First I will discuss my friends' experience with Hebrew school, then the intended approach for a modern Jewish boy/girl.

My friend started his Hebrew school when he was 12 years old. Beforehand, he had been tutored at home. He did not actually have his bar mitzvah until he was 15. He and his friends called it "Sunday school," even though he had his on Saturday at his synagogue. The main things taught at Hebrew school are the teachings of the Torah and the societal implications of Judaism. As you grow older, you learn about Israeli politics and the Arab-Israeli relations. When my friend had his bar mitzvah, he he read the parashah, a portion of the Torah read weekly at Jewish services. As he got older, he participated in tzedakah (giving back). This was the word they use for giving back to the community, an important aspect of growing up Jewish. He also was a part of teen youth groups, which would talk about being Jewish in daily life and doing community service together. Because he didn't start until he was older, he participated in the buddy system only as the older buddy. Jewish youth will help each other by having the older boys and girl assist in teaching the younger kids.

The traditional Jewish child will start going to Hebrew school when they are in Kindergarten. Hebrew school is typically taught on Sundays and on Tuesday or Wednesday evening. It is meant to culminate at confirmation, a practice occurring only in the reformed and conservative movements, and not in the Jewish Orthodox movement. Those who study in the Orthodox tradition go through daily teachings of more in depth learning of the Torah in order to become a rabbi.

I discussed the modern day Passover with my friend who is Jewish, and the first thing he brought up to me was the fact that one of the main concerns of Passover is getting drunk. The actual drinking of lots of wine on the seder is now a common tradition for all Jews during Passover. This stems from  the 5 blessings of the wine, where each blessing means each person must drink a whole glass of wine. There is lots of singing during Passover, especially during the seder, when the poems of the Haggadah (the Jewish text which sets forth the order of the seder) are sung. One of the songs is the Dayenu, which means "that will be enough." It is about being thankful to God for all of the gifts he gave to the Jewish people, such as taking them out of slavery. Here are some traditions of the Passover seder:

Recognition of the 7 plagues: a drop of wine is spilled for each plague that was brought upon Egypt.

Dipping bitter herbs (moror) into salt water: the bitter herbs are representative of the bitterness of the lifestyle for Jews in Egypt, and the salt water represents the tears of those who suffered.

Eating charoset: Its color and texture are meant to recall the mortar with which the Israelites bonded bricks when they were enslaved in Egypt as mentioned in the Talmud.

Presence of the lamb shank: recognized the lamb that was sacrificed for Jews to avoid the final plague. The put blood on their doors so that their first born would not be killed.

Other than that, the main dietary traditions of passover include not eating leavened bread, gluten, or corn. Most Jews to not follow the latter two, but still avoid yeast. Common dishes include brisket, matzah ball soup, and kuggel. They also like to eat macaroons and chocolate strawberries as a dessert.

As Maya and I were discussing her trip to Israel as her Birthright, we started talking about the Kibbutz. She had lived in one for a while, but grew tired of it. A Kibbutz (gathering, clustering) is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Nowadays, these utopian communities are more industrial and create technology. The main purpose of the Kibbutz is that it is self-sustaining. Everything consumed by each Kibbutznik (member of the Kibbutz) is created by another member, and there is joint ownership of all property. It is a complete self sustaining economy, and usually does not contain more than a couple hundred people. Maya explained to me that instead of families eating on their own schedule, there is a community 'dining hall' where everybody chips in on the meal. Some people cook, some set up, others clean afterwards. The idea is that everyone works together for the better of the group.

There is an elected administrator to the Kibbutz, who is elected every 2-3 years. This person assigns positions for varying lengths of time, along with creating a rotation for members to do communal work such as kitchen and dining hall duties. In general, everything is organized and only works because there are principles to the Kibbutz that include its democratic nature, spirit of volunteerism, and commitment to idealism as motivation to the members. Nowadays, 40% of those who grow up in a Kibbutz return after their military service, and the majority of those in the Kibbutz are those who had grown up there, not those who grew up outside of that lifestyle, but chose it.

This semester has been so much fun with the addition of this class. I really enjoyed being able to study Hebrew with any methods I chose. The first few weeks were a great way to get started. I think that analyzing our study habits and what works well for us was a great way to figure out what worked for me. My strongest learning styles were "interpersonal" and "musical." I tried to focus mostly on these two because they were my strongest, and they turned out to be very effective. It was so easy for me to learn language by putting a song to it. I already knew that I work better in groups, so I hope that next semester I can work more frequently with other people.

