FAMILIES TO CELEBRATE
BIRTH OF JEWISH NATION

Community Joins to Celebrate Children and the Ten Commandments


Celebrating the upcoming Jewish holiday of Shavuot, The Jewish Discovery Center will be giving away an Ipod Shuffle at its “Ice Cream Party and Dairy Dinner,” for Jewish families in the Northern corridor, on June 9. Men, women and children are invited to hear a reenactment of the reading of the Ten Commandments, as it was heard at Mount Sinai the very first time 3,320 years ago. Afterward, participants will be treated scrumptious kosher ice cream, ten flavors of toppings, three types of blintzes and a variety of cheese cakes, along with a dairy buffet dinner. Participants will be entered into a raffle to win an Ipod Shuffle and children can create their own ice cream sundae.


“Our goal is to provide a forum for the community to get together, enjoy each other’s company, and relive the Giving of the Torah [Bible],” said Rabbi Yosef Y Kalmanson, Executive Director of The Jewish Discovery Center. “This party is sure to reveal the beauty and joy of Shavuot in a fun and enjoyable way.”


Shavuot is the Jewish holiday commemorating the giving of the Ten Commandments and the Bible to the Israelites, during a revelation at Mt. Sinai, fifty days after their exodus from Egypt. A two day holiday, beginning this year at sundown on June 8, the holiday is marked by an all-night Torah [Bible] study, a public reading of the Ten Commandments and description of the Sinai revelation, as recorded in the Torah scroll in the original Hebrew, and feasting on dairy foods.


After the Ten Commandments reading, participants will enjoy delicious food, while a children’s program will feature stories, edible crafts and games in honor of the holiday. One lucky child will win an Ipod.


“ Without each and every child Jewish child, the Jewish nation would never have been born. The children are the guarantors for the survival of our people,” said Rabbi Kalmanson. “Shavuot is a great opportunity to instill within children a pride in being Jewish, a connection to the previous generations as well as creating a sense of purpose and contribution to the world; to actualize the Divine potential for goodness imbued by the Creator within each and every one of us.”


The Jewish Discovery Center devotes its energy to Jewish education, according to Kalmanson. Its mission is to transform Jewish values and ideals into a living force in the lives of children, youth and adults through positive experiences.


The “Ice Cream Party and Dairy Dinner,” open to the entire community, will take place Monday, June 9, 6:00 p.m., at The Jewish Discovery Center, 7587 Central Parke Blvd., (corner of Cedar Village Dr off Mason-Montgomery Rd., across from Cedar Village), in Mason. Call The Jewish Discovery Center for more information, (531-DISCOVER), email [email protected] or RSVP at www.JDiscovery.com .


“It’s important that Jews of all backgrounds come together, now more than ever,” said Chany Turner, Youth Director at the Jewish Discovery Center. “The Ice Cream Party and Family Dinner promises to be fun, inspiring, motivating and full of spirit!”


To learn more about this holiday, click here. Clicking on the Shavuot link brings the surfer to its prominent interactive Shavuot website, providing information and video demonstrations on the hows, whys and whens of the holiday. The site also offers an "Ask the Rabbi" feature for any holiday question.

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*Some reasons for dairy on Shavuot:

  1. The Biblical book Song of Songs (4:11) refers to the sweet nourishing value of Torah by saying: "It drips from your lips, like honey and milk under your tongue."

  2. The verse in Exodus 23:19 juxtaposes the holiday of Shavuot with the prohibition of mixing milk and meat. On Shavuot, we therefore eat separate meals — one of milk and one of meat.

  3. Upon receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, the Jews immediately became obligated in the laws of Sh'chita — slaughter of animals. Since they did not have time to prepare kosher meat, they ate dairy instead

For more information, log onto www.JDiscovery.com/Shavuot