Nathaniel shares his recount of our Friday afternoon time with the children at Tel Aviv school…

After the grand opening of the mural in the gymnasium [see upcoming post], we were escorted back into the dining hall for a Kabbalat Shabbat service with the 3rd and 4th graders. We started with the blessings over the candles, wine, and challah, musically accompanied by the school’s music teacher on a keyboard. Next, the children sang songs in Hebrew and we tried to sing along. Then, Erika taught us all a few songs to sing together, “Hashkivenu” and “Rom’mu.”

Following that, we broke into 6 teams to translate Shabbat objects into Hebrew and English. Our group also broke into these teams to help the students along.

The program really kicked into high gear with a dance party to finish off the afternoon, in which the students and teachers taught us some line dances and the children once again showed us how much joy and energy they have at the Tel Aviv School. Unfortunately for all of us, this would be the very last activity that we would have with the schoolchildren. Even trying to depart proved to be a challenge, as we were, as was often the case, bombarded with hugs and kisses from groups of schoolchildren to the point that we could barely move towards the bus to return to the hotel in order to prepare for our own formal Shabbat evening.

From August 22-29, 2010, 11 alumni of Cornell University will volunteer with the Jewish community of Argentina.