Experience Rosh Hodesh

Experience Rosh Hodesh Instructions for a Taste-Of Session at Your Institution This informational meeting can help you get participants and their parents excited about the Rosh Hodesh program. We recommend holding this session in the spring in order to most successfully recruit participants before their first official gathering the next fall. The session is designed for both parents and participants. Giving parents and participants a taste will help them understand Rosh Hodesh and encourage them to sign up for the program. You can present this session yourself, or invite your supervisor or an experienced group leader to help you facilitate. Also, if possible, invite alumnae of the program to attend and use their own experiences to promote participation in the program. Tips for a Successful Taste-Of Session Find a convenient, comfortable, and private space to hold your session. Keep in mind that you will need space for small break-out groups. The session will take 1.5 2 hours. Solicit guidance from potential participants regarding optimal times for meeting. Familiarize yourself with the session plan below, decide on the activity you will be doing, and gather supplies accordingly. Review the key Rosh Hodesh facts found in the Opening Month section of the Lev Year or the Opening Month of the 8 th Grade Year. Arrive early to set up, but expect others to come late. Pace yourself to ensure enough time for questions at the end of the meeting. Arrange seating in a circle or semicircle as numbers and space permit. Play background music as participants arrive. Feel free to modify or use your own ideas, as long as they meet the goals outlined in the following plan. Before Your Session Prepare materials: Name tags, markers, stickers, and ribbon The meeting date sheet and sign-up sheet Pens/pencils Sample Rosh Hodesh cloth Rosh Hodesh candle Candles for all participants Matches 261 Old York Road, Suite 734, Jenkintown, PA 19046 215-887-4511 movingtraditions.org

Kosher snacks (include some healthful snacks) and drinks Teen-friendly appropriate music Rosh Hodesh facts (for your reference) Additional Materials for Option 1: For the Three Questions activity, prepare boxes labeled with each of these three questions, as well as enough copies of each question (on separate sheets of paper) for all participants: What do the teen girls whom you know spend most of their time thinking about? What is the biggest problem facing teen girls that you know? What is a misconception people have about teen girls? Additional Materials for Option 2: One copy each of Fill in The Blank for participants and for parents, printed on large sheets of paper. Markers Glue Scissors Two sheets of poster paper Popular teen magazines (4-8) Two copies of the collage question, What are some of the messages from media and pop culture that teens receive, and what effect do these messages have? Additional Materials for Option 3: Traditional and non-traditional objects that may have Jewish meaning ranging from objects such as: shofar, hagadah, challah, hamentaschen, paper rolled up like a Torah, mezuzah, print-out of ketubah language, lyrics to Jewish camp songs, magen david necklace, bat mitzvah card, play guitar, copy of a Mel Brooks film etc... You may include the same object more than once based on number of expected participants. Session Guide: Learning about ourselves, Rosh Hodesh, and Moving Traditions In this session, we will explore what we have in common with each other, and what is unique about each other, as well as learning about Rosh Hodesh and Moving Traditions. This session is intended to be social, introducing participants to each other, and creating a feeling of comfort. Outline Opening (5 minutes) movingtraditions.org 2

Welcome participants, invite them to create name tags, and encourage general mingling Introduce yourself and share your background. Express your enthusiasm for the group. Getting Started (10 minutes) Announce that we will start off by getting to know each other more. Icebreaker: Stand Up If You Tell the group that you will read a list of statements one at a time; and invite participants to rise if the description applies to them. As you go, be playful in inviting and acknowledging comments and embellishments. Instruct them: Stand up if you are a middle child. are the oldest child. are the youngest child. are the only child. have a pet. (Ask: what kind of pet? Encourage conversation and friendly remarks) are left-handed. have been in a wedding party. have played on a sports team. (Ask: what sport?) like craft projects. (Ask: what types of crafts?) have been to summer camp. have made potato latkes. have eaten potato latkes. love music. (Ask: what kind of music?) have been in a play. have traveled to Israel. have a relative named Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, or Leah. have ever been part of a girls-only group. In closing, thank them for their enthusiastic participation. Highlight diversity and commonalities. Additional Icebreaker (OPTIONAL): Recent Photo Ask each person in the group to choose a recent photo from their phone and tell the group about it: where was the photo taken? Who/what is in the photo? Why is it a significant photo? So, What is Rosh Hodesh? (10 minutes) Ask if anyone knows what Rosh Hodesh is, or why this project for young women revolves around Rosh Hodesh. Solicit ideas and embellish. movingtraditions.org 3

