[HANASHIR:8071] Re: What makes a song Jewish (Tu B'Shevat songs)

[goldenberg <goldnbrg...>]

bravo! MIchael.  In our school, I encourage teachers to have "fruit
tastings" rather than Tu
b'shevat seders. Teachers can show the fruits, children can categorize them
by their texture, smell, growing conditions, pits, skins, etc without having
to have a formal structure. You can still say the same brachot, but like
you, I want to use the word SEDER especially in younger grades in reference
to Pesach.
Ellen Goldenberg  Irondequoit Hebrew Studies Center
-----Original Message-----
From: Freedabet (at) aol(dot)com <Freedabet (at) aol(dot)com>
To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org <hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org>; Rglauber 
(at) aol(dot)com
<Rglauber (at) aol(dot)com>
Cc: dennisprager (at) dennisprager(dot)com <dennisprager (at) 
dennisprager(dot)com>
Date: Thursday, January 25, 2001 10:26 AM
Subject: [HANASHIR:8068] Re: What makes a song Jewish (Tu B'Shevat songs)


>Ok, out of love we'll teach a curriculum based in Hebrew language, content
>and literacy.  Any curriculum which emphasizes love over these things is
>fraught with peril as demonstrated by Dennis Prager's question to middle
>schoolers - 'Given that you can only save one from drowning, would you save
a
>stranger or your dog that you love?'  In 'regular school' one third say the
>stranger, one third say the dog, one third don't know, and the one third
that
>answer 'the stranger' won't say that the others are wrong.  Except that
kids
>in a Jewish day school would all save the stranger first.  I would fear
that
>the 'loving curriculum's' students' answers would be different than the
>'Jewish content and literacy' students' answers.
>
>And, by the way, I think that by making a big deal out of the Tu B'shevat
>Seder, we diminish the power of the Passover Seder, just as by making the
>Festivals into 8 days (from their Torah-based 7) we diminish their
importance
>and symbolism and increase the relative importance of Chanukah (which is
>celebrated for 8 days, but is not one of the 'Three Festivals' mandated in
>the Torah).
>
>Michael
>
>P.S.  For Torah study on-the-go, I highly recommend Dennis Prager's tape
>series to you.  Genesis, Exodus and the beginning of Numbers are currently
>available.  See dennisprager.com for more info.
>
>
>-------- REPLY, Original message follows --------
>
>> Date: Thursday, 25-Jan-01 01:55 AM
>>
>> From: Rglauber (at) aol(dot)com         \ America Online: (RGLAUBER)
>> To:   Hanashir Mail Server     \ Internet:    (hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org)
>>
>> Subject:  [HANASHIR:8063] Re: What makes a song Jewish (Tu B'Shevat
songs)
>>
>> Sender: owner-hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
>> Reply-to:       hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
>> To:     hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
>>
>> In a message dated 1/24/01 5:28:43 PM, erics (at) radix(dot)net writes:
>>
>> << our kids, particularly those
>> in Sunday schools, are getting nowhere near the education that prior
>> generations did.  (Not for nothing does Eric Yoffie assert that we are
the
>> most Jewishly illiterate generation in history).
>>  >>
>>
>> Eric,
>>
>> You used this argument to extol a Jewish education model based on Hebrew
>> language, content and literacy (I would imagine).  We'll do our own
songs,
>> we'll give the students lots of content because we are the most Jewishly
>> illiterate generation in history.
>>
>> I see this as based on fear.  As in, the fear that we're losing our
>identity,
>> fear of intermarriage etc.   Ironically, I believe that it is this very
>model
>> which has caused people to turn away.  Because it's based on fear.
>>
>> Better we should teach a Judaism based on love.  One that feels positive,
>> that instills confidence.  .  To base the success of Jewish Education in
>> America 2001, on literacy and content is to make a mistake.
>>
>> Rich Glauber
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>-------- REPLY, End of original message --------
>
>
>

------------------------ hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org -----------------------+