4th Grade Thanksgiving Festivities!

This morning in the 4^th grade classroom, Thanksgiving was in the air! All of the desks were adorned with orange tablecloths and the walls were covered with fall infused leaves.  The students created festive necklaces out of string and popcorn, went bobbing for apples, and ate some delicious Thanksgiving themed foods.  The best part of the morning was a special visit from Moreh Moshe. The students sang songs of thanks with him and shared what they were thankful for this year.  The project highlighted the true meaning of Thanksgiving…

8th Graders Explore Different Perspectives of “The Chosen People”

This morning in Rabbi Rudin’s Chumash class, the 8^th graders conducted a debate of sorts on the meaning of the Hebrew phrase, “Am Nivhar”, “The Chosen People”. Throughout the Torah, the Jewish people are referred to as “The Chosen People”, but what does this really mean? The class split up into three separate groups, each group taking on the perspective of Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox Judaism on this matter. The presence of two visiting Rabbi’s from our community really enhanced the lesson and supplemented the students’ research with real-life accounts of the differing perspectives.  Rabbi Rossoff, from Temple B’nei Or of Morristown, represented the Reform viewpoint and Rabbi Adler, from White Meadow Temple of Rockaway, represented the Conservative viewpoint.  Unfortunately, Rabbi East of the Mount Freedom Jewish Center could not make the lesson, but Rabbi Rudin stood in for him to represent the Orthodox perspective on the matter.  While there is no one “correct” answer to this question of the “chosen people”, it was very interesting for the students to research and learn from these visiting Rabbi’s what the different sects of Judaism have to say on the matter.  Overall, the lesson was very informative, interactive, and eye-opening.

Message from Head of School, Moshe Vaknin

Tikun Olam:Preparing Packages for the Homeless

This morning, the 4th and 5th graders prepared brown-bag meals for the homeless.  This Tikkun Olam project was conducted in collaboration with Bridges Outreach Inc., an organization that distributes prepared meals on Friday evenings to homeless individuals and families in Newark, Irvington, and other locations.  As part of the experience, the students had a lesson on homelessness, emphasizing the merit of performing this mitzvah.

Thank you to all the HAMC families who contributed and gave a helping hand to this crucial project. We couldn't have done it without your efforts and generosity.

For more information on Bridges Outreach Inc. click here:
www.bridgesoutreach.net/aboutus.php

5th Graders Mosey around Monsey

The 5^th grade took their annual field trip to Monsey, NY where they experienced a local community infused with Jewish culture and tradition.  With our very own Rabbi Hami, a native Monsey-er, as their guide, the students were exposed to all the best Jewish “hot-spots” in town…From the kosher bakery, to the kosher supermarket, to the kosher butchery, the students saw it all! They even had a special scavenger hunt in Shoprite where they had to scout out all of the kosher food in stock; the options were endless! The trip ended with some delicious kosher pizza and the students went home with happy stomachs and smiles on their faces. Make sure to ask your 5^th graders about their favorite of the trip!

“Rishonim" Beach Party!

This week our Israeli “Rishonim” brought the Tel Aviv beach to HAMC! Lior and Noga converted the auditorium stage into a “flowing ocean” and got everyone into the beach spirit by giving out Hawaiian leis and playing the Israeli beach game of “matkot”, paddle-ball.  Once again, our Rishonim successfully gave us a real taste of Israeli culture!

Buddy Day!

Yesterday was “Buddy Day”! Each ECC student was paired up with a 5^th grade student and the dynamic duos spent a fun filled day together. Some of the buddies read PJ Library stories together, while others built with Legos or played dress up.  The students also learned Hebrew together as they participated in Morah Nechama’s Hebrew class in ECC 3.  All in all it was a great day that both the 5^th graders and ECC-ers really enjoyed!