Sydney Children Experience Jewish Tradition
In the lead-up to the Jewish festival of Chanukah, Hundreds of school-children from the Greater Sydney Area learnt the art of olive oil making, in workshops organized by Chabad Youth, directed by Rabbi Elimelech Levy, and the Shluchim to Yeshiva Gedolah of Sydney ● Full Story, Pictures
In the lead-up to the Jewish festival of Chanukah, Hundreds of primary-schoolers learnt the art of olive oil making.
Using a traditional press to convert the olives into oil the children learnt about the symbolism behind the process.
Chabad Youth NSW director Rabbi Elimelech Levy said the oil was an important part of Chanukah because it commemorated a miracle that occurred more than 2000 years ago, when the Jewish people reclaimed Jerusalem’s Holy Temple.
Rabbi Levy said a menorah that used a special kind of oil burnt for eight days when it was only supposed to burn for one.
“The oil miracle is what we celebrate today with the lighting of the menorah,’’ he said.
The School students made their own menorahs, before filling it with the oil they’d pressed and lighting it. Rabbi Levy said the workshops taught the students about Chanukah in a practical way.
“The traditional way of learning and studying is in a classroom format, which is essential,’’ Rabbi Levy said. “It’s always good to be able to complement that with various informal streams of education.
“It was a nice experience for them to see from beginning to end how olives are made into oil.
“It was also an opportunity to talk about the Chanukah story and ask questions.”
The workshops are being run by the Chabad Youth & Sydney Yeshiva Shluchim Chabad Youth NSW Shluchim Yaakov Deitsch and Mendy Eizicovics.
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