I think that I evolved a lot as an autonomous learner. The ability to take information without the help of others and use it to learn is so essential, and I was not very good at doing that before this class. Now I am not afraid to approach something by myself and figure it out. I also think that this way of learning is very useful: it forces me to think hard and not just breeze through information without registering it. That is why in class I will sometimes not pay attention, and all that time spent towards learning is not totally efficient. When I work as an autonomous learner, I am making a greater use of my time because I immerse myself in the work. If I didn't, then I wouldn't get anywhere.

In terms of culture, I am so glad that this class focused on more than just learning the language. There is so much information planted in me now because of everything I have researched and heard from others in my class about the different cultures we studied and how language works. It was refreshing to learn by interest instead of memorizing. Normally, I would beat dates, numbers, titles, etc into my brain and would end up forgetting the information after being tested on it. I still know most of the information written on my ning, and will know it for a long time because I had to figure it all out myself and because I got to choose the things I was most interested in.

I still have a long way to go in my specific language, which is why I decided to continue next semester. I do not want a lot of the things I learned to just go to waste, so I need to keep working on the specifics of Hebrew. A good foundation is set, but now there is nothing more to learn about culture or how language works. I can focus strictly on the hebrew aleph bet and the sound each letter makes, sentence structure, and the differences of sing/plur and male/fem. With that, I hope I can improve from memorizing what certain phrases mean to understanding how they mean what they mean.

I missed the first day of presentations, so I only heard 2 presentations the second day. I was the only one who presented on the third day. The two people who presented were Yazmeen and Mel. Yazmeen talked about the evil eye. I found her presentation very interesting mostly because I had never really heard of the evil eye besides the American idea of it. Our version is simply that if someone looks at you in a cross-eyed way (something evil looking) then they are putting bad luck onto you. The cultural significance of the evil eye is very interesting for Turkish people. I like how they actually use the symbol of the evil eye to block away bad luck that can come from it.

Melanie's presentation was very thorough in discussing the traditions of a Jewish person's death. There are many strict details on the proper methods of burying the person, along with how to mourn for them. It was interesting to hear about because my family also has many strict traditions for properly burying a member of our family. I don't know much about them, but there are some similar traditions such as periods of mourning. We also celebrate the first year after someone's death like the Jewish tradition.

My presentation was all about Jewish food and some of the culture and history behind it. Here I will add some more interesting ideas I learned about this complicated idea.

Many of the foods that we think of as Jewish are not unique to Jewish culture. Stuffed cabbage, a traditional Jewish dish, is common in Eastern Europe. Blintzes and knishes (one of the things I made) are familiar to all Germans, not just Jewish ones. Falafel and hummus, increasingly thought of as Israeli-Jewish foods, can be found in any Greek restaurant. But the combination of these varied foods into one style of cooking, along with our thier innovations, is uniquely Jewish.

One ingredient you will see in many Jewish recipes is matzah meal. This is made from matzah, another food I talked extensively about in my presentation. This is because Passover allows for very little room for ingredients to cook with, so there are many foods in Jewish tradition made specifically to be eaten during Passover, so one of the main ingredients is matzah.

More About the Kashrut

So the Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws, including the fact that Jews must only eat food that is Kosher. Interestingly, in addition to the fact that only 1/6 of Jews keep kosher, Jews comprise only about 20% of the market for kosher food in the United States. A sizable non-Jewish segment of the population views kosher certification as an indication of wholesomeness. Strict vegetarians, Muslims, Hindus, and people with allergies to dairy foods, often consider the kosher-parve designation as an assurance that a food contains no animal-derived ingredients, including milk and all of its derivatives.

Meat and milk (or derivatives) cannot be mixed in the sense that meat and dairy products are not served at the same meal, served or cooked in the same utensils, or stored together. Observant Jews have separate sets of dishes, and sometimes different kitchens, for meat and milk, and wait anywhere between one and six hours after eating meat before consuming milk products.

Traditional Jewish philosophy divides the 613 mitzvot (plural for mitzva) into three groups—laws that have a rational explanation and would probably be enacted by most orderly societies (mishpatim), laws that are understood after being explained, but would not be legislated without the Torah's command, (edot), and laws that do not have a rational explanation(chukim). It is suggested by some that the laws of kashrut be placed into the irrational group.

