Summertime Jewishness

     My Facebook newsfeed has been filled this week with Pre-K and Kindergarten graduation pictures (too cute!), last day of school shots and dance recital videos. It must be time for summer. Hooray!
     This has gotten me thinking about how we spend our summertime. Of course there are camps to choose, vacations to plan, but what about our "Jewishness"? Without any major Jewish holidays during June, July, and August, do we stop being Jewish? Now, of course the answer to that is "No". So I guess the question is really, what can we do to celebrate our "Jewishness" all summer long?

     I've posted in years past about how I've made my family vacation include Jewish customs, rituals, and celebrations. But now I am thinking about the whole summer. Jewish day camps and sleep away camps are a wonderful way to instill the love for Judaism, Jewish culture, music, etc. And, many synagogues locally still offer Shabbat services (Friday evening or Saturday) all summer long. As a matter of fact, these summer services are usually more laid back, offered earlier, and often are shorter. What a great way to expose young kids to temple worship! To find something close to you, checkout our online calendar : https://www.cjepb.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=184&Itemid=355
     For me, I think turning any summer activity into a something Jewish can be fun. A backyard BBQ on a late Friday afternoon/evening can become an outdoor Shabbat meal. A Saturday afternoon at the beach can become dinner and Havdalah service. I've always wanted to plan a Pop-Up Shabbat in a fun outdoor location. All you need is list of your friends and a place. Then you email, text or post on Facebook and/or Twitter a location you choose for a Pop-Up Shabbat location. Ask others to bring an item or food dish. What a fun and different way to celebrate with other families.
     And then there's the obvious for me.....reading our favorite PJ Library (http://www.pjlbrary.org/) books together and discussing the stories and the Jewish values and ideas in each one. These ideas (and others I am sure you can think of) all take very little planning but can have a big impact. I say, summertime is not a vacation from our "Jewishness" but rather another chance to make it fun for the whole family. And, if you need a little help to make it happen, you know where to find me, a.bergman@cjepb.org.

Passover Happens!

No matter where you are, who is visiting, which kid is sick, or what is happening in your life, Passover happens. This was made very clear to me by a friend last week as we started to talk about this iconic Jewish holiday and how to make it memorable for everyone at our seder table. This year, Passover happens starting with the First Seder on Friday, April 6th.  I can feel the rise in

 the anxiety level of some of my friends, I can see it in the eyes of some of the PJ library parents I run into. I say, fret not, have no fear, we can tackle this Passover, Seder and all, with gusto while having a good time.

I know one BIG fear is, what will the kids do at the Seder table? Will they behave? Will they embarrass you? What can you do to prepare them? These are valid concerns, but when looked at in a different light, and when expectations are realistic, and with some preparation, a Seder can be a joyful experience that you and your children will talk about all year.

There are so many great resources available to us: local workshops for parents about how to lead a seder or to prepare a seder meal (visit http://www.cjepb.org/ to see full calendar), online chat rooms about Passover menus and recipes, books for children (I recommend No Matzoh for Me by Nancy E. Krulik) and even a downloadable (is that a word?) 30 Minute Seder Haggadah (http://www.30minuteseder.com/) whose testimonials claim to “save Passover” by blending tradition with brevity. I also like this easy to use guide online for a Developmentally Appropriate Pesach Seder for children ages 4 & 5 designed by the URJ (Union for Reform Judaism). There's a funny look with helpful tips in an article online called, “Sedering with Kids”.

These are all great places to start. And starting early is the key. Begin talking with your children NOW about the upcoming holiday in language and on a level they understand.

• Take out Passover children’s books from the public library (or from your own PJ Library at home) and read them nightly for the weeks leading up to the holiday.
• Download free Passover coloring pages from the internet and hang them around your home.
• When the big night(s) come, assign jobs for the kids at the Seder: passing out of the kippot, serving the matzoh, going to wash their hands, opening the door for Elijah, etc.

These will all get the kids focused on a task and take them out of their seats enough so that they won’t get fidgety during the Seder.

