Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah, and many customs are associated with this festival, such as learning the Torah all night (Tikkun Leil Shavuot,) eating dairy foods, decorating the synagogue with greenery, and reading the Book of Ruth. In this unit, we will learn about these customs by studying traditional texts, analyzing primary sources from the National Library of Israel, and reading first-person accounts of Shavuot celebrations in Europe that were recorded by Centropa.
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Analyzing Primary Sources
In pairs or small groups, the students do two activities:
1. Analyzing Shavuot Resources
Students analyze resources depicting Shavuot customs, using the online source sheet and answer the questions in their notebooks.
2. Reading Memories of Shavuot Customs
Students read oral histories of Jews who lived in Europe in the twentieth century and recalled their family celebrations of Shavuot, using the online source sheet or the printed version. For each interview, students highlight the relevant texts using the colors designating each different custom.
Create an infographic or a poster explaining the customs.
Suggested websites: Canva or Venngage.
The entry can describe real or imagined Shavuot celebrations.
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