As part of the unit on community, the third grade girls, led by Morah Sharon Esses, focused on cultures around the world. The class discussed the many special features of the Jewish/Sephardic culture, including music, food, language, holidays, religion and clothing.
In the midst of this cultural immersion, the girls decided to present their work in a Sephardic/ Jewish Expo. Parents and grandparents were invited as each student had the opportunity to explain how certain cultural features apply to their family, while also feeding the audience traditional Sephardic treats such as sambousak, kaak and tehina.
The group ended their presentation by singing a classic pizmon taught to them by Barkai’s tefilah teacher, Rav Shelomo Levi, accompanied by Victor Esses on the oud. Everyone agreed that the expo was a great way to integrate the class’ social studies unit with our beloved Sephardic culture.