JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER

liencring Tzedakah

Hundreds
of area
fifth-graders
take part
in the annual
fair at
Temple Beth El.

Left:
The Kohler family—Jay, Ian,
Barbara and Steven — arrive
for the Tzedakah Experience.

PHOTOS BY G LENN TRIEST

Above:
Jessica Nack, Shira Anchill
and Dennis Tenenboym work
the Israel booth.

Right:
Fifth-graders sort coins for
the Penny Harvest.

taught to fifth-graders. In-
dependent agencies and
those associated with the
Jewish Federation of Met-
ropolitan Detroit explain
ldan Kaye was ready for the on- their work to the 10- and
slaught of fifth-graders at the an- 11-year-old participants at dif- riculum developed by Shawn
nual Tzedakah Experience at ferent booths set up throughout Locke, director of school services
for the Agency for Jewish Edu-
the hall.
Temple Beth El.
This year, Jewish Experiences cation. The lessons taught the
With a stack of colorful Israeli
pogs in one hand and a rubber For Families lent a hand to the children about some of their peers
slammer in the other, the fourth- 14 participating agencies to im- who had made a difference in
grader at Hillel Day School was prove displays and make them their communities through acts
prepared to teach the children at- more interactive. Changes in- of kindness.
One fifth-grader who had ob-
tending the event how to play the cluded the pogs given out at the
Israeli version of the disc game Ben Teitel Israel Savings Plan viously learned the lesson of the
that is sweeping the ranks of table as well as a mock grocery
store to teach the importance of
preadolescents.
"At my school, this is big. Be- Yad Ezra.
Increased
"This is a good experience for
fore kids would bring their hack-
kids
because
it
is
the
first
oppor-
ey sacks (a bean bag game), but
interactive displays
now you don't see them," Eldan tunity for many of them to see the
were a hit among
said. "I think a lot of people will community and how it operates,"
said Fran Gross Linden, presi-
like these pogs."
the fifth-graders.
Within moments, hundreds of dent of the Michigan regional ad-
fifth-graders from area Conserv- visory board of the
ative and Reform Sunday schools Anti-Defamation League. "Many
as well as some from area day of them have seen their parents day was Danielle Gursky. The 11-
schools jammed into Handleman participate, but now they get to year-old student from Adat
Shalom Synagogue stood behind
Hall at Temple Beth El to learn learn about it firsthand."
The students were also intro- the table at the Kadima booth
about and experience tzedakah.
The event is held each year to duced to the tzedakah concept helping children her own age to
reinforce lessons about tzedakah through a new three-part cur- understand the agency that helps

the mentally impaired.
"I am doing what I can do. I am
participating but I am also vol-
unteering," she said.
Another part of the event was
the Penny Harvest, a gathering
of change by the children that is
later donated to participating
agencies. This year, more class-
es took part in the collection, fill-
ing several buckets with
hundreds of pounds of coins.
"In terms of participation, it
was more successful than last
year," said Penny Harvest co-
chairwoman Roz Blanck. "Just in
dollars and checks we already
have $529, which doesn't include
the coins. That amount we will
know in a few days."
The Tzedakah Experience was
sponsored by the Jewish Feder-
ation, Temple Beth El, the
Agency for Jewish Education, the
Jewish Educators Council, Jew-
ish Experiences For Families and
The Jewish News.

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