We had a lot of fun Monday night in Hebrew School.  Of course we went over Hebrew. My students are preparing for their Bat Mitzvahs.  That’s a rite of passage Jewish girls prepare for when they are about 12 or 13.  They must read fifteen to twenty prayers in Hebrew (from memory).  They must read Hebrew from the Bible WITHOUT vowels. Imagine reading words without the letters AEIOU-Y?!  Yeah!  Not easy!  They must lead a service with lots of people following them. Its a BIG responsibility for them.  And for me to teach them.

So tonight, we learned some more about Jewish history.  Rome conquered Judea in 70 C.E. Jerusalem fell to the pagan Romans and Jews had to do what their new masters desired if they wanted to stay alive.  Studying Hebrew and Torah (the Bible) was forbidden by many Roman Emperors.  Jews had to play along and seem to be citizens of Rome.  Tonight we enacted a Roman feast for the Festival of Pomona.  Pomona was a Roman goddess of the Orchards and of the Harvest.  We pretended to be Romans but with a twist – we were a group of Jews (pretending to be Romans).   We wore togas and ate simple foods like toasted pumpkin seeds and carrots dipped in hummus.  Yum!  We whispered the prayers in Hebrew, just as those Jews hiding out in the Roman Empire had to.  Thank goodness it was all in good fun.  We giggled on the floor as we ate leftover candy too.  I do like it when my students have a good time.  Come join us at the feast for a few moments, my sweet sisters.  Grab some leftover candy, lounge on your beds, listen to the music and join us!  The best way to learn history – is to live it.