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The Birthday Party
DIANE SCHAEFER STAFF WRITER
I
NEW BEANIE BABY ARRIVALS FOR 1997*
• Bull • St. Bernard • Doberman • Squirrel
• Rose Bunny • Lilac Bunny • Mint Bunny • Swan
• Siamese- • Lamb • Shark • Kangaroo • Koala
*Delivery expected before the end of January
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1 4555 Levan, Suite 309
Livonia, Michigan 48154
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Phone (313) 432-1913
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Dr. Leuran is a graduate of Wayne State University
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ZVI LEVRAN, M.D., P.C.
ma, tell me again, how
soon is my birthday?"
For the parents of young
children in Israel, this
question is often a familiar re-
frain, even if the birthday is still
months and months away. It
takes on special significance
once the child enters preschool
— all because of the phenome-
non known as The Birthday
Party.
Parents often are indoctrinat-
ed into The Birthday Party
when their child turns 2 or 3
years old. In Israel, it is quite
common for children to start
preschool at these ages, and the
school itself often is an orga-
nized educational system far re-
moved from the informal,
play-only nursery schools Amer-
ican parents may have attend-
ed. The Birthday Party is an
important part of the curricu-
lum at least through Can Hova,
mandatory kindergarten, taking
on lesser significance only in the
first grade.
The unworldly parent is first
introduced to The Birthday Par- '
ty when the oldest child brings
home a pekeleh (little bag) — a
sack of half-eaten, assorted junk
food containing a cheap plastic
wristwatch or some other such
item — and announces, "Ima,
there was a birthday in my
preschool today." The parent
then notices that birthdays oc-
cur in preschool with alarming
frequency, and begins to wish
that some parent would send
apples or oranges instead of
pekeleh, so that the children
would have appetites afterward
The child comes dressed in
Shabbat clothing for the big day,
for lunch.
when he or she is indeed treat-
Then one's own child, whose
ed as royalty. The highlight of
birthday may not be until near
the end of the school year, starts
The Birthday Party is the cere-
the refrain, "When is my birth-
mony the parent comes to
watch. The child is seated in a
day?"
"Soon," is the inevitable an-
specially decorated chair, along-
side his mother, and a crown or
swer.
At last, the big day nears.
_ wreath of flowers is placed on
Preparations begin. A date is
his head.
scheduled with the preschool
Suddenly, all the hours spent
teacher and an exact time given
running around town looking
for pop-ices or 24 commercially
for the parent, usually the moth-
er, to report to class with all the
packaged pekeleh are worth it.
assorted birthday treats. The de-
Birthday parties continue
tailed list of what to bring varies
through about fourth grade, but
somewhat according to the
once the child enters first grade
preschool or school system. In
my son's school, mothers are
told to bring pekeleh, along
with pop-ices (freeze pops) in
warmer weather. Parents also
are asked to buy an inexpensive
gift, such as a ball or music cas-
sette, for the preschool. In other
preschools, the birthday boy or
girl may be asked to give a pre-
sent, such as a pencil or colorful
eraser, for every child. Or, all the
other children might be asked
to bring a small gift for the birth-
day child.
the parties are much more sub-
dued. Several birthdays are
combined, and they may be cel-
ebrated on Fridays, because of
the short day.
Certainly, birthday parties in
the older grades are easier to
plan, but memories of the elabo-
rate celebrations carried out in
preschool and kindergarten car-
ry with them a certain sweet-
ness. 0
Diane Schaefer lives with her husband, Akiva, in Neve Yaakov Mizrach. When not caringfor her two
small children, Mrs. Schaefer works with computers at an international company based in Jerusalem.