JN Junior: Tradition, tradition, tradition!
Pesach traditions, five things to enjoy this month, Jewish Children’s Book Awards and more!
Genius Jenna says: At Pesach, people all over the world will eat matzah, dig out the Haggadahs and have a seder night or two.
The festival centres around the retelling of the biblical story of the Jewish people being freed from slavery in Egypt. It’s traditional to have
a ‘seder’ – a mix of religious rituals, food, songs and storytelling. The seder is the most commonly celebrated Jewish custom performed by Jews across the globe. And when it comes to
‘traditions’ – the handing down of beliefs or customs from one generation to another – Pesach has plenty.
For seder, it’s traditional to have a seder plate with certain items: a hard-boiled egg, to represent spring and the circle of life; a roasted shank bone representing the Pesach sacrifice, bitter herbs to represent the bitterness of slavery, charoset (a mix of fruit, wine and nuts), and horseradish, called maror.
One of my favourite traditions is dressing up as one of the plagues (something my grandpa started). What are your festival traditions?
Sophia Navazesh, age nine, Finchley
Purim traditions mean the most to me because you get to dress up with your family and friends and stay up all night having lots of fun. But best of all, the food is amazing and with mishloach manot, you give lots of delicious treats to each other. You also get chocolate or jam hamantashen. I love seeing everyone’s costumes at shul or school.
A five-year-old author!
A five-year-old from Dorset has become a first- time published author! Bella-Jay Dark’s book, The Lost Cat, was published by Ginger Fyre Press and is available to purchase on Amazon and at Waterstones for £4. Bella-Jay’s story
is about a kitten who goes on an adventure and soon
learns an important lesson. If Bella-Jay sells 1,000 copies, she
will become the official Guinness World Record’s youngest author.
The Jewish Children’s Book Awards
Congratulations to the winners of the inaugural Jewish Children’s Book Awards (JCBA), organised by specialist Jewish children’s book publisher Green Bean Books and Jewish Book Week (JBW). The awards showcase Jewish children’s stories and illustrators from Europe. Sharon Spitz (above) from Haifa won the illustration prize with her work, S Agnon – the biography of the Jewish author.
The winner of the writing prize went to London-based Carol Isaacs for Samira’s Stars, a book based on memories of the author’s family. Set in Baghdad, the story is told from the viewpoint of a young girl.
Each winner receives £1,000 and their work will be considered for publication by Green Bean Books.
Judge Michael Leventhal said: “Sharon’s illustrations are beautiful and powerful. She is incredibly talented and creative. Carol’s text is a spell-binding evocation of the history of Jewish life in Iraq and a compelling story for children.”
Last Sunday the winners ran an illustration workshop during JBW’s Family Day, where the 2022-23 JCBA competition was launched.
See www.greenbeanbooks. com or www.jewishbookweek.com for details
Just for laughs!
With Ivor Baddiel
What did King Arthur say when
one of the people sitting at his round table wore an orange suit of armour?
Why is this knight different to all other knights?
Five things to enjoy this month
- The 100 Story Hotel – Fans of bestselling author and illustrator Rob Biddulph can expect an immersive experience featuring extraordinary characters at The 100 Story Hotel at the Discover Children’s Story Centre. www.discover.org.uk
- Horrible Histories Terrible Thames – The boat tour of Horrible Histories Terrible Thames sails back into London to provide the history of the Thames with the nasty bits left in. The tour departs from Tower Bridge Quay. www.terriblethames.com
- Dino Kingdom – For an epic pre-historic experience, head to Dino Kingdom at Gunnersbury Park from 1 to 18 April. There’ll be moving and roaring reptiles, an excavation site, food and drink and fairground rides. www.dinokingdom.com
- Easter Family Run – Burn off some matzah at the Regent’s Park’s family-friendly fun run. Children can dress up and run for Easter goodies. www.nice-work.org.uk
- Easter Egg Trails – Take your pick of Easter Egg hunts and fun this month – there’s the Very Hungry Caterpillar Trail, an Easter Duck Trail, and an Easter extravaganza. www.kew.org, www.wwt.org.uk, www. aldenhamcountrypark.co.uk
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