This year, we celebrate Ari Gershon and Litza Stark, both of them longtime members and volunteers at ACI. Ari, a past President (2022-2024) and long-term Education Chair, has dedicated over a decade to overseeing Hebrew-school programming while working to maintain and modernize our synagogue. Litza, a current Board member, has modernized the Center's communications, organized family-friendly programming, and participated in social justice activities.

Join us in honoring their commitment to ACI at our Anniversary Journal service on Friday, June 20, 2025.

The Journal is ACI's major fundraiser supporting our aging building, religious services, and multi-generational programs. In these times of increasing antisemitism, supporting Jewish spaces like ACI is crucial.

Submit your ads and tributes by May 30, 2025, either online at astoriacenter.org/journal-order or via the our paper form. Contact Elysa at [email protected] with questions.

This year, we celebrate Ari Gershon and Litza Stark, both of them longtime members and volunteers at ACI. Ari, a past President (2022-2024) and long-term Education Chair, has dedicated over a decade to overseeing Hebrew-school programming while working to maintain and modernize our synagogue. Litza, a current Board member, has modernized the Center's communications, organized family-friendly programming, and participated in social justice activities.

Join us in honoring their commitment to ACI at our Anniversary Journal service on Friday, June 20, 2025.

The Journal is ACI's major fundraiser supporting our aging building, religious services, and multi-generational programs. In these times of increasing antisemitism, supporting Jewish spaces like ACI is crucial.

Submit your ads and tributes by May 30, 2025, either online at astoriacenter.org/journal-order or via the our paper form. Contact Elysa at [email protected] with questions.

This week in Judaic studies, our Kitah Aleph students joyfully shared their Passover experiences. Many proudly sang "Ma Nishtanah" and other well-known holiday melodies, lighting up the room with their enthusiasm.

In anticipation of Israeli Independence Day, we took an imaginative "trip" to Israel. Passports in hand and seatbelts "buckled," the children were thrilled as I stamped each passport for our special journey.

We read "Sammy Spider's First Trip to Israel," a delightful story that sparked curiosity about Israel's landmarks and cities. Along the way, we learned Hebrew words like "Shalom," "falafel," "Yerushalayim," and "Tel Aviv." Our musical journey included cheerful songs such as "Hevenu Shalom Aleichem" and "David Melech Yisrael."

In Kitah Bet, students shared heartfelt reflections on their Passover celebrations—eating matzah, enjoying family time, and singing the "Ma Nishtanah."

We also introduced Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. I showed a photo of Anne Frank, whom many recognized. Some students shared that they had visited her exhibition in New York.

Together, we read about Anne's life—her birth in Germany, move to Amsterdam, and hiding before her family's capture. We discussed the yellow Star of David Jews were forced to wear, and each student created their own paper star, writing "Jude" ("Jew" in German) inside.

To develop empathy, I invited students to quietly reenact life in hiding. We tiptoed upstairs in silence and sat still for minutes, imagining the courage and fear Anne's family felt.

In Kitah Gimmel, we began a new Holocaust unit. Each student shared something they already knew. We discussed what life was like for Jews in pre-war Europe, learning that Jewish communities flourished across Russia, Poland, and Germany. Many Jews felt relatively safe and didn't foresee the coming dangers.

We explored antisemitism's roots and how discrimination manifested: restricted rights, segregated neighborhoods, denied land ownership, limited education and professional access, imposed curfews, and forced military conscription. In many places, Jews were forced to convert or denied citizenship.

This sensitive unit builds understanding of Jewish resilience and the importance of remembrance and justice.

In Hebrew language class, students learned new Shoah-related words, practicing writing and pronouncing: יום השואה (Yom HaShoah), זכר (remember), לעולם לא נשכח (never forget), אחדות (unity), תִקוָה (hope), שלום (peace), and אַהֲבָה (love).

In Arts and Crafts, students learned about placing stones on headstones—a centuries-old tradition showing respect, remembrance, and spiritual connection. Unlike flowers that wither, stones endure, symbolizing memory's lasting nature. Students then decorated remembrance stones with acrylic paints.