At the “Beit Tzindlicht” children’s educational center, a leading preschool institution of the Jewish Community of Dnipro, the main theme of the week was the home, its significance in a person’s life, and the special place of Jewish traditions in family life. The children learned why every person needs a dwelling, how it is arranged, what makes it cozy and safe, and also became acquainted with the objects without which it is hard to imagine a traditional Jewish home.
During the classes, the children discussed how a home protects the family from rain and cold, grants warmth, coziness, and a sense of security. They examined images of single-story and multi-story houses, compared structures made of various materials, and became acquainted with the purpose of rooms and household items. During educational games, the children sorted images of objects into the corresponding rooms, assembled models of houses from geometric shapes, and learned to distinguish the floor from the ceiling. Especially captivating was a game with flashlights, during which, at the educator’s command, the children directed beams of light downward, to the floor, or upward, to the ceiling, reinforcing their understanding of space and developing their attention.
A special place in the program was occupied by becoming acquainted with the Jewish attributes that fill the home with spiritual meaning and connect the family’s daily life with the Torah and the fulfillment of mitzvos. The children examined the mezuzah, which is affixed to the doorpost of a Jewish home, the natlatnik – a special vessel for ritual hand washing, the chanukiah, Shabbos candles, the siddur, and the Torah. The educators told about their purpose and significance in Jewish life, and the acquaintance with the mezuzah was accompanied by a practical action – the children learned to kiss the mezuzah, as is customary in Jewish tradition.
Thus, the study of the concept of home, familiar to every child, became not only part of the program of learning about the surrounding world but also an important element of Jewish education. The children learned that a Jewish home is not merely the place where a family lives but also a space in which traditions are observed, mitzvos are fulfilled, and a special atmosphere of Yiddishkeit is formed.
“We want every child from an early age to understand that a home is not only walls, a roof, and rooms, but above all family, warmth, care, and Jewish traditions passed down from generation to generation,” noted preschool teacher Malka Averbukh. “Becoming acquainted with the mezuzah, Shabbos candles, the siddur, and other objects of Jewish daily life, children begin to realize that the fulfillment of mitzvos is a natural part of everyday life. It is very important to us to raise the new generation of Jews, for whom the atmosphere of Yiddishkeit will be native and familiar from childhood itself, and for the opportunity to give our children such education and upbringing, we sincerely thank the united and cohesive Jewish Community of Dnipro under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.”