Some other tips:

• Seat the children with the adults. I have found that creating a “kids table” is nothing more than asking for trouble.
• Invest in some on the table distractions (a bag of plagues toys or finger puppets of the Seder plate objects) and incorporate them into your Seder meal.
• Use your child’s favorite Passover book to tell the story of the Exodus instead of the one in your own Haggadah.

Most importantly, if you are excited, the kids will be excited. Passover is a totally interactive experience for the whole family to treasure. Still nervous about Passover happening? Contact me with questions and concerns, I am here to help and connect you in the Greater Palm Beaches.
Amy, a.bergman@cjepb.org



Not registered fo rthe PJ Library? Go to: www.pjlibrary.org, it's FREE!

Great and Grand-Why Grandparents are Gold!

It takes a community to raise a Jewish child, and that community includes grandparents. Here in the Greater Palm Beaches, we are blessed with many Jewish grandparents. And whether the grandparents in your life live locally or far way, they bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, and love that cannot be duplicated or replicated. Jewish grandparents represent the greatest untapped resource for influencing the lives and values of their grandchildren. This, coupled with the data we have about the importance of reading to young children, creates the perfect opportunity for them to share your Jewish heritage and history with them.


Nearly half the grandchildren of Jewish grandparents today are not being raised Jewishly, signaling a major shift in the spiritual make-up of American Jewish families. Books, specifically Jewish books, are a wonderful way to start important conversations with youngsters, bringing them even closer together.

There are many ways to weave storytelling and book reading into the shared time between child and grandparent. Here are some suggestions: 

• Take your grandchildren (whether they are visiting or live locally) to a FREE Jewish Story time at our local Jewish Community Center (www.jcconline.com).
• Read Jewish books to them: you can have FREE high-quality, age appropriate books sent them locally (or in over 130 communities in the U.S.) through The PJ Library® program, a national program created by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and implemented locally by The Friedman Commission for Jewish Education, that mails high-quality Jewish books to local children ages 6 months-6 years old. The “PJ” is for pajamas as this program was developed with bedtime reading in mind. Register at http://www.pjlibrary.org/
• Podcasting — an Internet technology that allows users to record and distribute audio — has created a communication whirlwind for grandparents to broadcast their voices to grandkids, wherever they reside. Learn more: http://www.grandparents.com/gp/content/expert-advice/long-distance-grandparenting/article/podcastlongdistancebedtimestory.html#ixzz1ZobdoDvl
• Use a list of PJ Library books to pick the perfect book to buy at a bookstore or borrow at your local public library or synagogue library to share with your grandchildren http://www.pjlibrary.org/books-and-music.aspx

Reading together can be a special time for grandparents and grandchildren to spend together. Developmentally, it is important for young children need to hear stories read to them in different voices and in varied settings. As we get closer to National Jewish Book Month (November), grandparents should take some time whether in person, over the phone, via Skype or Podcast, to share a book!

 

For information about The PJ Library in the Greater Palm Beaches or The Grandparents Circle (free 5 session course for grandparnets with a grandchild being raised in an interfaith home), contact Amy Bergman, Director of Jewish Family Life at 561-209-2608, a.bergman@cjepb.org

 

What's Jewish About My Summer Vacation...and yours

Parasailing for the first time-
surprising enough, found myself
 saying a little prayer!

I just got back from my summer family vacation. It was filled with wonderful moments of new adventures, relaxation, and togetherness. And while I still haven't put away the luggage, the suntan lotion, or my emergency travel medicine, I got to thinking how so much of my family's week away was "Jewish". I am sure this thought occurred to me because of who I am and what I do as a Jewish professional, but I know if you thought about it too, you would see some "Jewishness" in YOUR vacation (or staycation) as well.

