Images to Ponder

Something Silly for starters
My temple, Congregation Kehilat Shalom, recently renovated their bathrooms.
I bet they didn't plan to write in Hebrew all over the doors!

Did you ever think you'd see me asking someone to photograph me outside of a bathroom stall?

STRUGGLES LINKED: 
Resistance across time

"We believe that if the ghetto fighters were alive,
they would be with us."
"The Warsaw ghetto uprising was perhaps
the most Polish of all Polish uprisings"
In the 1980s, when there were rebellions against communism, do you see any change in the attitude towards Jewish people in Poland?  This is when the seeds for this museum came about.

WISDOM


This speaks for itself...
A man's first knowledge should be to know himself.
Can you link this quote to a Greek Philosopher?
Hint: he said "Know thyself."
"The man is led the way he wishes to follow."
How can you tie this in with the #BeginsWithMe theme?
"A child is the greatest treasure of the
nation. We must protect this treasure against
all dangers and provide it with constant
tender care and love."

HOLY PLACES
Fancier than I imagined

A reconstruction of the inside of the Warsaw Synagogue







And who is this scary woman, anyway?

Are you surprised at how colorful it is? I was very surprised.
Also, do you see the Zodiac animals?


ARTS AND INTELLECT

Four musicians...Klezmer joy!





Does this woman look happy?
How would you feel if you were taken out of school
and had to work?
"Your book alone made me into a man."



What books have helped define you or make you into who you are?
For me, I would say these ones:
The Little Prince
Our Town
The Book of Think
Tuck Everlasting
Emily of New Moon

I was fascinated by this part of the exhibit and wonder what my sixth grade buddies would think about this quote.  





What do you think the author  of the quote on the left would say about email?
Or about the fact that I'm writing this in Poland at 9:42 
...and that you might be able to read it in New Jersey this afternoon.....??

ORDINARY PEOPLE

YIVO  (The Yiddishist organization) collected photos and stories from children so they could capture a lost lifestyle.
Recognize this crazy lady?
I was excited to see more nonsense rhymes in Yiddish.
I was particularly excited to see the first five letters of my last name
making a cameo performance in this version
of "eeny meeny miney mo".

SCHOOL DAYS
What in this classroom makes you think about
your own middle school classes? This was a science class.
This was a school notebook.
Secretly, I wish that it had been a map of Europe.
The boundaries there have changed so much!
Does your biology notebook look like this!!?!?!!

Did you have a class parade when everyone could read and write?
We actually were rewarded in first grade, in Mrs. Smith's class...
Once we could read and write, she taught us a few chords on the guitar!


Hmmm....should we try any of these
moves for the school play?








Could you see Miss Alber or Mrs. Krial teaching in this room?
What do you think of this collection of instruments?
 Is it what you would expect?
Can you imagine what it would sound like?
This picture fascinates me.  Who is in it? What are they doing?
Boys and girls both learned sewing.
This is partially because handiwork helps dexterity for future writers.
Also, boys did grow up, often, to be tailors.
How have libraries changed over the years?

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 25, 2015 at 10:03 AM

    Hi Ms. Bengels!!!!!
    We miss you so much at RMS! Thank you for taking the time to share a little part of your journey with us every day.
    -Caroline

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 25, 2015 at 11:48 AM

    For the first picture... Auntie Em, you are quite unpredictable and I pity the person who was asked to take a picture of you in front of a bathroom stall.
    Second the holy place murals were absolutely gorgeous. I didn't see the zodiac animals but the picture was small on my computer.
    Finally, this one is interesting. I have read many, many, many, many x100 books. I have fallen hopelessly in love with characters and engulfed into their worlds, but never I have I felt that a book has truly defined me. I don't know what to say about that. That's why it was so hard for me to write that letter to an author essay last year even though by some fluke I was an honorable mention.
    ~"Never part of any crowd, 'cause her head's up on some cloud, no denying she's a funny girl that Belle... With a dreamy far off look and her nose stuck in a book, what a puzzle to the rest of us is Belle..."
    This song on the other hand is a different story... Too bad I'm the one who's making fun of Belle for being different.
    Love,
    Your silly girl Ally

    ReplyDelete

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