SUKKAH page P32 Make sure your Family has all the supplies for Hebrew School You've gotten your children everything they need for Hebrew school— clothes, books, and pencils— but make sure that your entire family is prepared as well. Every Jewish household needs the Jewish News as a resource to keep you informed about the current events relating to Israel, religion and what's happening in our Jewish community. ly assume that it will be chilly and raining as you sit down in your sukkah. That adds to the challenge. Once we survive getting ready for Sukkot, it is time to celebrate the concluding days of Shemini Atzeret or Simchat Torah. She- mini Atzeret includes the Yizkor prayers and helps us reflect on the transitory and fleeting nature of life itself. We link ourselves with past generations and hope that we are living up to the sa- cred duties and responsibilities left to us by the generation before us, with whom we are reunited by means of the Yizkor prayers. Judaism balances the sad mo- ments with the joyous ones, and we build up to the exquisite joy of Simchat Torah when we con- clude and begin anew the Torah. We never cease to hear the words of the Torah, and the moment we conclude the fifth book of Moses, we immediately begin reading the open chapters of Genesis. The message conti- nuity of Torah could never be more poignantly taught. We are Jews, as Saadiea Gaon taught, by virtue of the Torah alone. We proudly march with the scrolls around the sanctuary, we dance, and we link ourselves with our heroic Soviet brothers and sister who have made Sim- chat Torah a living symbol of their Jewish identity. It is on this night that they gather by the tens of thousands, and dance, sing and celebrate their pride in their Jewishness. They, at great peril, have shown us that you have to be willing to make a sac- rifice, and take risks in order to demonstrate publicly that they are finding great joy in the Torah. Jews around the world are on our minds as we celebrate in the safe and blessed land of America. Young children crowd our syn- agogues and they learn that it is great fun to celebrate this wonderful holiday. They march, they wave flags, they sing and they will never forget the memo- ries that are created by being in a synagogue or temple on Simchat Torah. We are con- stantly reminded how fortunate is our lot and how magnificent is our heritage. I hope that your Sukkot celebrations will bring you and your family members the joy that Sukkot has brought to my family. 0 TIPS Jewish News Parenting Section Consult the Jewish Catalogue or your syn- agogue for directions on how to buid a sukkah. Smart Learning Toys JENNIFER PLANTIER COPLEY NEWS SERVICE THE JENVIR 4-1 NEWS A Publication You Can Put Your Faith In. TH E DE TRO I T J EW IS H NEWS Receive 52 issues plus 6 issues of Style magazine for only $39 ($54 out-of-state). Save with a TWO YEAR SUBSCRIPTION FOR $72 ($94 out-of-state). 134 Yes, I'd like my own 0 Please bill me. year subscription to the Jewish News. 0 Payment enclosed. ❑ I'd like to send a year subscription as a gift to: Name My Name Address My Address City City State State Zip Zip Phone Phone Gift Card Message Please send all payments along with this coupon to: Detroit Jewish News, P.O. Box 2267, Southfield, MI 48037-9966. Allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. For faster service, call 1-810-354-6620 and charge it to your Visa or MasterCard between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. AD 794 With all of the new education- al toys out there, why not give your children a head start on his classroom skills. Don't expect him to hang their heads when he gets one of these. Lots of activity, fa- vorite characters, even lights and sounds make these as much fun as just about anything in the toy store aisles. • For Preschoolers: Sesame Street School House, Activity Clock, Jumbo Numbers Stacking Blocks and Learning Machines from Tyco. These characters have lots of practice teaching the ba- sics: letters, numbers, shapes and colors. Little Smart Driving School and Little Smart Fun to Talk Phone, from V-Tech, teach letters and numbers, sing songs, makes noise and generally entertain youngsters both on the road and at home. • For grade-schoolers: Quiz Whiz, from Tiger Electronics — an electronic question-and-an- swer game with cartridges fea- turing a variety of interesting topics. Math Safari and GeoSafari, from Educational Insights — award-winning, fast-paced quiz games that encourage kids with flashing lights and sounds. World Wizard Traveller and Talking Whiz Kid Notebook, from V-Tech — a hand-held trivia game and laptop-style learning aid for the up-and-coming. 0 Homework Help Some tips from Good House- keeping for helping children make homework more produc- tive: Don't do the work (it short- circuits self-esteem and Junior won't learn anything); don't help unless you're asked; create an en- vironment conducive to work (i.e., a quiet, well-lit, neat area); set a regular, daily time devoted to homework; restrict phone calls, and turn off the TV. (CNS)