kids

Ohel Leah Synagogue

OLS: CONNECT

Kislev 5768 - December 2007 Hong Kong

Contents

K!Dz

OHEL LEAH YOUTH SUKKOT by David Caron

Text Box: Ohel Leah’s annual Sukkot Beach Party was taken to a whole new level. The community’s program director Baruch Lobel was able to organize an activity at Pui O Beach in Lantau Island linked with a company named Treasure Island providing leisure services there. Many people turned up at the ferry pier excited and looking forward to arriving at the site as the weather prevailed in a good showing. A spiritual ambience filled the surrounding atmosphere during the trip. After arriving on Lantau, a few coaches came to take us to Pui O. The ride ended under a kilometer away from the beach. We completed the rest of the journey by foot. On the way, we noticed that most of the landscape around us was marshland, a rare site in Hong Kong considering the amount of buildings. We were greeted by a warm welcome from the staff of Treasure Island and were seated. The building of the Sukkah immediately commenced. A few volunteers from the community helped Baruch assemble all the pieces to complete it and to fulfil the custom. All the children rushed into the water as soon as we arrived. Some were surprised by the fact that they weren’t the only ones occupying the waters. Crabs were burrowed under the thick sand anticipating company. Aside from this minor setback, everybody enjoyed themselves catching the upcoming waves and throwing children into the water. One highlight was when a group of kids started throwing pieces of wet sand at each other. Other people not from the community joined in. Due to the aggressive and dangerous nature of play, this short lived but exciting commotion came to an end. At around noon, a delicious buffet satisfied everyone. Many people piled up for seconds and some for even thirds. Afterwards, the kids went back into the water. It was impressive watching how well the older kids took care of the younger ones. Fun and games were in store for everyone as the Treasure Island staff prepared some activities for us. For the younger kids, they would run under a parachute and try to get out before it touched the floor. For the older kids, there was raft building. We were divided into two groups. Each group was then divided into two smaller groups. The instructors assisted us, teaching methods of tying the ropes together. One group didn’t listen and ended up having ropes all over the place. The hardest part of the race was at the beginning when you had to lift the raft and carry it into the water and then get on it. The other half of our team went first against one half of the other team. The beginning was tense while we were carrying the raft. I recall one person throwing a paddle backwards and then hitting another person’s knee.

The first race gave our group time to make last minute preparations. We also realized that our team was behind in the race so we would have to quickly catch. Lucky for us, the next team could only leave once the other half dismantles the raft. This gave us a boost but the other team already started. We quickly ran into the water and struggle to climb aboard. Once we did, using all of our strength, the team gained up on the adversary and passed them. We were able to arrive before them. Another boost for us was the group we were against was the one that put ropes all over the raft. It took them quite a while to dismantle theirs.

Everyone who participated then took a rest in the water during the last hour before leaving. While heading to the bus, it was noticeable that most people were excited and well satisfied about the day they had spent at the beach on Sukkot. This excursion demonstrated our community’s ability to work well together and help each other. The Ohel Leah Youth deeply thanks Baruch and Shirli for organizing such a wonderful trip.

Text Box:
The Dreidel is synonymous with Chanukah. The Hebrew letters on its four sides mean "A Great Miracle Happened There." In Israel the dreidel is a not the same and the Shin is replaced with a Pei to mean " A Miracle Happened HERE!" Rules of the Game: Each player is allocated five tokens. The player spins the dreidel. When the dreidel stops, the letter that is facing up decides the next step. NUN - nothing happens - next player spins the dreidel GIMEL - player takes all tokens in the pot HEY - player takes half of the pot SHIN - player must put one token into the pot

Oil at Chanukah

It is said that oil is like studying Torah in two ways.

Oil is not a food we eat by itself and it is not necessary for out daily existence. It simply adds pleasure to our food and life, as does the study of Torah.

Oil has the potential to illuminate. If you stand in a dark room you can light oil to see the room around you. Study of Torah can also illuminate our world for us.

Text Box: Maoz Tzur The author’s name Mordechai is known from the acrostic of the poem, he lived sometime between the 11th and 12th century. The melody is thought to be an old German folksong dating from the 11th century.