The Charlotte Jewish News -January 2007 - Page 22
9th Grade Retreat Teaches Hebrew High Kids About
Israeli Culture
On December 3 and 4, about 50
9th graders from Hebrew High
gathered in Shalom Park to expe
rience “The Spirit of Israel.”
Special guest, Akiva the Believer,
opened the retreat with a drum cir
cle. After dinner, the kids broke
into groups where they wrote
songs and poems, created per
formances, studied Torah code
(gematria), learned about Israel
and even made their own drums.
The evening closed with another
drum circle where everyone either
danced or played a percussion
instrument.
Sunday morning’s sessions
began with breakfast, followed by
another drum circle. Then the stu
dents broke out into groups again
where some perfected their cre
ations from the night before, while
others began new projects. The
retreat closed with three video
taped performances, two songs, a
slam poem, and a drum circle with
the newly-minted handmade
drums.
Here are some pictures and the
lyrics to the songs and poems our
creative, brilliant, and spiritual 9th
graders wrote during their retreat.
Eran Kreitman, Jordan Imhrey and Brett Winter write a heavy metal
tune with the help of Ben Saul and Jared Morse.
Dancing at the drum circle with Akiva the Believer.
The day that we were bom
Was the day that we were blessed
Now our land is plagued each day
With vi’lence and unrest
The gem on the sapphire sea
We are longing to be free
And to feel the embrace of God
All we think about is peace
The ghosts that fought the war
Over bloodstained fields they fly
They all know it’s just a scapegoat
For the fear we feel inside
The gem on the sapphire sea
We are longing to be free
And to feel the embrace of God
All we think about is peace
The world has plagued us greatly
And we struggle with our grief
But strength is always there for us
And someday we'll be free.
By Leah Taub, Jess Rosenfeld,
and Lauren Fine
City of Gold by Jordan Imbrey,
Eran Kreitman, and Brett
Winter
I am the demon within you.
Controlling your life is what I'm
trying to do.
! will take you over I’ve already
begun.
Unless you reach the gold city
before I’m done.
Our world’s spiraling into a pit
Before with the dead we sit
We’ve gotta go back, gotta return
Time to get enlightened , time for
the world to learn
We’ve gotta take all the biblical
sinners
And the corporate liars trying to
make you someone’s dinner
We need to repost command
ments of ten
Before our world comes to an
end
CHORUS:
So breakdown civilization’s flaws
And give into God's laws
Don’t let your soul be sold
Return to the city of gold (city of
gold)
Returning to times of old!
City of gold!
Jerusalem
In the city of gold we will find
No more destruction a world of
the kind
And yet somehow they are Just
like us
Israel is the only place we can
still trust
Society is shooting to hell
At the bottom our souls wilt dwell
Unless we profess that we do
believe
And mercy our kind god will con
ceive
Repeat CHORUS
Periled by war
but still remains a door
to one Jew and every Jew more
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Todd Swartz
(standing) teaches
(left to right)
Adam Rosen,
Blair Sly, and
Lauren Whetstone
about gematria.
Four Jews and a Pencil
I say it loud
I say it proud
I'll stand up and gladly shout It
out.
I'm a Jew
One of the few
Cornin' out of the blue
That's just what we do
I say It loud
I say It proud
The leader of Iran
Thinks jie has a plan
To go and destroy our homeland
I hope to go to the Western Wall
I promise I won't let Israel fall
I say It loud
I say it proud
I hope we are there for Israel
before and after
Because it's not so sad if we
have laughter
When I bring this up, man, don't
be lethargic
Why? 'Cause I know, man, I'm
Sephardic
Promise me, be aware
Whatever you do always care
Remember God is always there
Some people just don't under
stand
What Jews are to the Promised
Land
I say It loud, I say It proud
By Lauren Eisendorfer, Kaleb
Hopkins, Brad Winter, and Brett
Winter