Did you know that just taking a vacation is a Jewish thing to do? This is told to us in the Jewish value of Shmirat Haguf, taking care of your body. Our body is a holy thing and we need to take care of, to refresh it, becuase our bodies house our soul. This sounds great to me, because, personally, I love a good vacation. But, more than giving my body some needed rest, what else was Jewish about my vacation? Here are some other things I thought of:

First, before we even left on vacation, plans had to be made: who will collect the mail and newspaper in our absence? Who will feed the fish? Who will "lizard-sit" (yes, we have a pet lizard, that's another story for later)? Who will cover for me at the office? So, a neighbor pitches in, a friend takes the lizard (with its 10 gallon habitat and live crickets for food), a co-worker answers your email and voice mail. You know the drill, everyone pitches in so you can go away for a week.  It dawned on me that these people are not just mensches, they are doing mitzvot (acts of goodness). 

Another obvious Jewish thing about my week away was celebrating Shabbat wherever we were. For us, it was an easy thing to do as most cruise ships have a short Jewish Shabbat service in a chapel complete with delicious challah and wine (no candles though, it's a safety thing).  This sparked a wonderful conversation with my children. Was it still Shabbat if we didn't light the candles?

Even if you don't take a vacation, I think Shabbat is the closest thing that Jewish tradition has to vacation. In addition to being a time of cessation of work, Shabbat is a time of refreshment. It offers the opportunity for renewal that we associate with vacations.

Traveling to new and exciting places always lends itself to so many teachable moments for kids. We experienced different cultures, different foods, and enjoyed new music. But it was amazing to me that even with all the "new", we were still able to connect our vacation to our Judaism, the one thing that we take wherever we go.......

The Ultimate Dress-up Party!

Very soon we will find ourselves looking Purim in the face! Purim is the most festive of Jewish holidays, a time of prizes, noisemakers, costumes and treats. The Festival of Purim commemorates a major victory over oppression and is recounted in the Megillah, the scroll of the story of Esther. Purim begins at sundown on February 23rd. I love Purim. My kids LOVE Purim. It is the ultimate dress up party. It however, does require some creative thinking and resourcefulness at a time of year where you can’t find a Halloween clearance costume to save your life.

Luckily, most real little ones are happy to throw on a Disney princess dress or a terry cloth robe with a Burger King crown and call it a day. However, as the kids get older than 5 or 6, the stakes get higher. Did you know you don’t have to dress like a character from the Purim story? Actually, it’s much more about disguising who you are, no matter who or what you dress up like. One year, my daughter dressed like a Shalach Manot basket filled with goodies (it is customary at Purim time to send baskets of goodies to friends, neighbors and family). Here are some more things you may not know about this fun holiday:
Did you know that the expression "the whole megillah" comes from the holiday of Purim?
On Purim, the story of Esther is read from a scroll known as a megillah. The whole megillah must be read twice on Purim, once at night and once the following morning.
Did you know that there is even a Purim custom that calls for getting inebriated? (actually, most Jewish college kids know this little fact)
Indeed, Jewish law commands that Purim revelers get so intoxicated that they can't tell the difference between the names of the hero of the Purim story, Mordechai, and its villain, Haman.
Did you know that Purim is one of the only Jewish holidays not commanded in the Torah? The holiday can trace its roots to the Talmudic period. The earliest known celebration of Purim was in the 2nd century CE.

I think I may get off easy this year with one out of my two kids opting to wear a costume from her closet. But let me warn you, waiting to get a costume together until the last minute just before your child’s Preschool, Religious School or synagogue Purim celebration is a recipe for disaster.

And speaking of recipes, did you know that Publix will sell you their raw hamantaschen dough? They will. And you can take it home (or to your child's class), cut into circles with a drinking glass, fill with any preserves you have around the house, fold into triangles and bake yourself. This is a very cool and easy way to get your kids excited about Purim. Actually most kids are even fine with just filling the middle with chocolate chips (and WHO does have some of those?).

Some of the nicest traditions of Purim are the giving of gifts to the poor, and mishloach manot, the giving of gifts of food to friends and family. This does not have to be a basket of hamantaschen. Quite frankly, it is even more meaningful if it is personalized with a person’s favorite snacks, treats, or fruit. They can be themed baskets filled with items from a person’s favorite hobby, team, or color. What a great way for kids to learn the importance of giving and how our religion values that.

