Purim was an amazingly fun time this year but… no sooner have we begun to take our Purim costumes off than it is time to turn our attention to Passover.

April opens with our school-wide Passover programs. On Sunday, April 1st and Monday, April 2nd we will have seders filled with matzah, grape juice and song! Once again, we will be using our school haggadah for our school seders. We urge you to incorporate these hagaddahs in your home seders. The songs help make the seder a fun learning experience for everyone!

School will be closed for the Passover holiday. Our last class will be on Thursday, April 5th and we will return on Wednesday, April 18th! Return refreshed and excited for a wonderful couple of months before Summer!

Progress continues on the Sherri W. Philipson Computer Centre. Painting is almost complete. Carpeting is ready to be installed. The computers are on order. The software has been ordered… This wonderful learning space will make our educational program more exciting next year. We can all look forward to enjoying the benefits that the Internet and exciting software will bring to our learning.

I will be inviting you in to visit the Centre as soon as it is operational so you can see first-hand how our program is growing to benefit you and your children!

Now, my Religious School Scholars! Let’s see who will be invited up to the bimah to receive the Blessing of the Scholars from Rabbi Kaplan! Our April questions are:

On April 2nd of this year, over 100,000 Jews were expelled from Sicily. (Hint: It was the same year that Columbus sailed the ocean blue.)

On April 19th of this year, the Warsaw Ghetto revolt began.

April 12th is the birthday of which Director of Education at Temple Israel?

I wish you and your families a zizen Pesach. Enjoy seders filled with song and learning. Parents, remember that the commandment for Passover is directed to us, we must teach our children what the Lord did for us in bringing us out of Egypt. We can always learn (and teach) from the Exodus. In so many ways, it still happens for all of us.

Have a happy and healthy Passover.