Learning Resources:
Let’s Discover the Bible
Let’s Celebrate: The Jewish Holidays
Hebrew Flashcards
Jewish Values – PJ Library Values Curriculum

Curriculum: The Alef curriculum is interactive and engaging, teaching the foundations of Jewish festivals, Hebrew letters and vowel sounds. Students learn about our ancestors from the Bible and how they helped shape the Jewish people. We continue building Hebrew vocabulary, using words for colors and parts of the body. We celebrate Holidays in our classrooms creating a festive community (Kehillah) and strive to create connections to our classmates, Judaism, the Synagogue and our larger community through discussion, art, music and holiday celebrations.

Jewish Studies (Shiur):

Holidays (Chagim)

• Students will learn about the major festivals in the Jewish calendar year: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Hanukkah, Tu B’Shevat, Purim, Passover, Shavuot and Shabbat.
• Students will learn Jewish songs and read stories about the festivals.
• Students sample foods associated with the various holidays, including weekly juice and challah for Shabbat.*
• Students hear and repeat prayers related to the festivals.
• Students will learn about the objects associated with celebrating Shabbat and practice the Shabbat blessings.
• Students will participate in the Shabbat Family Experience to develop skills for celebrating Shabbat.

*We will resume this activity when safe to do so

Bible Stories Curriculum (Torah)

• Read Bible stories such as: Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Tower of Babel, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, and Moses.
• Make personal and real-world connections with the stories and Jewish values in the Bible stories.

Jewish Values (Middot)

• Students will learn about Jewish values through age appropriate stories: Kavod (respect), Chesed (kindness), Mitzvot (commandments/good deeds), Tzedakah (righteous giving), Adam Yehidi Nivrah (respecting differences), and Shalom Babayit (peace in the home/family relationships)
• They will engage in discussions and activities reinforcing how these values positively influence their lives and the people around them.

Hebrew (Ivrit)

• Students will learn the names and sounds of the Hebrew letters and vowels through games, movement and other engaging activities.
• Introduce Hebrew vocabulary for colors and parts of the body through songs and activities.

ALEF SHABBAT FAMILY EXPERIENCE:

One Friday night during the school year, we plan a special activity for students to celebrate Shabbat with Alef friends and their families.  After that, we will join the Primary Pajama Shabbat Service, which is age appropriate for PreK-2^nd grade and end the evening with an Oneg.