News
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Sofer (Scribe) Visits BHDS
Posted May 8, 2013
In anticipation of the holiday of Shavuot—the Jewish festival that celebrates the receiving of the Ten Commandments and the Torah at Sinai—our students learned from a sofer (a scribe) about some of the many rules and procedures regarding the writing of sacred texts. Zerach Greenfield, a sofer STaM from New York, demonstrated the tools a scribe uses. The acronym STaM stands for Sefer Torah, teffilin, and mezuzot.
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Seventh Grade Tzedek Project Raises Funds for 17 Philanthropic Agencies
Posted April 10, 2013
In seventh grade, BHDS students devote a major part of their Jewish studies time to researching charitable organizations and donating b'nai mitzvah gift money to meaningful causes, both local and global.The totals are now in, and the news is unprecedented. Not only was the amount raised impressive—$17,646—but a new voting system resulted in funds going to each one of the 17 charitable organizations researched by our students. Organizations ranged from the San Francisco Food Bank to Shalom Bayit. "Through this project, our 7th grade class makes a powerful statement about priorities and learns first-hand how to champion and make a difference for organizations and causes they care about," said Samantha Zadikoff, Jewish studies teacher and Tzedek Project manager....
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Holocaust Memorial Observances
Posted April 8, 2013
Our students observed Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) in various ways. For lower school, an age-appropriate introduction during assembly was followed by the lighting of seven yahrzeit (memorial) candles. Kindergarteners then led the assembly in a song for peace. Middle school students observed Yom HaShoah at their weekly assembly last week.
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Eighth Grade Prepares for Israel Trip
Posted March 21, 2013
Our eighth graders from the BHDS Marin and SF campuses came together with their teacher chaperones for a morning of planning and bonding before their upcoming two-week trip to Israel. To familiarize themselves with Israel's numerous political parties, the students divided into teams to play...read on for photos...
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Seventh Grade Leads Tefillah (Service)
Posted March 14, 2013
Our seventh grade students led our community-wide tefillah (service) with a mix of traditional and modern melodies and prayers. Several students chanted from the Torah while others led the congregation in prayer and song. The service concluded with an update on the seventh grade Tzedek ("justice") Project, a class fund created for philantrophic purposes where students research organizations they're passionate about and then decide how to donate the substantial amount raised. In this way, our seventh grade class makes a powerful statement about priorities and engagement with the world around them. SEE PHOTOS
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Sixth Grade Leads "Futuristic" Tefillah
Posted February 14, 2013
Our sixth grade students led our middle school tefillah (service) with a mix of traditional and modern melodies and prayers - and futuristic touches like an online siddur. Several students chanted from the Torah while others led the congregation in prayer and song, and students' interpretations of the "intention" of each prayer flashed onscreen throughout. SEE PHOTOS
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Sixth Grade Produces Online Siddur
Posted February 7, 2013
Our sixth grade students have been studying Jewish prayer as part of Judaic studies and in preparation for their grade t'fillah on February 14. "We began our studies looking at where Jewish prayer originated and reading about the history and structure of Jewish prayer," said teacher Jody Bloom. As part of their exploration, they've produced the Sixth Grade's Online Siddur...
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Sixth Grade Cleans and Plants for San Francisco
Posted February 6, 2013
As part of their Tu B'Shvat–related learning, our sixth grade class worked hard under the direction of San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, cleaning invasive species in the area around Stow Lake. As part of their day, Jewish National Fund representatives Alli Darrow and Aaron Parker visited to talk about the vital work of their organization, connecting the holiday of Tu BiShvat to its contemporary interpretation around reforestation and environmental awareness. MORE PHOTOS
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Seventh Grade Works with Non-Profit to Create Sustainable Food Buying Guide
Posted January 23, 2013
Our seventh grade class is learning to make connections between daily life, Jewish values, social justice and environmental sustainability through individual purchasing power and making informed food choices. Working in conjunction with Hazon, a non-profit organization that promotes sustainability through food from a Jewish perspective, our students went on a fieldtrip to Westlake Shopping Center to reseach organic, local, kosher, and GMO free foods....their research will be used by Hazon to create a Sustainable Buying Guide for two grocery chains in the Bay Area...SEE PHOTOS
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Prayers for Sandy Hook: Sixth and Seventh Graders Express Sorrow and Love
Posted December 18, 2012
Seventh graders gave vent to their feelings about last Friday's Connecticut tragedy by writing their own prayers. Sixth graders, who are concluding a Jewish studies unit on prayer, applied all that they have been learning by writing prayers, based on cadence and content of traditional prayer structures but incorporating powerful feelings and ideas brought on by the recent tragedy. Read on for a few examples...