The students of the “Beit LeBanim” boys’ boarding school, a unique social institution of the Jewish Community of Dnipro intended for children from at-risk families, visited the “MasterClass” creative studio, where a pottery workshop was held for them. The boys became acquainted with one of the oldest crafts of humanity and tried their hand at making ceramic dishes.
The “MasterClass” creative studio is a well-known artistic creativity space in Dnipro, offering a variety of classes for children and adults, including painting and ceramics. This time, the boarding school students mastered the art of clay modeling, creating cups, plates, and other items. Everyone could show their imagination, feel the characteristics of the material, and see how, gradually, from a shapeless lump of clay, an object emerges that has its own form and purpose.
The art of pottery occupies a special place in Jewish spiritual tradition. In the book of the prophet Yirmeyahu, the Almighty commands the prophet to visit a potter’s workshop, where he observes how the craftsman creates a vessel from clay and, if the work fails, gives the material form again. This image becomes an important metaphor for the relationship between the Creator and the Jewish people, and in the Yom Kippur prayers it sounds in the famous piyyut “Ki hinei ka-chomer” – “Behold, like clay in the hands of the potter.” Thus the ancient craft reminds us of a profound Jewish idea: a person is capable of changing, correcting their mistakes, and improving.
Such activities have great educational value. Working with clay develops fine motor skills, coordination of movement, spatial thinking, patience, and precision, and most importantly – it gives a child the opportunity to feel the joy of creation, when thanks to their own efforts and perseverance something entirely new comes into being. Therefore, visiting the creative studio became for the boarding school students at once an interesting rest, an introduction to an ancient craft, and a valuable experience of independent creativity.
“It is very important to us that our students not only receive the necessary care and support but also learn to reveal their abilities, show initiative, and see the results of their own labor,” noted Rabbi David Vaskovsky, director of the “Beit LeBanim” boys’ boarding school. “For when a child creates something beautiful and useful with their own hands, they acquire not merely a new skill but also confidence that they are capable of changing the world around them for the better. And it is precisely such opportunities for the comprehensive development of our children that we strive to create thanks to the constant care and support of the united and cohesive Jewish Community of Dnipro under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.”
