As part of Mitzvot Unplugged we'd like to welcome Anne Gordon to talk about girls and Talmud Torah or teaching Torah to girls. Said the veteran principal and trainer of teachers: "Kids don't want to learn." Said I to myself, "No, kids don't know that they want to learn." Tell Me Why Try walking down the block with a toddler. Even assuming the chi ...
Using Papercuts to Teach Values
We are happy to welcome artist Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik as part of the Mitzvot Unplugged Series. Isaac uses innovative materials in his paper-cuts (I encourage you to take a look at them.) He will be talking about the workshops (which he teaches to students young and old.) 1. How do you relay Jewish values in a creative way? Relaying ...
Teaching the mitzva of “respecting the elderly”
We are happy to have gerontologist, Rakel Berenbaum, as part of our Mitzvot Unplugged series, writing about a creative program which both teaches the value of Chesed and of valuing our elders. "It is very fulfilling to give. When you give, you get something too." Meira, Bat Mitzvah program participant Melabev Beit Shemesh has created two unique pr ...
Let’s Talk Jewish Learning!
As part of the Mitzvot Unplugged series we are happy to welcome Amital from Organized Jewish Home to talk about resources her family uses for homeschooling. Some of my favorite learning opportunities aren’t formal learning. There’s so much to talk about as you live your life: brachot as you eat and when there is lightning, chesed as you make a meal for ...
Teaching Jerusalem one footstep at a time
In honor of Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem day, and as part of the Mitzvot Unplugged series, we are pleased to welcome, Joanna from FunInJerusalem.com, a website that helps families explore Jerusalem and its environs. Take a walk down the small alleyways of the Old City of Jerusalem and you may be wondering how you can experience such an Old City in a m ...
Mitzvot Unplugged Interview with the Maccabeats
The Mitzvot Unplugged Series has to do with teaching kids Jewish values in a creative way. One of the ways of doing that is through music. I want to thank Julian/Chaim Horowitz from the Maccabeats for agreeing to an interview, as part of this series. How does being representatives of Orthodoxy and the concept of Torah uMadda come out in your song ...
Review: Seven Steps to Mentschhood Training Your Child to be a Mentsch
As part of Mitzvot Unplugged I am happy to review Stanley Fischman's Seven Steps to ''Mentschhood'' - How to Help Your Child Become a Mentsch: An Interactive Guide for Parents, published by Urim Publications. Mentschhood at Home In our home we are constantly telling our children that we want them to grow up to be mentchen. However, we did not have a def ...
Tiny Ninja Theater’s M’amati (From When)
As part of the Mitzvot Unplugged series we are pleased to have Dov Weinstein, director of Tiny Ninja Theater, talk about a creative way of teaching gemara with Tiny Ninja Theater's M'amati. "Tiny Ninja Theater presents M'amati (From when?)" is an educational performance piece based around the opening Mishna in (tractate) Berachot. It uses everyd ...
Teaching Pirkei Avot
As part of the Mitzvot Unplugged series we are happy to welcome Jennifer from Adventures in MamaLand. She will be talking about teaching Pirkei Avot. It’s spring… time to learn Pirkei Avot! Traditionally, that’s every Shabbat afternoon between Pesach and Shavuot, one of six chapters per week. Many people keep going until Rosh Hashanah, but that’s ge ...
Turning Jewish values into Concrete Actions through Areyvut
Teaching our kids Jewish values also is about contributing to the community. I'm happy to have a guest post by Daniel Rothner, director of Areyvut as part of the Mitzvot Unplugged series to talk about some of Areyvut's creative projects, including Mitzvah Clowning. Jewish Values to Action Areyvut believes in turning Jewish values from abstract ideas i ...