Form II visit the Synagogue
On Monday 19th January Form II visited the synagogue in the parish of St Brelade. The children had learnt in their R.E lesson that a synagogue is a very special place where Jewish people go to worship God. They were surprised however to discover that the synagogue looked like any other ordinary building from the outside. As we approached, the only clue to show us that we were in the right place, was a Star of David on the wall. Mrs Bernstein was there to welcome us and before we entered the synagogue, all the boys had to make sure that their heads were covered. Some boys opted to swap their St George’s cap for a scull cap.
O
nce inside the synagogue, the children began to notice some differences between the synagogue and a church, such as no stained glass windows or statues. They also spotted the Hebrew writing around the room, including on the clock! Mrs Bernstein opened up the Ark to reveal the Torah scrolls. She was not allowed to handle them however, as she is a lady and this is something that only men can do! The children did get to look at one of the books from the Torah and handled the yad which is used when reading from the Torah.
The children were especially interested to find out that the words of the Torah are written on sections of dried animal skin and stitched together using intestines! Form II learnt so much on their visit and we would like to say a huge thank you to Mrs Bernstein for giving up her time to come and show us around.