Gather Us Together
Gather Us Together is a traveling exhibit about the Ethiopian Jewish
experience.  Through images, music, artifact, DVD, oral histories,
learning activities, and a scripted presentation, students will
encounter an extraordinary story of faith, courage and homecoming as
they follow the Beta Israel journey back to Israel.

Israel Floor Map
Bring Israel to Life in Your School

Why are more than 20 Jewish educators sitting on a giant map of Israel? They are learning how to use the 30-by-15-foot map to bring Israel into their classrooms, or at least a big room near their classrooms.

The giant map, owned by the Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation, is available to borrow at no charge to Jewish schools in the Foundation service area.

The map also comes with a number of resources, including 3D pictures of Israel and 3D glasses; games and puzzles. It can be used to teach all aspects of Israel, including geography, history and religion.

“Teaching about Israel using the Israel Land Map is a multi-sensory experience for kids of all ages and encourages play with a purpose, “ said Deborah Coltin, executive director of the Foundation. “Kids have a great time on the floor map learning about Israel through touch, play, stories, games, puzzles and much more. It’s fun and engaging. Providing these kinds of teaching tools for our Jewish educators and their students makes teaching and learning exciting.”

The Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation offers programs and resources that are helping to keep our children Jewish. For more information or to borrow the Israel map, please contact Phyllis Osher, Lappin Foundation Program Associate, at 978-740-4404 or email posher@rilcf.org.

Tefillin for Teens
“I felt connected to a tradition and it made me think that it is important to carry on the traditions of the Jews.”
- Daniel Katz, 13, of Wenham

Tefillin are described as the “ties that bind” and learning to use them is part of the curriculum in many of the seventh grade Hebrew school classes on the North Shore. Seventh grade is the year when most children celebrate becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah and learn many of the traditions that tie them to their great and unique Jewish family, both in the past and the future.
That is why the Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation offers the “Tefillin for Teens,” program to every Jewish school, offering students a free, and a beautiful tefillin bag, valued at $150 per child. The studentswho wear them say they feel more connected to prayers such as the Sh’ma and it makes them feel that they are continuing a Jewish tradition started thousands of years ago. For more information, call Phyllis Osher, Lappin Foundation Program Associate, at 978-740-4404 or email posher@rilcf.org.

Tiku Shofar
The shofar calls us to action. Young teens learn the mitzvah of the shofar and receive their own free shofar from Israel and supplemental educational materials, valued at $40. Students are invited to participate in the shofar service at local temples and are encouraged to visit nursing homes and hospitals to sound the shofar for others during the High Holy Days.For more information, call Phyllis Osher, Lappin Foundation Program Associate, at 978-740-4404 or email posher@rilcf.org.