Let's Discover the Holidays

We read the Passover story from a
book called a haggadah.
We eat matzah to remind us of how
the Israelites’ dough became matzah
instead of bread.

What else do
you wonder
about Passover?
Write your
question in
the bubble.

Now pick up a cup of grape uice and say the blessing:
Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe,
who creates the fruit of the vine.
Baruch Atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech ha’olam, borei
p’ri hagafen.

Think Freedom means more than simply not
About It being a slave. What does freedom mean
to you? Discuss it with a partner. Then
write it here:

What I think freedom means:

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What my partner thinks freedom means:

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FAMILY As a family, think of another food
TIME for your seder plate. Choose

something that can help remind
We chose this
you of people around the world
Copyright ©2019. Behrman House Inc. Millburn, New Jersey. www.behrmanhouse.com. Author: Leslie Kimmelman. Editor: Ann Koffsky. Design: Elynn Cohen.
food because Editorial Consultants: Diane Zimmerman, Rabbi PJ Schwartz. Images: Valentina Belloni: p2 (girl), p4 (house). Behrman House: p4 (Jacobs/ boy). Shutterstock.who aren’t fully free. Draw it
com: p1 blueeyes; p2-3 Lucia Fox (illios); VicW (matzah); Rawpixel.com (boy); p3BR MG photos; p4 Alexander Limbach (cloud); luckyraccoon (plate). ISBN:or glue an image of it onto
978-1-68115-004-8. Printed in the United States of America.the plate. Write your

reason for choosing it

around the rim.

Let’s Discover Spring Holidays

Yom Ha’atzma’ut

How do you celebrate your birthday? Look!
Are there balloons? Special foods or
games? Israel has a birthday every How are the
spring. It is called Yom Ha’atzma’ut.
people in the
It is Israel’s Independence Day.
picture celebrating
Israel’s birthday?

How can we show our connection
to Israel on Yom Ha’atzma’ut?

We dress in blue and white, the colors of
Israel’s flag.

Think
About It

Most Israelis speak Hebrew. One
Hebrew word is shalom. It can mean
“hello,” “good-bye,” or “peace.”
Discuss with a partner:
Why do you think the same word
is used for those three meanings?
What does saying hello and
good-bye have to do with peace?

Creative Add shalom to the Israeli flag by
Corner coloring in the Hebrew letters you
see here:

We en oy Israeli foods and music.

We march in an Israel parade or
go to an Israel fair.

pomegranates olives Jaffa oranges dates FAMILY Try This!
TIME
Put on some fast music. Then, hold hands to
Next time you go to the grocery make a circle and dance the Israeli hora.
store, have an Israeli food hunt. Dance in one direction, then go the other
Check off each item as you find way. Have everyone walk into the middle of the circle
it. Choose a few Israeli foods to and back out. Hold hands up high and down low.
bring home and eat. (Remember—don’t let go of each other’s hands!)

pita bread

hummus

Copyright ©2019. Behrman House Inc. Millburn, New Jersey. www.behrmanhouse.com. Author: Leslie Kimmelman. Editor: Ann Koffsky. Design: Elynn Cohen.
Editorial Consultants: Diane Zimmerman, Rabbi PJ Schwartz. Images: Ann Koffsky p3B. Valentina Belloni: p2B, p4 (boy, house). Behrman House: p2-3 (kids/ Rovner).
Shutterstock: p1 lev radin; p2-3 Wave_Movies (flags); hadasit (falafel); Viktoria Bykova (easel); Lerner Vadim (shalom); p4 Cathleen A Clapper (pita); baibaz
(hummus); Tim UR (poms); ELuc (olive); Iurii Kachkovskyi (orange); bigacis (date). ISBN: 978-1-68115-004-8. Printed in the United States of America.

Let’s Discover Spring Holidays

Celebrating Shabbat

Look!

What keeps you busy during the week? In what ways does
School? Chores? Clubs? Everything? Do this Shabbat dinner
look different from a

you ever feel like you and your family are weekday dinner?
too busy? For one day each week, on

Shabbat, we have the opportunity to focus on

our family, friends, and the world that God created.

How can we welcome Shabbat?

We light candles to bring warmth into
our home.

We share a Shabbat meal with our family.
Sharing a quiet meal can help us slow
down and take a break from our busy lives.

