Ben Porat Yosef 4th grade students enjoyed speaking, singing, dancing, and displaying their heirlooms at BPY’s Fourth Annual Heritage Fair. The students read Faye Silton’s book, Of Heroes, Hooks, and Heirlooms, about the daughter of Holocaust survivors and her struggle to find an heirloom to bring to her school’s Heritage Fair. Drawing on ideas directly from the book, the 4th graders created their own fair. The children spoke about the book and the creation of the fair. Next they sang a medley of songs: “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof, an Ashkenazic and Sephardic zemer, a Ladino song, a Yiddish song, and “Mizrach,” a song about Jews from all corners of the earth. The children also performed a dance from Brazil and a Middle Eastern dance. After the performance, the students stood behind tables on which their heirlooms were displayed, including many of the students’ ancestors. Parents were invited to view all of the heirlooms, read the explanations, and ask questions. As a highlight of the morning, Mrs. Silton, who was in attendance, spoke about her book, the writing process, and the Holocaust. She brought the students a special project that she worked on with them as a tangible memento of her book and of this amazing day.
