we need to be aware of ________________________________

For more information contact Mara McAuley maramcauley@aol.com or (908) 447-0804. Register ONLINE http://neveshalom.shulcloud.com/event/hebrew-school-dairy-dinner.html

or return the form to the office

Feb. 22 7 pm –10 pm

MOVIE

GAMES

CRAFTS

SNACKS

(PAREVE)

Neve Shalom Youth Learning Team presents

Parents get a night off

$15 for 1st child, $5 each additional child

Make check payable to Neve Shalom

More details will follow

KIDS NIGHT at NEVE

2nd Grade –BET (Continued from page 2) ISRAEL & HOLIDAYS Ariel Lubow We recently wrote notes for the Kotel, and will continue learning all about Jerusalem, and the rich history that it holds. We will be discussing the concept of Rodef Shalom, seeking peace, and brainstorming ways to seek peace on an everyday level. The holiday of Tu B’shvat is coming up and we will be having a great Tu B’shvat Seder!

BIBLE Alex Hamilton In second grade we are about to start working on Joseph’s story. There are a few chapters devoted to Joseph. I look forward to role-play the story and to ask the students what they think after being in the shoes of the various characters. This is a good way for the students to get a unique perspective that is likely to stick with them.

PRAYER Ariel Lubow This month in Prayer class, we will continue learning Mi Chamocha. We will also continue with the Shemah and learn more of the prayer.

3rd Grade-GIMMEL HEBREW Cindy Baruch This past month Kitah Gimmel has been learning new vowels and reading Hebrew! The children have been read-ing from their L'shoni books and love to play "Once Chance Reading". We have been concentrating on the follow-ing vowels: the cholam which says OH, the koobotz and shoorok which say OO and the segol which say EH. Many new vocabulary words have been taught for each vowel and different activities are done to reinforce these words. For the cholam vowel, the following words were taught and written in their machbarot (notebooks): yom(day), kof(monkey), or(light), kol(voice), chol(sand), tzom(fast), kovah(hat), malon(hotel), shalom(hello, goodbye and peace), kos(cup), and makom (place).For the koobotz and shorook, the following vocabulary words were taught: tapuz(orange), tanur(oven), kador(ball), chatol(cat), toot(strawberry), buba(doll), tiyul(hike), temunah(picture), sulam(ladder), shurah(line), chulsa(shirt), and muma(nothing). For the segol, these words were taught: cheder(room), beged(clothes), sheleg(snow), geshem(rain), delet(door), lechem(bread), yeled(boy), shemen(oil), beten(stomach), gerev(sock), regel(leg), el(to), peh(mouth), melech(king). Next month (as we always do) we will be reviewing past vowels, reading and learning the sheva which is silent. I will also be teaching the class Hebrew colors.

PRAYER Cindy Baruch We had our idol contest on V'shmru and are in the midst of learning Adon Olam.

HOLIDAYS Cindy Baruch We learned about Chanukah. The children learned about the laws of lighting the menorah, the correct way to put the neirot(candles) in, and the story of Chanukah. We had a fun time baking Chanukah cookies and I was very proud of the students who lit the menorah and said the blessings during Chanukah. Next month, we will learn about Tu B'Shevat (birthday of the trees).

BIBLE Alex Hamilton We are studying the destruction of the first Temple and the factors that led up to it. We will look at the various invasions and why we are taught they were brought on, focusing especially on idolatry. This will be discussion based and have some role-play where students will try to act out various stories that are in our tradition.

Page 6 JAN 2014 Hebrew School Happenings

4th Grade-DALED

HEBREW and PRAYER Vera Shreck In Hebrew class students continue to build their vocabulary by learning more shor-ashim/roots of words. Some of the roots they have been introduced to most recently are zecher/remember, shamor/observe as they relate to the Friday night Kiddush. In studying the Kiddush we talked about the two points that this prayer calls to our at-tention: that the world was created in six days then G-d rested on the seventh, and remember our Exodus from Egypt. We also discussed how the word Shalom comes from the root shalaym which means complete and how life feels complete when we have peace. We've also practiced the V'Ahavta, Ashrei, and L'cha Dodi.

