Photos and Fun

"Being Jewish is important to me."

"I'm excited to become bar/bat mitzvah."

"I know at least a little about Israel."

"Chocolate is the best ice cream flavor."

These are just a few statements 7th graders in my new Israel & Art class had to agree or disagree with this week in a game I like call... "Agree or Disagree!" (I can only be so creative...) The game helped us get to know each other a little more and got us thinking a little about how Israel relates to our Jewish identities.

Then we examined a few photos from different places in Israel- from the beach to the desert to the city and everything in between! The 7th graders chose the photos that they liked the most and the photos that seemed to represent Israel the most. Hearing their reasoning was so interesting!

Birkat Kohanim

In our Tuesday Gesher L'Noar class, we started the book of Numbers! We started the book by looking at a prayer we have all probably heard at one point or another: the Priestly Benediction. This prayer is often said at a bris, baby naming, bar/bat mitzvah, or wedding, just to name a few occasions. We looked at the prayer line by line, dissected it a little bit, and then did a study on the symbolism of the prayer. We finished our class by making modge podge creations of the Priestly Benedition, by placing tissue paper through hand cutouts of the symbol. We will hang the creations on the window, so the sunlight shines through them, to remind us that God is watching over us!

-Alison

Challah Plates

Sha'arim's Creative Canvas class has been busy adding to our original Shabbat creations. Tonight we worked on challah plates to match our kiddush cups. I can't wait to see how these turn out!

Kiddush Goblets!

In Creative Canvas last week, we learned about the mitzvah of saying kiddush over wine or juice on Shabbat. Then we created our very own kiddush cups (maybe better described as goblets!) with the help of Mod Podge, tissue paper, and glitter. This craft is so easy but leads to beautiful results, as modeled by our 8th graders below. To try it at home, take a look at similar projects here and here.

Framed!

For the last several week, Creative Canvas has been working on amazing painted silk challah covers! Above, Maddy and Amber show off the frame they used to stretch their silk. Stay tuned to the blog for their final products!

Finish This Picture!

For our last class together before we rotate to the next Israel specialty, seventh graders in my art class used their imaginations to fill in the blanks! Given half a photo of a place in Israel (including Tel Aviv, the Western Wall, Eilat, the Negev and the Caesarea ruins), students were instructed to use their knowledge of Israel to finish the picture. The results were really cool! Here are a few in progress..

Illustrated Texts

Creative Canvas spent two weeks creating illustrated texts. Each teen was told to choose a favorite text, prayer, or song, and they came up with four very different but wonderful pieces of art!

 

Amber C.

 

Maddy G.

 

Beatrice B.

 

Carly P.

These beautiful creations will be on display around the building soon, so be on the lookout!

Creative Canvas!

This year, TBS's Sha'arim program is offering a brand new art course called "Creative Canvas." We met for the first time last week, and talked about why memory and history are so important for our identities as Jews. We're going to continue thinking about that theme this year as we create beautiful Judaica objects, experiment with different media, and even go on a museum field trip! During our first class, 8th graders Carly, Amber, and Maddy (above) practiced their sketching skills by drawing several items from around the synagogue. I can't wait to see what they come up with next!

Seventh Grade Art

For the last two weeks, seventh graders have been making some very cool art projects. Last week, we learned about the land of Israel and created our very own tourist postcards.

This week, we learned about Israel's ancient mosaics. Inspired by the Lod, Tzipori, and Shilo mosaics, students made their own paper mosaics. We had a great variety of designs, including shapes, animals, and lettering.

This week, 7th graders made beautiful holiday cards!

This beautiful card was given to the Temple Beth Shalom staff!

And this will hang in my office!

Happy Chanukah!!

Sculpey Hamsas!

Last week, 7th graders in the Israel & Art class learned about the Israeli city of Tzvat, one of the four holiest cities in Judaism. They learned about the history of the city and why it is an important place for Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah. Then they created their very own clay hamsas from Sculpey. These hamsas can hang in their homes for protection and good luck!

Some hamsas, ready to be baked!

Chagall Windows

Last week, 7th graders learned about the famous Jewish artist, Marc Chagall! Did you know his birth name was Moishe Shagal? To the right, Chagall's 1914 painting the Praying Jew:










We were especially inspired by Chagall's stained glass windows at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem (left). So we made our own "stained glass" using tissue paper, Mod Podge, and plastic sleeves. These beautiful creations can hang in the window so light will shine through!

Mosaics!

The 7th grade Israel & Art class has been busy! Remember our first project? During our second week together, we made paper mosaics inspired by ancient Israeli mosaics, like the Lod mosaic (now on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York).

These mosaics are made by gluing small pieces of different colored paper (torn or cut) to create shapes, patterns, letters, etc. Mosaics trick the eye into seeing one complete picture that's actually made of lots of little separate pieces!

Aren't they beautiful?

Sand Art Projects

7th graders rotated to new Israel classes this week. It was sad to see old students go, but it was so nice to have new faces in the classroom! In Israel & Art, we made sand "portraits" of Israel to remind us of the great amount of desert that makes up the geography of Israel!

Proud artists pose with their work!

The final products look great, drying on my office floor!

I'm looking forward to getting to know my new students! Have a great Thanksgiving!