We’re proud to be a Jewish preschool and Jewish education is an integral part of our identity and program. However, many of our children are not Jewish, and their parents appreciate the cultural education we provide. Our rabbi and cantor frequently participate in our educational program, which includes the celebration of Jewish holidays and the study of Jewish customs and culture — including the tradition of respecting each other and each other’s beliefs.
Adath Jeshurun Preschool is under the auspices of Congregation Adath Jeshurun Synagogue. The curriculum includes subjects of Jewish interest and content. A Hebrew and an English prayer are recited daily at snack time, and on Friday, the children help usher in the Sabbath with the ritual blessings of the wine, challah (bread), and Sabbath candles and an all school sing-a-long.
The music program includes Israeli and Jewish songs and throughout the year, the students visit and are visited by the Synagogue’s Rabbi, Robert Slosberg and Cantor, David Lipp. Holidays, Jewish and secular, are celebrated through stories, songs, arts, and crafts, cooking, and other activities.
The preschool is closed on the following holidays, if they fall on a weekday:
- Rosh Hashanah
- Yom Kippur
- Sukkot
- Simchat Torah
- Passover
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It is the birthday to the world. We blow the shofar and pray for a good year. We eat apples dipped in honey. Many Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah for two days.
Yom Kippur is a very holy day. It comes 10 days after Rosh Hashanah. On Yom Kippur, we atone for our sins. We ask G-d to forgive us too. Jews fast on Yom Kippur. Synagogue services on Yom Kippur are the most important of the year and also the longest.
The festival of Sukkot comes in the fall, in the month of Tishre, on the 15th day. Sukkot celebrates harvest time. Sukkot means “booths” or “huts”. We build a sukkah outdoors. We hang fruits and vegetables on it. We eat in the sukkah and we have parities in it. The Sukkot holiday lasts for 7 days. The 8th day of Sukkot has its own name. It is called Shemini Atzeret. We pray for rain on this day.
Simchat Torah comes the day after Sukkot. We finish reading the Torah on Simchat Torah. As soon as we finish, we start to read the Torah all over again. We make sure to remember G-d’s teachings. It is time for dancing and singing. It may be the happiest holiday in the whole year.
The Simchat Torah parade is a time when the children will march around with their Israeli flag. On the flag there are two blue stripes of the Israeli flag. These are patterned after the prayer shawl or tallith. The six pointed “Jewish Star” was not worn by King David. In fact it was not used until 500 years ago, when people began to use it as a synagogue decoration. The “ Star of David” became officially Jewish in 1897 when it was sewed onto the blue and white Israeli flag.
Chanukah begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev. Chanukah is called the Festival of Lights. We celebrate it by lighting candles for eight nights. On each night we add another candle. We sing songs and we eat latkes (potato cakes). We give gifts and also play a Chanukah game where we spin a dreidel.
Tot Shabbot is a lovely family service worship service for all our preschool children and their parents, brothers and sisters, and grandparents, too. It is very short (the little ones can’t sit still too long) and we sing together, welcome the Sabbath, and share the joy of being together. An “Oneg Shabbot” will follow. This is a time for refreshments and fellowship. We hope to see all of you there.
Purim falls on the 4th day of the month of Adar. This is the merriest day of the Jewish year. When we celebrate the holiday of Purim, the children may come dressed up to class and they will enjoy a special hamantaschen treat in their rooms.
Pesach or Passover commemorates the season of the Jews deliverance from Egyptian slavery, and proclaims that every person has a right to freedom.
Passover lasts eight days. On the first two evenings of the holiday, Seder services are conducted in the home. During this eight-day period certain foods are not permitted. Hametz or leaven (baking powder and yeast for example) are forbidden, and matzah, a flat crisp bread that does not rise, is eaten instead.
When our ancestors left Egypt they had not time to bake their bread in ovens. So they took along the dough and baked it in the sun while traveling. The matzah reminds us of the break of affliction and suffering our forefathers ate in Egypt and of their haste to flee from slavery.
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