Third Grade

Consecration

Sunday Feb. 9

9:45 am

Join Rabbi Zelizer and Nita Polay LevinJoin Rabbi Zelizer and Nita Polay LevinJoin Rabbi Zelizer and Nita Polay LevinJoin Rabbi Zelizer and Nita Polay Levin at Neve Shalom for

SATURDAY MORNING SATURDAY MORNING SATURDAY MORNING SATURDAY MORNING FAMILY SERVICEFAMILY SERVICEFAMILY SERVICEFAMILY SERVICE

Feb. 8 Feb. 8 Feb. 8 Feb. 8 10:1510:1510:1510:15----11:45am11:45am11:45am11:45am For students grades 2For students grades 2For students grades 2For students grades 2----6 & their families6 & their families6 & their families6 & their families

In the Hayat Beit MidrashIn the Hayat Beit MidrashIn the Hayat Beit MidrashIn the Hayat Beit Midrash Contact Hazzan Levin for more infoContact Hazzan Levin for more infoContact Hazzan Levin for more infoContact Hazzan Levin for more info

Join Neve Shalom Hebrew School ParentsNeve Shalom Hebrew School ParentsNeve Shalom Hebrew School ParentsNeve Shalom Hebrew School Parents

for discussions, friendship, coffee, tea and refreshments

at JAVA NAGILA Sunday Feb. 23 at 9am

Social Media: Keeping Up with Your Kids

What is Vine? Snap Chat? How do kids use Facebook & Instagram?

With a Guest Facilitator

The

The

The

The WWWW

iZARD

iZARD

iZARD

iZARD

ofofofof Pers

Pers

Pers

PersOOOO

ZZZZ

Neve Shalom Sunday March 16

at the 10am Purim Family Service

(during school)

Starring Neve Shalom children Parody words written and directed by Hazzan Levin

Music from The Wizard of Oz movie, Wicked, & The Wiz No Admission Fee

Jr. Cong. and

Mini-Minyan

will meet

Jan. 4, 11, 25

Feb. 1, 8, 22

From 10:15-11:45am.

Family Shabbat Morning

Feb. 8

Family Friday Night services at 6:30pm

Jan. 3, Feb. 7, Mar. 7

5th Grade-HAI HEBREW & PRAYER Elise Berlin We enjoy reading, learning and chanting many Hebrew prayers. We are in the middle of learning the whole Ashrei. Students take turns reading aloud and then as a class we chant the lines learned. Now that we have reviewed the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah, we will be singing it at the start of every class. Through learning Hebrew prayers and songs, our vocabulary expanded as well. Mizrach- east, Nefesh, soul, Avda- lost, Tikvah- hope, Chofshee-free, are some of the words from the Hatikvah that we learned. Please encourage your children to go to Junior Congregation- they'll be excited that they know so many prayers! Our Hebrew vocabulary expanded as well: Matanot- presents, Chayalim- soldiers, Kesef- money (gelt), Nerot- candles, Melech- king, Gadol- big, Sham- there and Poh- here, are just a few of the many new words that we learned. We practiced our Hebrew by writing all our Hanukkah words in our notebooks. We practiced our Hebrew writing as well. HOLIDAYS Elise Berlin The Jewish Chodesh- month of Kislev just ended. Hanukkah- the festival of lights was just celebrated. We in Kitah Hai really enjoyed learning about this Chag- holiday. We learned that there were two Nissim- miracles that happened many years ago to the Yehudeem- Jewish people. First, the Shemen- oil that was found lasted for sh’mona yamim- eight days, while there was only enough for yom echad- one day. The other miracle was that the army of the Jews was small compared to the army of the Yevanim- Greeks, yet the Jews were still able to win! All the students enjoyed a wonderful Hanukkah program which included playing dreidel, eating latkes, watching a short video and doing Chanukah mazes and puzzles. HISTORY Ariel Lubow This month, we will be learning about Hellenism and Hasidism within the Israelite community. We will learn how both affected the Israelites and about the Maccabean Revolt during this time. We will also begin to discuss the Pharisees and Sadducees, sects of Judaism.