The fast approaching holiday of Purim may stress out parents a little bit but in the end, who doesn’t love the picture of the kid in the costume, twirling the grogger, and eating a hamantaschen all while you kick back, smile, and have a shot of vodka---what a holiday!

For a list of some great Purim books visit: www.pjlibrary.org
For a listing of Purim Celebrations in YOUR neighborhood visitthe Friedman CJE's website at:  www.cjepb.org, click on Parent Tab to get to the calendar.

If I Had A Hammer.....

I often read and hear about "building Jewish Community", but what does this mean? Does this mean building a place where all Jews come together to pray? Socialize? Meet? Discuss? Learn? Perhaps all of these and more. But what I am seeing more and more as I reach out, connect, and get to know our Jewish families in the Greater Palm beaches is that, while everyone is worried about building this place or places for the Jews, something already exists---here, in the great, big virtual world.

There are Jewish events and activities listed on calendars, webpages full of worship listings and Jewish educational links galore. You can take Jewish college ocurses online and even learn to play Jewish music. Social media allows us to reconnect with friends from Jewish camps, Jewish day schools, and youth groups. Baby pictures are shared, play dates and girls night out planned and recipes are swapped.

The naysayers would argue that an online community is not the same, as when pepople meet in person and I do agree. But, when we look at how Jewish families use the worldwide web to learn about and to connect to their local Jewish community, we can agree that there is something there. Nothing, of course, can replace a syanagogue sanctuary, a JCC gymnasium, or a school classroom. What I am saying is that now we have even more ways to be "Jewish" and to better ourselves.

So whether you enter a Jewish online parenting chat site, or participate in a Temple committee, or give to a Jewish organization (this can be done online too!), or provide your child with a Jewish education, realize that this is ALL part of your "building" a Jewish community.

Sharing BIG News

I have exciting news to share. Do I send out a press release, call everyone I know, post a billboard on Military Trail? Maybe. But, my first thought was to write a BLOG. Why blogging? Because it is not something I do very often. Maybe it will get more attention. I email all day long, post things on Facebook a few times a week, but blogging is something I save for when I have something important to say. This got me to thinking (I'll get to my big news later): "How do we share news?"

I have seen baby announcements (with hospital photos) on Facebook. I have been invited to graduations and Bat Mitzvahs in an email. I guess they all make sense. Certainly, lots of people get the message, really quick. But it sometimes, I wonder if everyone needs to get "our news" and if our BIG news will be jumbled into everyone's daily "news". When clicking a "to" box instead of addressing an envelope, do we end up "over sharing"? And, what do we want in return? Will friends send you a baby gift from a hospital room tweet? Do we expect someone to mail a check or gift back from an E-vite?

We all have lots of news to share, all the time. Not that I haven't sent an E-vite or posted events on Facebook, but as I sit here today with BIG news, I 'm not quite sure how to share it or where to start. In the end, I suppose I will do it all: the press release, the Facebook, the blog, and the viral emails. I guess nowadays you have to do it all. But, I wonder, how many more people will really get it?

For what it's worth, here's the scoop:

We here at the Friedman Commission for Jewish Education have been chosen to pilot The PJ Library program, PJ Goes to School. This new program (we are the FIRST to have it!) will provide professional development training for our Jewish preschool teachers in both Judaic content and literature based curriculum skills. Using the PJ Library materials, including the books (the SAME ones our PJ families get at home), these teachers will integrate PJ lessons, values, and rituals into the rhythm of daily life. So, if you have a 3 or 4 year old in a participating PJ Goes to School classroom, look for some familiar stories and lessons in your classroom environment and to be shared with YOU, the parent for your homelife as well. We are so blessed to be able to enhance and enrich our already stellar Early Childhood Centers with this program. So, go ahead, forward this to friend, copy it to a neighbor or just tell everyone you know: "We have BIG news!"