Sunday 

 

My name is Ilana Snapstailer, and I am very excited to be the new 7th grade Judaics teacher here at Temple Sinai!   I am a graduate of Brandeis University where I earned a B.A. as well an M.A.  In addition, I have a Massachusetts Teaching Certification.  When I am not teaching religious school, I serve as the Director of Academic Affairs at the Israeli Consulate in Boston.  For most of the year, we will be studying "B’nai TELEM," a social justice curriculum that is being used by many schools in the Boston area.  The students and I will dive deep into the concepts of Tikkun Olam-repairing the world, and how it relates to Judaism.  But we will not just talk about it.  Field trips are being planned throughout the year so students can go out and actually volunteer in our community.  We will be putting our lessons into practice in a very exciting way.  Our topics will include poverty, hunger, literacy, aging, special needs and the environment. We will visit Cradles to Crayons, Gateways, Evans Park Nursing Facility, and other sites.  The students will be keeping a journal to track our meaningful discussions and experiences.  When we are not studying B’nai TELEM, we will be learning about Israel – its history, people, and how we relate to current events today.  Please feel free to e mail me at anytime throughout the year with any questions or concerns at ilanasnap@gmail.com .
Ilana Snapstailer

Shalom!  My name is Lisa Stella and I just moved to Boston to begin my studies at the Rabbinical School at Hebrew College.  This year we will be spending a lot of time focused on Hebrew reading and comprehension, using a book called “Let’s Talk.” The book’s theme is based on four young teens who travel to Israel; in each chapter they discover a new city and new Hebrew words, introduced by a dialogue we will review in class. After spending the past three years in Israel, this will be a fun curriculum for me to teach.  I look forward to relaying some of my Israel experiences to the students.  I am planning interactive Sunday mornings, with projects and fun activities to supplement our text book. We will work to integrate some of the new words we learn into our classroom, in order to reinforce new vocabulary.  In addition, we will spend a bit of time talking about the Jewish calendar and holidays as they come up throughout the year.  Questions?  Contact me at lisastel@gmail.com.

Lisa Stella

Tuesday

 

My name is Elyssa Cohen and I will be teaching Grade 7 on Tuesday afternoons.  Previously, I taught religious school at the Brandeis Jewish Education Program.  This year your seventh graders will be asking tough questions about Judaism, and looking for answers within the texts.  For example, we recently began talking about what to do in order to repair a damaged relationship with a friend or family member.  We are learning to turn to text to see how we can best answer these complex questions.  We will be examining the story of Jacob and Esau, and Moses and his community, and sharing our own personal experiences, as well.  In addition, we will be learning about life cycle events.  As a group we will explore what rituals go along with life cycle moments and why. What are the reasons for traditional rituals we may observe within our lives? I encourage you to ask your children about what they are studying in religious school, and I welcome any feedback.  As your new youth advisor, I also encourage you to get your teens involved and excited about our youth programs.  Our first Junior SCOOBY event of the year will take place on November 1st with a pumpkin or apple picking excursion.  Stay tuned for future events, and please don’t hesitate to email me at cohen.elyssa@gmail.com with any questions.
Elyssa Cohen

This year we will concentrate on Hebrew grammar, vocabulary, reading, and writing.  We will be using an excellent book called, Yesodot Halashon.  As native Hebrew speakers, we will ensure that your children hear mostly Hebrew and that they speak Hebrew much of the time. Our main goal is to increase the students’ confidence level so they feel comfortable enough to use as much Hebrew as they can.   We are very excited for the upcoming year.  Communication is important to us, so feel free to let us know of any problem, concern or question you might have.  Yafit can be reached at yafit1@msn.com , and Liora can be reached at lioran@verizon.net .
Yafit Zilberberg & Liora Nielsen