LIFE CYCLE Ariel Lubow We have been having some great dis-cussions in class with our unit on mar-riage, specifically about values. In the coming classes, we will talk about what qualities students think are good to look for in partners and why these qualities are important. We will also discuss Jewish ceremonies and traditions leading up to the wedding ceremony.

HOLIDAYS Alex Hamilton The Holiday class will start with Tu B’Shvat, then fill in with Rosh Hashanah which we did not have time to do in September prior to the holiday. We will focus on the symbols of the holidays. After covering Rosh Hashanah we will move into Purim and learn more about the story and some of the fun customs that are lesser known such as holding one’s breath when Haman’s sons are read and Mishloach Manot.

BIBLE Alex Hamilton Fourth grade is about to start on Joseph’s story. I plan on looking at the power of dreams. Joseph is the eternal dreamer. We will use a lot of Midrash to supplement this. We will also look at some of the texts from the Chumash in addition to what is read in the textbook.

4th Grade-DALED (Continued from page 6)

Page 8 JAN 2014 Hebrew School Happenings

5th, 6th, 7th

Grades in the Sanctuary

Sat. Mar. 1

9:30 am

Page 9

Volume IX , Is sue 3

Contact Hazzan: Hazzan@NeveShalom.net to volunteer to help.

This is the NEVE SHALOM

Purim Carnival that we will do together with the JCC

at the JCC

Page 10 NOV 2013 Hebrew School Happenings

This program, hosted by Neve Shalom Hebrew High, is free for all

teens thanks to grants from the Barry Miller Fund, Congregation

Neve Shalom & the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County.

Parents are welcome to attend.

There will be activities similar to

GADNA Israeli Army Training.

Wear comfortable clothes

and sneakers.

The event ends at 8:30pm.

For info: Hazzan Sheldon Levin

732-548-2238x14

Hazzan@NeveShalom.net

For Teens

grades 7-12

Tuesday, Jan. 21

at 7 pm

Neve Shalom

250 Grove Avenue,

Metuchen, NJ

presents

GADNA TRAINING for the Israeli Army

New date

Page 11

Volume IX , Is sue 3

HEBREW and PRAYER Vera Schreck In Kita Vav we are learning about the B’rachot of the Haftarah. We talked about the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony, being called up/Aliya to the Bima/stage, reading the Torah Portion/Parsha and presenting a D'var Torah/speech. We will go on to discuss more details of the Haftarah reading such as the blessings recited before the reading. I expect to teach the students the three parts that we refer to as TaNaCH; Torah/Bible, Nevi'im/Prophets and Ketuvim/Wisdom Literature. We continue to decipher words in Hebrew by searching for their roots, enhanc-ing their understanding of prayers and spoken Hebrew as well. Additionally, students have been learning the Hebrew months, days of the week and weather related vocabulary.

HISTORY Ariel Lubow We will be learning all about Jews coming to America. First we will learn about the first Jews to settle in North America in the 17th century. Then we will discuss German Jews who came to America in the 19th century and the problems they faced.

HOLOCAUST Ariel Lubow This class has been filled with some exciting ethical debates. We will be finishing up our unit on the Holocaust over the next month. We will be discussing how holidays were sometimes observed in ghettos and concentra-tion camps and then learn about different rescue missions and aftermath of the Holocaust. After concluding

this unit, we will begin learning about a whole new topic; Israel!

TROP Hazzan & Alex Hamilton The class has been learning more Torah Trop signs and is now working on a Torah portion to chant at the next Family Saturday morning service on Feb. 8. Please join the Rabbi and the class for this special service. We will then start working on Haftarah trop and blessings.

6th Grade– VAV CLASS

7th Grade– ZION CLASS HEBREW & PRAYER Lincoln Richman & Dali Paul In our Hebrew and Prayer classes, we have been working on several of the many prayers the students will be chanting and/or leading in their Bar or Bat Mitzvah service. These include Ashrei, Sh'ma, Amidah, Mourners' Kaddish, Ein Kamocha, Ein Keiloheinu, Aleynu, and others. We will continue to work toward mastery of the material.

