Bamboo and Coconut Sukkoth

Back in the office after two days off for Sukkot spent in Thane with Sharona and her lovely family. The Thane synagogue has a spacious Sukkah, and we lugged rice, vegetables, challah, pressed raisin wine and sweet gulab jamun for dessert there every night. Sitting under the palm frond roof, enjoying the food and the company, I looked above at the familiar twinkling lights (which my dad also hangs in our Denver Sukkah) and smiled at the Bene Israel take on Sukkah decorations. Along with small pumpkins and gourds there were watermelons (yes, watermelons), pineapples, guava fruits, brown and green coconuts, and Humongous green and yellow Etrogim (citron fruits) hanging from the roof. On the last day of the holiday the men and boys scramble in a competition to scale the walls and knock all the fruits down.

I have one day here in the office to work on upcoming projects and then I have a day off again for Shabbat; Working again Sunday and then another few days off for Hoshanna Raba, Simchat Torah, and Shemini Azteret. Not a bad deal, except I am starting to get a bit nervous about my next projects: a day camp for children and the (mega) preparations for Decembers' mega event, Khai fest.

The theme of Children's' camp is Israel and the other two educators and I will lead sessions about different aspects of Israel each day. We will have Israeli dance with the consul generals' wife, Falafel making, watch Shalom Sesame ( an American version of the Israeli Sesame street, Rechov Sum-sum) and have mifkad every morning. Our sessions will be on the people of Israel, Geography of Israel, Holy sites and Torah stories, and Life before the State of Israel. Sounds simple enough, right?

So far everything has fallen into place, except my own session on life before Israel.

I want to give these children a mini taste of so many things that are simply a part of (my) Jewish history. Talk to them about the pioneers who built up the land of Israel, drained the swamps, revived Israel, fought for a country and the right to that country.

Something that these kids have probably not heard much - or anything- about is also frequently on my mind. The Shoah Holocaust. How do you teach a five or six year old about the Holocaust? Is this relevant to Indian Jewish Life? How do we learn about these things? This has really been troubling me and I think has caused me to keep procrastinating on starting my session...

Though I have found useful books in the JDC library here, (The Illustrated story of Anne Frank, and I Never Saw Another Butterfly, the artwork of children from Terezin) I still hesitate, as I am working with kids ages 5-12, so I am not quite sure what sort of information is 'too much.' I don't really want to scare children, I don't know how to bring these issues up, sometimes I hardly know how to deal with these things myself. Maybe because I grew up in Israel it seems to me you just somehow 'know' about the Shoa from a very very young age. I can't even really remember finding out about it, though I do remember a vague confusion in first grade about Naazim ( the Hebrew word for thumbtack) and Nazim ( the Nazis)

This thoughts lead me to wonder : how do/did Americans first "learn" about the Shoa Holocaust in any case? What is the difference for those of us who have Jewish roots, or European backgrounds? How has Holocaust education changed in the last fifty years? How do people here in the far East relate to WWII and "western history"? I wonder if the Indian Jewish community feels distanced from this because while yes, they are Jews, they were not at all affected by this. No family members from Eastern Europe, no migration to other lands because of persecution.

I guess that being a product of major Jewish education ( with summer camp, Jewish schools, youth groups, March of the Living trips), and growing up in Israel and having survivors in my own synagogue and family naturally leads one to 'finding' out. What about Jews ( around the world) who have no access to any of these things? Even those who do have access sometimes never hear about the Shoah.

Just a thought, as I am living here and celebrating ancient Jewish history with its vibrant customs and traditions, wondering how to transmit the more somber facts of later (western) Jewish history .