The sun was shining and the temperature was unusually high, quite reminiscent of a June afternoon in Yerushalayim, as the JEC Lower School playground was transformed into an Israeli-style shuk for the day.

The open-air market was the perfect vehicle for the fourth-sixth grade girls to exhibit their grasp of Hebrew language skills and appreciation of Israeli culture.

“Ivrit is the language of our people,” explained Rabbi Uzi Beer, principal of the JEC Lower Division, “and acquiring a language is only truly accomplished through an immersion experience.”

Under the guidance of Ivrit teacher Esther Lieberman, “vendors” used creative Hebrew signage and called out to passing “patrons” from the first-third grades promoting their wares in Hebrew, much like the shuk vendors do in real life. It was a sight to see and hear! The booths “sold” everything from fruits and vegetables to clothing, baked goods as well as Shabbat and school provisions. There were even meat and dairy “restaurants” and an interactive game booth!

To stay cool, the booths were situated in the shady areas and faculty distributed a steady stream of ice cold “limonada” and fresh water bottles. It was a wonderful exhibit of the students’ mastery over this year’s Ivrit curriculum and a memorable day was had by all who participated.