MITZVOT Elise Berlin A big mazal tov for the the b’nai mitzvah that took place these past months. We are in the middle of learning all about the mitzvah of Tza’ar Ba’alei Chaim - Compassion to Animals. We all show compassion for animals. As we know many times experiments are done on animals. Students voiced their opinions whether they were pro or against using animals for testing. We learned that using animals as subjects for research that can save human lives is allowed, if there is no other way for research to be conduct-ed, if animals are treated in the most humane way possible. Next, we will be learning about Sh’mirat Ha-Lashon / Guarding Your Tongue. We will learn and discuss the different levels of gossip and the possi-ble harm they can cause. BIBLE Lincoln Richman In our Torah Study class, we have been covering the early stories of Genesis: Creation, the Garden of Eden, and the story of Noah and the flood. Soon we will be covering Abraham's journey from Ur to Canaan as the first Jew, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Akedah (Binding of Isaac). The classroom discussions are always dynamic and spirited!

5th, 6th, 7th

Grades in the Sanctuary

Sat. Mar. 1

9:30 am

Neve Shalom

Hebrew School 250 Grove Avenue

Metuchen, NJ 08840

Phone: 732-548-2238 x 14

Fax: 732-548-2335

Email:

Hazzan@NeveShalom.net

FAITH AND DOUBT AFTER 9/11 Rabbi Gerald Zelizer The rabbi’s class did not meet in December because of the snow. In January they will continue discussing how different religions react to major issues. JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS (9th grade) Rabbi Joseph Carlebach How appropriate that during the period around Hanukkah when we are reading the story of Joseph and his brothers in shul, that’s exactly what we were doing in our class. Throughout his years in prison Joseph never lost his faith nor his goals of accomplishing his life’s missions. We pointed out an inaccuracy in the film we saw that said that Joseph had never met his younger brother Benjamin where the text states that they had lived together for several years before Joseph was sold into slavery. MITZVAH/TORAH/VALUES (MTV) Rabbi Joseph Carlebach We watched a short but powerful ad for beer. Do we Jews drink alcoholic beverages? Certainly, we drink wine for Shabbat and holy days. What’s the difference between Kid-dush and a relaxing beer? According to the ad, the beer helps escape the horrible ordeals of work while Kiddush, on the other hand, elevates Shabbat into an act of creation and holiness. We had an amazing lesson from a non-sacred source, a beer commercial. GOD & THE BIG BANG Hazzan Levin We compared String Theory and Einstein’s time theories with the possibility that the earth was created in six 24 hour periods. We used scientific Chaos theory to look at is-sues of randomness in the world and why sometimes bad things happen to good people. Soon we will view segments of What The Bleep Do You Know and match what the expert scientists say in the film with various Talmudic thoughts about living in the world. WHY BE DIFFERENT Elise Berlin What does the word mensch mean? According to the dictionary meaning it is a person of integrity and honor. We, in Hebrew High read many short stories from a book called Why Be Different. After each story there are short questions to be answered always lead-ing to class discussions and opinions. The students love to debate but most important there is always a lesson to be learned. Whether it be about the importance of having re-spect, not speaking or gossiping about one another, loving your neighbor as you love yourself, or giving tzedakah, we always see that Hashem wants us to be a mensch. Treat-ing one another with respect, making sure not to embarrass another human being, and thinking before we act are all ways to enable one to become that person that Hashem knows we all have the potential to be.

JEWISH LAW Rabbi Ed Prince

The class has been exploring some of the differences between Jewish and secular law. We are looking into a case of conflict of interest. One of the areas we are discussing is the role of ethics in civil law.

HEBREW HIGHlights

Synagogue Web:

NeveShalom.net

JAN 2014

MIDRASHA (11th-12th grade)

On Sunday Jan. 5 at 11am the class

will meet with the Rabbi

On Sunday Feb. 2 the class will meet with the Hazzan.

Jeanne Cowhey is the Hebrew School Secretary.

Call her extension 732-548-2238x11 for any

forms, flyers and registration questions

or email her at Hebrew School@ NeveShalom.net