Submitted by Beth Israel Synagogue
Beth Israel Synagogue proudly celebrated Yom HaTorah in May. The student body explored the Torah portions each week through reading, discussions, coloring, and playing — sharing their insights and viewpoints. The preschool class used the American Israelite’s Kids Page to guide age-appropriate conversations and engagement. With the help of their teachers, Ziva Binik-Thomas and Jael Hall, the students Benny, Joy, and Rory each assembled their scrolls. Rabbi Daniel Vaisrub celebrated their achievements and told the congregation how meaningful it is for our next generation to understand our stories and customs. Dr. Justin Binik-Thomas, director of education, praised the students for their success and studies and took the time to recognize and read from each scroll individually. The bnei mitzvah class taught by Lauri Brown led the Torah service, where the older students guided the younger kids to the matriarchs and patriarchs.
Our next Bat Mitzvah, Zoe Binik-Thomas, was especially aware of their anxieties and made the little ones comfortable as they traveled from the bima to the congregation. Christofer and Rebecca Price were particularly impressed by the work and praised the school’s experiential learning methodology where their students want to go each week. Shawn Morneau and Lindsay Marnell added their excitement and pride for their son and thanked the preschool staff for helping to make the Schul School fun and rewarding. Beth Israel’s religious school liaison, Lauren LaBonte, closed the ceremony by expressing her distinct honor of presiding over such an exciting event and noted this class represents our future, recalling former director Phyllis Binik-Thomas’ (z” l) guidance that our children are the Torah and the reason we exist today and into the future.