Before we continue to learn more about why we are all here, let s pair up and do a quick Google search. Google That! Using the term Rosh Hodesh, invite participants to do a two-minute Google search in pairs, finding a fun fact to present to the whole group. Important items to note if they don t come up during fun facts: Rosh Hodesh means Head of the Month and refers to the start of the new month. Legend says Rosh Hodesh was given to the women of Israel because they refused to give their jewelry to make the golden calf (an idol). Because of this righteousness, the women were excused from working on Rosh Hodesh. Today, Rosh Hodesh is celebrated by women and girls of all denominations across North America. How are Rosh Hodesh groups unique? (5 minutes) Highlight the following points: Rosh Hodesh offers adolescent girls the opportunity to gather on a monthly basis to learn, laugh, and grow as they explore the challenges and joys of their lives, sharing their thoughts and experiences and accessing the wisdom of their heritage. Groups, just like participants, are unique and explore relevant topics in participant s lives. The monthly groups draw on Jewish wisdom and practice as a resource for young women as they explore an array of topics relevant to their lives. Activity Choose One: Option 1: Three Questions (30 minutes) Distribute copies of each question to each participant. Also place three boxes around the room, each box labeled with one of the questions. What do the teen girls whom you know spend most of their time thinking about? What is the biggest problem facing teen girls whom you know? What is a misconception people have about teen girls? Participants write their answers to each question, and then drop the paper into the corresponding box. Divide the group into three groups, and have each group read and discuss the responses from one of the question boxes (What is the most common response? Most interesting response? What is missing?). Then, bring group back together to discuss. Option 2: Media Critique and Fill in the Blank (30 minutes) Divide the group into two, with parents in one area, and participants in another. Give each group a piece of poster board, magazines, glue, and scissors, as well as a movingtraditions.org 4

large sheet of paper on which the following series of fill-in-the blank phrases are written: Text for participant sheet: When teen celebrities are in the news, the stories are usually about or. Cool/popular girl characters in movies and on TV often talk about, look, and are. Uncool/Unpopular girl characters often talk about, look, and are. Stuff on the internet and in magazines written for teen girls usually gives advice about,, and. The media and pop-culture makes my friends and me feel. Text for parent sheet: When teen girl celebrities are on the news, the stories are usually about, or. Cool/Popular girl characters in movies and on TV often talk about, look, and are. Unpopular/Uncool girl characters often talk about, look, and are. Magazine and internet content written for teen girls usually gives advice about,, and. Media/Pop culture makes me feel for/about my daughter. Both groups fill out the Fill In the Blank, and then create a collage based on the following question: What are some of the messages from media and pop culture that teens receive and what effect do these messages have? While in separate groups, the group leader should take the opportunity to get to know the girls and engage with them as they are answering the questions and creating the collage. After 20 minutes, bring groups back together and have each group present some of the challenges and messages they have identified using the posters they created with magazine images. Group leader note similarities and differences between the two. Point out that these are examples of the kinds of issues girls explore in their Rosh Hodesh group meetings. Option 3: Role of Judaism in Your Life (30 minutes) Now that we have talked about our own individual identities, we are going to explore the role that Judaism plays in our lives. Place objects in the center of the circle. Encourage girls and parents to pick up Jewish objects with which they have a positive association or that represent their connection to Judaism. If none of the objects stand out to them, encourage participants to think of an object that they have seen/that they own that represents their connection to Judaism. Invite participants to turn to each other (participants with their own parents, if present) in hevrutah partnership and share what they picked and why. Once all are done sharing, come back to the larger group and invite any pair to share. NOTE: if participants are present without parents, the group leader should encourage participants to pair with each other. If some parents are present, but not movingtraditions.org 5

all, participants without parents should create a group with each other and the group leader should join them. If there is extra time, do another round, this time choosing an object that is least representative to their connection to Judaism. Share what they picked and why. Discuss Logistics (10 minutes) Explain how your institution s Rosh Hodesh groups will meet (e.g., in homes on Sundays from 4 6 p.m. or after religious school on Thursday evenings this decision should be made by the group leader and supervisor prior to this meeting). Discuss the role of the monthly host and what those duties include (providing private space, food, etc). Let parents and girls know that the group leader will email parents monthly themes after the meeting (if you as the group leader plan to do so). Pass out a hand-out for parents to sign up and host. Secure a host for the first meeting. Review other logistics such as costs, contact over the month, and reminders for the meetings. Solicit and respond to questions. Closing (10-15 minutes) Gather the participants around the Rosh Hodesh cloth, and teach the prayer for the new month Allow time for questions about Rosh Hodesh or the group. Make a circle and pass out candles. Group leader states: In ancient Israel, the way the New Moon was determined was by two witnesses testifying that they saw the first sliver of the New Moon. This was obviously before a cell phone text could broadcast the news, so officials would set fires from hilltop to hilltop announcing the New Moon. In this same way, we will light our flames from one person to the next symbolizing the Rosh Hodesh fire lighting. As you receive the passing of the flame, take a moment to make a wish for yourself silent or out loud for the upcoming month. After all of the candles around the circle have been lit, the group leader leads participants in saying, Hodesh Tov. Schmoozing Time: Ice cream or other snacks movingtraditions.org 6