Traditionally, every Friday, the Beit Zindlicht Children’s Educational Center, the main preschool institution of the Dnipro Jewish Community, holds a Kabbalat Shabbat ceremony, and this week was no exception.
The Kabbalat Shabbat ceremony takes place in each group, where a boy is chosen to play the role of the “father” and a girl the role of the “mother,” while all other children act as family members. Under the guidance of their teachers, the “mother and father” perform all the necessary rituals: lighting candles, reciting the Kiddush blessing, blessing the bread, and each child learns all the elements of welcoming the Shabbat Queen and their significance for Jewish life.
“This weekly ceremony is very important for nurturing the identity and worldview of every child,” says Risha Gurevich, Director of Beit Zindlicht. “Through playful activities, children from the earliest age not only become familiar with beautiful and important traditions but also internalize essential behavioral role models that contribute to the formation of a harmonious personality.”
