| |||||||||
|
The Torah refers to the month of Iyar as the second of the twelve months of the Jewish calendar. It is the month that bridges Pesach and Shavuot, festivals that commemorate two of the most significant events in the life of the Jewish people - the Exodus and the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai.
In Israel, the month of Iyar is a very busy one for preschoolers, their families and their teachers. This is because of the special nature of the holidays we observe and the fact that in and out of school there is a special focus on families being together on these occasions. This is particularly true of Yom Hazikaron - Memorial Day and Yom Haatzmaut - Independence Day. While these special days commemorate events in the national history of the State of Israel, we become one large family as we remember those who fell in order that we might have a state. This is a message to which every child is exposed at a very young age. Unfortunately, there is probably not a single group of preschool children in Israel who does not have some connection to what we call "mishpachat hashekol" - the family of bereavement. In a country as small as Israel both the sorrow and the celebration touch every family directly or indirectly. Because Israel is only 54 years old, the events we commemorate are still very vivid in the minds of many. The grandparents of most preschoolers in Israel were themselves small children when the State of Israel was born. During the Six Day War they were serving in the army-- grandpas and grandmas. Their parents were children the day Jerusalem was reunited. The memories, stories and pictures of those events are still very much alive and available to us "first person". The month of Iyar provides us with an opportunity to reconnect to the Land of Israel as we think of the special varieties of the land and their connection to the holidays that bracket the month of Iyar (Pesach and Shavuot) as well as the celebration of the birth and existence of the State of Israel and the radiance and splendor of Jerusalem - Yerushalayim. | |||||||||
|
CREDITS: The JCC Association would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions to the Iyar portion of the "This New Month" Project.
© 2002 - 2006 JCC Association 'This New Month' Project | |||||||||