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- Holidays
- Article: Making Yom Kippur Meaningful for Our Children
By Rabbi Devora Bartnoff
Rabbi Bartnoff explores ways for educators and parents to share the meaning of Yom Kippur with children, keeping in mind three goals: heightened moral understanding, a taste of spirituality and a sense of joyfulness within solemnity. Originally published in the Autumn 1993 issue of Reconstructionism Today.
- Bibliography: Holiday Book List for Educators
By Rabbi Shai Gluskin
Great books for teaching kids about Jewish holidays. Contains a section of general books covering multiple holidays, books to teach about God and the holidays as well as special sections for books about Hanukah and the High Holy Days.
- Bibliography: Tu B'Shevat Resources
By Rabbi Shai Gluskin
An annotated list of many web links and one book - all about Tu B'Shevat for children and adults! Includes background information, history, stories, activities, seder readings and more.
- Class Activity: The Four Children Count the Omer
By Rabbi Shai Gluskin
Explores four different perspectives on counting the omer, based on the four children of the Passover seder. Includes discussion questions at the end. For middle school through adult learners.
- Dvar Torah: A Time to Challenge Distinctions
By Rabbi Steve Segar
A article exploring the deeper meaning of the seemingly frivolous holiday of Purim. Why is Yom Kippur sometimes compared to Purim? What's behind the Talmudic suggestion of drinking to the point of being unable to distinguish between Haman and Mordechai?
- Dvar Torah: Four Lessons We Learn from Purim
By Rabbi Elliott Tepperman
The four lessons discussed are: life is random, have fun, solidarity, the world looks different when it is upside down.
- Dvar Torah: On Jonah and More: Getting Perspective in Order to Repent
By Ellen Dannin
Rich commentary on Jonah, his motivations, and what we all need to fulfill our calling.
- Dvar Torah: The United States of Hanukah
By Rabbi Steve Segar
In a 2002 RT article, Rabbi Steve Segar notes, "The Hanukah story contains thematic elements that create cognitive dissonance or even undermine the cultural messages that our communities are attempting to cultivate through the observance of this holiday." Many American Jews might relate to the Helenizing forces more than the Maccabean tendency to root them out. Resonant within the story for many Reconstructionists and others is the struggle to live in multiple "civilizations" simultaneously with integrity.
- Dvar Torah: Unpacking Amalek
By Elaine Moise
Rich reading referencing lots of commentaires which seeks to understand the "Remember Amalek" section in Deuteronomy 25 and it's reading each year on the Sabbath before Purim.
- Essay: A Hanukah Story for the Children of Dor Hadash
By Barbara Carr
A story about a family's struggle to redefine their relationship with Hanukah and rededicate their intentions to the meaning of the holiday. Inspired by Kerry Olitsky's book, Eight Nights, Eight Lights.
- Essay: Who Can Remember?: A Hanukah Story
By Sandy Brusin
An empowering retelling of the Hanukah story that emphasizes theology and remembering rather than miracles or military might.
- FAQ: Purim FAQ
By Rabbi Shai Gluskin
Questions and answers about Purim, from "What is Purim?" to "Why do some people get drunk on Purim? Isn't that inappropriate?" and more!
- How to: Video Demonstration of Lighting the Hanukah Menora and Singing the Blessings
By Rabbi Jeff Eisenstat
Listen and watch Rabbi Jeff Eisenstat as he demontrates lighting the Hanukah menorah. He's also thrown in "O' Hanukah, O' Hanukah" whose famous English words were written by Mordecai Kaplan's daughter, Judith Eisenstein.
- Lesson Plan: Aytz Hayim We: Song of Songs Lesson
By Rabbi Erin Hirsh, Rabbi Jeffrey Schein
Lesson Two from the Aytz Hayim We: Song of Songs adult education curriculum. The full curriculum is available for purchase from the JRF Press. This lesson helps participants get "on the same page" and then set off on an exploratory journey that includes midrash, secular writings, expository analysis of the text and lots of questions.
- Lesson Plan: Rosh Hashanah Experience
By Michal Marks
A Rosh Hashanah program appropriate for primary and secondary school students. This program uses multiple stations, which creates a diversity of activities and allows for many students to participate at once.