Shabbat challah
candles

Kiddush
cup

Try This!

As a group, find a large open area and get busy! Run
around. Talk loudly. Don’t stop moving. When the leader
calls, “Shabbat Shalom,” FREEZE! Stop moving and stay in
one place. Go quiet. When the leader calls, “Goodbye,
Shabbat!” be busy again.

At the meal, we can say the Kiddush,

, blessing over the grape uice,

and the Hamotzi, , blessing

over the challah.

What did it feel like to
become quiet?
What did it feel like to
act busy again?

FAMILY During the havdalah service, their the word “hey,” like snapping everyone to do as they say Choose a fun movement for Shalom, Hey!” song.
TIME we say goodbye to Shabbat.
fingers, Sing the “Shabbat Try This!
Fill a cup with wine or grape feet, or
uice, get a ar of sweet-
smelling spices, and light s.Jutommppiningg.
a candle.
Discuss: How can you their
bring some of Shabbat’s
peacefulness into the rest
of your week?

Copyright ©2019. Behrman House Inc. Millburn, New Jersey. www.behrmanhouse.com. Author: Leslie Kimmelman. Editor: Ann Koffsky. Design: Elynn Cohen. Editorial
Consultants: Diane Zimmerman, Rabbi PJ Schwartz. Images: Valentina Belloni: p2, (girl) p4 (boy, house). Behrman House: 3ML, 3MR, 4B (havd/ Brody). Shutterstock:
p1 Monkey Business Images; 2ML tomertu; 2T Valen Z; 3BR Iakov Filimonov; P4TR Rawpixel.com. ISBN: 978-1-68115-004-8. Printed in the United States of America.

Let’s Discover Spring Holidays

Shavuot

According to Jewish tradition, God Look!
gave the Jewish people our most
important book: the Torah. It tells the How do you think
stories of our people and teaches us how
we can treat others with kindness. On the girl in the photo
Shavuot, we celebrate receiving this gift. feels? How would
you feel if you got
to hold a Torah?

What can we do to celebrate the
Torah on Shavuot?

We hear the Ten Commandments read aloud
in synagogue. These ten rules help us live
good lives.

Think ––––––––––––––––
About It ––––––––––––––––
––––––––––––––––
If you were in charge of making the world ––––––––––––––––
a good place to live, what rules do you ––––––––––––––––
think would be most important? Write ––––––––––––––––
some in the tablets. ––––––––––––––––

Mindfulness Moment

Jewish tradition teaches that when God gave us the Torah,
no birds flew, no waves splashed, no creatures made any
sounds. The world was completely quiet. Then a voice
was heard: “I am your God.”

We read the Torah’s stories and remember
that it’s important to keep learning and growing.
We eat dairy foods as a reminder that the
Torah is nourishing like milk.

––––––––––––––––
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––––––––––––––––

Stand or sit very still. Close
your eyes and breathe
deeply in and out three
times. How might being
quiet have helped the Jewish
people get ready to accept
the Torah?

FAMILY Creative
TIME Corner

On Shavuot, some people study Torah all night long. One of the Torah’s most
Build an indoor fort at home, using chairs, tables, sheets, important lessons is about
whatever you like. Invite your whole family to go inside kindness. What kindness did
and tell favorite stories from the Torah. someone do for you today?
Write it down on a strip of
colored paper. Tape the ends
of your strips together, to form
circles or links. Connect your
links to those of your friends to
make a kindness chain.

Copyright ©2019. Behrman House Inc. Millburn, New Jersey. www.behrmanhouse.com. Author: Leslie Kimmelman. Editor: Ann
Koffsky. Design: Elynn Cohen. Editorial Consultants: Diane Zimmerman, Rabbi PJ Schwartz. Images: Behrman House: p1. The Jew-
ish Museum: p2 (Torah). Valentina Belloni: p2B, p4 (house). Shutterstock.com: p2-3 LEE SNIDER PHOTO IMAGES (lion); pashabo
(leaf); li hanna (wheat); Alexander Limbach (cloud); Coprid (milk); Alexandr Makarov (blintz); sergei telegin (boy); p4TL Viktoria
Bykova; p4 TMonkey Business Images; p4B Freeograph. ISBN: 978-1-68115-004-8. Printed in the United States of America.