In Jewish law, although the human soul exists before birth, human life begins at birth, that is, at the time when the child is more than halfway emerged from the mother's body. Judaism completely rejects the notion of original sin. According to Judaism, a child is born pure, completely free from sin. They pray daily "Oh God, the soul which you gave me is pure. You created it, you fashioned it, you breathed it into me." Birth by Caesarean section is permitted in Jewish law, as would be just about any procedure necessary to preserve the life of the mother or the child. Immediately after birth, a woman is considered niddah and must remain sexually separated from her husband for a period of seven days after the birth of a male child and 14 days after the birth of a female child. After a child is born, the father is given the honor of an aliyah (an opportunity to bless the reading of the Torah) in synagogue at the next opportunity. At that time, a blessing is recited for the health of the mother and the child. If the child is a girl, she is named at that time.

Shabbat is the most important ritual observance in Judaism. It is the only ritual observance instituted in the Ten Commandments. Shabbat is primarily a day of rest and spiritual enrichment. The word "Shabbat" comes from the root Shin-Beit-Tav, meaning to cease, to end, or to rest. At about 2PM or 3PM on Friday afternoon, observant Jews leave the office to begin Shabbat preparations. The mood is much like preparing for the arrival of a special, beloved guest: the house is cleaned, the family bathes and dresses up, the best dishes and tableware are set, a festive meal is prepared. In addition, everything that cannot be done during Shabbat must be set up in advance: lights and appliances must be set (or timers placed on them, if the household does so), the light bulb in the refrigerator must be removed or unscrewed, so it does not turn on when you open it, and preparations for the remaining Shabbat meals must be made. Shabbat, like all Jewish days, begins at sunset, because in the story of creation in Genesis Ch. 1. Shabbat candles are lit and a blessing is recited no later than eighteen minutes before sunset. This ritual, performed by the woman of the house, officially marks the beginning of Shabbat.The family then attends a brief evening service, and then the family comes home for a festive, leisurely dinner. Before dinner, the man of the house recites Kiddush, a prayer over wine sanctifying Shabbat. The usual prayer for eating bread is recited over two loaves of challah. After dinner, the birkat ha-mazon (grace after meals) is recited. The next morning Shabbat services begin around 9AM and continue until about noon. There is another meal, and the family reads the Torah and engages in other leisurely activities until nightfall. At the end of Shabbat, the family performs a concluding ritual called Havdalah (separation, division). Blessings are recited over wine, spices and candles. Then a blessing is recited regarding the division between the sacred and the secular, between Shabbat and the working days.

Bar Mitzvah literally means "son of the commandment." "Bar" is "son" in Aramaic, which used to be the vernacular of the Jewish people. "Mitzvah" is "commandment" in both Hebrew and Aramaic. "Bat" is "daughter" in Hebrew and Aramaic. Technically, the term refers to the child who is coming of age, and it is strictly correct to refer to someone as "becoming a bar (or bat) mitzvah." However, the term is more commonly used to refer to the coming of age ceremony itself, and you are more likely to hear that someone is "having a bar mitzvah" or "invited to a bar mitzvah." A Jewish boy automatically becomes a bar mitzvah upon reaching the age of 13 years, and a girl upon reaching the age of 12 years. The bar or bat mitzvah is a relatively modern innovation, not mentioned in the Talmud, and the elaborate ceremonies. It is important to note that a bar mitzvah is not the goal of a Jewish education, nor is it a graduation ceremony marking the end of a person's Jewish education. Jews are obligated to study Torah throughout their lives. To emphasize this point, some rabbis require a bar mitzvah student to sign an agreement promising to continue Jewish education after the bar mitzvah. Gifts are also a common part of a bar or bat mitzvah. They are ordinarily given at the reception, not at the service itself.

• Israelis are a very close, touchy, feely society - as in a close family
• If the Israeli is standing a little too close - invading yourprivate space - it's normal and accept it.
• The Israeli is ready for immediate action. You can witness this by how manyIsraelissit - leaning forward with legs spread apart - ready to stand at amoments notice.
• Israelis are a very passionate andexpressive breed. As such, if they raise their voices, this is how manyIsraelisnormally communicate with one another.
• Israelis want things today - Now!As they come from a young and traumatic society where war has been thenorm -trying to get the most out of today is the expected rule.
• Punctuality is relaxed. Always allow up to 15-20 minutes before thinking that yourparty islate.
• During a meeting the Israeli maytake telephone calls and allow others into his office or the meetingroom. Interruptionssuch as these are common in Israeli culture - do not take it as beingrude, impoliteor arrogant. This is a very informal society, where those in Israel areexpectedand able to do many tasks at the same time.
• Israelis are a very warm and friendly people. When they invite you totheir homeor out for dinner - they are not just being polite - they are displayingsincerefriendship. When they say "stop by at any time" - they truly mean it!