- Listserve Thread: High Holiday Children's Services
By Sara Mosenkis
Children's High Holiday services are a recurring topic of discussion on the edtalk listserv. Here are conversations from March 2003 and May-June 2004. There are posts from four educators suggesting different formats and resources for children of various ages.
- Listserve Thread: Teaching Hanukah: The Myth or the Miracle?
By Sara Mosenkis
Toni Bloomberg Grossman asks the edtalk listserv about how to teach young children about Hanukah, taking into account both the common story of the miracle of the oil and the fact that this is a midrash. Many educators respond with their practical and ideological thoughts about how to teach about Hanukah in a Reconstructionist fashion.
- Music: Hassal Siddur Pesach
By JRF
Melody for the penultimate prayer in the Passover Haggadah, Hebrew text, transliteration, translation, and mp3 are provided.
- Music: High Holiday Liturgy
By Rabbi Alan LaPayover
Audio clips of the High Holy Day liturgy. Great for folks preparing to lead services for the Days of Awe.
- Music: Kiddush for Passover
By Shabbat Unplugged
Recording of the kiddush sanctification prayer said at the beginning of major holiday.
- Music: Light and Dark
By Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton, Rabbi Margot L. Stein
Words and sheet music for three-part vocal harmony for a Hanukah song about differences between dark and light, good and evil. Music and Lyrics by Margot L. Stein. Arrangement by Elizabeth Bolton.
- Music: She Said "No"
By MIRAJ
Lyrics and MP3 of a Purim song about Vashti's famous rebellion and Esther's advocacy on behalf of the Jewish people.
- Other: Here's Looking at You, Esther
By Larry Smith
A Purim riff on Casablanca, designed to be performed by 10-12 year old kids. The play is written by JRF Camp co-director Larry Smith. Please email Larry if you use the play.
- Other: Purim Shpiel Acts
By Rabbi Shoshana Hantman
Two comic spoofs of Jewish life and practice: Purim Kiddush and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow, There's a Shul".
- Program Description: Tzedakah And The Jewish Holidays: Giving For Social Change
By Rabbi Shawn Zevit
Ideas for giving opportunities throughout the Jewish year. Connects each Jewish holiday to the concept of tzedakah and recommends a relevant type of benficiary to support.
- Ritual: Reconstructionist Sukkot
By JRF Midwest Congregations
For Sukkot of 5767 (2006) a group of JRF's Midwest congregations decided to collaboratively create a Sukkot supplement to be used in their synagogues. The idea was to bring ritually oriented folk together from multiple synagogues to create something of value that all these synagogues, and others could use. Then JRF Regional Director Dina April functioned as organizer and editor for the project.
- RT Article: Can a Reconstructionist Sin?
By Rabbi Richard Hirsh
Taking responsibility for our mistakes and failures at Yom Kippur
- RT Article: Finding Forgiveness
By Susan Cohen
Ambivalence and anger in the process of forgiveness
- RT Article: Of Yahrzeit and Egg Creams
By Judith Herbst
Judith Herbst's early expulsions from Hebrew school, coupled with a childhood love for German bologna and Christmas trees, somehow landed her on the Ritual Committee at Kehillath Shalom. This turn-around would be enough to make a mother plotz.
- RT Article: On Eagle's Wings
By Rabbi Yael Ridberg
A rabbi confronts cancer during the High Holy Days
- RT Article: Rating the "High Holidays"
By Rabbi Richard Hirsh
"I'd give it a 7... It had a good beat, and you could davven to it"
- RT Article: Shavuot: The Harvest Festival of Torah
By Rabbi Emanuel S. Goldsmith
The meaning of Torah for Reconstructionist Jews
- RT Article: Teshuvah for Kids
By Rabbi Devora Bartnoff
Making Yom Kippur meaningful for our children
- RT Article: The Dynamic Dreidl
By Lawrence Bush, Susan Griss
Fun games for Hanukah play
- RT Article: The United States of Hanukkah
By Rabbi Steve Segar
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