By Kathianne Boniello
“We celebrate because it's a special holiday,” one boy said Friday, the first full day of Hanukkah. “Because you get presents.”
But when he and his classmates at the preschool began to sing about the Jewish Festival of Lights, it was clear that they were just starting to understand the meaning of the holiday.
“Eight days of Hanukkah,” they sang in unison “eight days of history.”
The staff at the Chabad House on 28th Avenue in Bay Terrace has been using songs and stories to teach the kids about Jewish history and traditions since its inception five years ago, said Director Dina Blesofsky.
Hanukkah is an eight-day celebration commemorating an ancient battle between Jews and Syrians in about 165 B.C. After several years of fighting, the Jews prevailed and took back the Temple of Jerusalem, cleaning it and restoring its sanctity.
The holiday is marked in modern times by the lighting of a menorah, which celebrates a miracle associated with the Jewish victory over the Syrians.
The miracle occurred after the Jews beat the Syrians, when one day's worth of holy oil found in the Temple of Jerusalem continued to burn for a full eight days, keeping the menorah lit until more oil could be found.
Blesofsky said it is important to make Jewish history accessible to young children by breaking it down to their level.
“We bring in everyday concepts so that religion isn't a farfetched concept,” she said of the preschool's teaching methods. “Eventually, they pick it up.”
The program at Chabad House serves about 40 children from 2- year-olds to 5-year-olds with a variety of programs that emphasize a hands-on approach, she said.
When it comes to teaching children about Hanukkah, Blesofsky said the staff works to focus on the positive.
“It's about bringing light into the world,” she said. “We concentrate on the good in people.”
The school encourages its students to act positively by participating in a variety of activities, including visits to local nursing homes.
Children also do good deeds, she said, to take part in the school's “Mitzvah Tree.”
The tree – made of construction paper on the wall of the school's play room – encourages the children to draw or write about the good deeds they do, Blesofsky said. The drawings are then put on to paper “leaves” and hung on the tree for all to see.
“One good deed creates a domino effect,” she said. “It's just like light – it spreads.”
