A Special Kabbalat Shabbat

At a recent Kabbalat Shabbat Davis Academy Lower School students were invited to write poems on the topic, "What Being Jewish Means to Me." We were pleased to receive so many thoughtful submissions and had a difficult time selecting three to be read at Kabbalat Shabbat this morning. Mazal tov to Amit Rau, Halli Friedman, and Casey Shoulberg for receiving this honor. Their thoughtful remarks are presented below:

Casey shared:

"To me being Jewish is the power of freedom
 It pushes me to be a leader
It gives me courage to have no fear
because God is standing by me and will never leave
even through hardships it teaches me to believe
I will forever guard the door of Israel because
it protects me.
L'dor v'dor nagid god'lecha
Forever and always in my heart
I will chant the prayers with life and meaning
Let God be with me through thick and thin
For I am the next generation


Amit shared:

This is what Judaism means to me.
Getting back from school on Friday, coming home to get cleaned up,
Hurrying to Shabbat services.
Taking a deep breath, reflecting on the week.
Saying and singing the prayers with my kehilah.
"Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad"...
During the silent prayer, closing my eyes,
thanking God for everything that I have.
Saying "Shabbat Shalom" to my family, going to celebrate
Shabbat with family, friends, and rabbis.
Leaving synagogue, walking in the door to our friends' house,
smelling the yummy food and warm, fresh challah.
"Shalom Aleycheim Malachei HaSharet"...
Lighting the candles, doing the Kiddush, saying HaMotzi, eating the yummy challah.
FInding a seat, making a plate, sitting down to eat, enjoying the Shabbat dinner.
Going back home...
Before closing my eyes, saying the Mishebeirach for everyone who is sick.
Saying the Shema.
Shabbat Shalom.
This is what Judaism means to me.

Halli shared:

Being Jewish is learning differences
And overcoming challenges.
We fought hard for Israel, the Jewish homeland
And we can't give it up today.
I can't wait for the day
We travel to the place I will
Treasure in my heart, where the Jewish
People come as one and protect the holy God.
Judaism is a special thing not everyone can have
and if you share it, guard it with your life.

Making this morning extra special was the fact that we welcomed Major Oryan Pundak of the Israel Defense Forces who shared an important message and took questions in Hebrew from our kids. We are grateful to partner with an organization called Friends of the IDF to raise awareness about the importance of the Israel Defense Forces and help our kids understand how IDF soldiers protect not only Israel, but the entire Jewish people. Below is Ms. Israel's class with our special guest. They lead a beautiful and memorable Kabbalat Shabbat this morning!