On a beautiful fall day in October, which happened to also be Sukkot eve, members and friends of Temple Beth Abraham joined together to experience a science fair connected to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Sukkot is a harvest holiday, and as one it leads itself naturally to think about elements such as sunlight, water and the earth – and from this idea the concept of the Science of Sukkot event was born. Thanks to the generosity of our recent grant from Sinai and Synapses grant named “Scientists in Synagogues”, we were able to hold such an innovative and different Sukkot event this year.
Participants spanned all ages from infants to grandparents, from a wide geographical area and Jewish backgrounds.
On arriving, guests were greeted by a friendly welcome team offering an overview of the various activities offered, a name tag to create for oneself and a smile! Guests then had a variety of activities to choose from, all relating to science and nature to explore at their own time and pace.
A very popular table was the Five Senses of Sukkot, led by Rina Zampieron, complete with a Lulav and Etrog set which one could hold, touch and smell. An arrangement of glass spice jars, masked with tape was available to smell and guess what the ingredient in it might be. Is it cinnamon? Clove? Garlic? Two different types of honey were available to taste and see if a difference in flavor could be determined. A listening test was available by shaking a covered jar and guessing what was in it. Last but not least, a blindfold was available to touch an object and guess what it is before removing the blindfold to see if the guess was correct!
At another table, guests had the opportunity to experiment with energy created by the power of water. Pouring water onto a wheel that spins and creates electricity was a popular activity! Our member and expert scientist Kelly Garnick explained about the power of water as participants continued to experiment.
A solar energy station led by our member Eitan Zeira, who has worked in the solar energy industry featured two types of solar panels, ,which using sunlight and artificial lights demonstrated the creation of electricity. It is amazing to learn that TBA’s own solar panels on our roof are truly making our world a better place by using solar energy to power our building thus saving on fossil fuels.
The Merrimack Valley Beekeepers Association brought a station complete with live bees and much knowledge about beekeeping as a farming practice, and about the science of the beehive, how it works, how bees make honey and various bee behaviors.
In the Sukkah, Rabbi Jon invited participants to take part in a discussion on the interconnectedness of science and Judaism, and opportunity to think about seven modern Jewish scientific Ushpizin (traditional Sukkot guests).
Jeff Zampieron and Dave Ferreira built garden beds for future planting of vegetables and fruit that will be donated to a local food shelter.
In addition to these science activities, a craft table was offered with an opportunity to make Sukkah decorations out of recycled and natural materials, as well as bird feeders to hang in the back yards.
As the sun set we put away the activities, said blessings in the Sukkah to welcome the festival, and enjoyed dinner together courtesy of Becky Green and her many volunteers!
Participants’ feedback was positive! One member stated that her son had much fun running around and participating with so many hands-on activities. His favorite one was the color matching activity. Overall, I think it was a great event with exciting and positive energy. Others said that the science exhibitions were interesting, varied and clever. They felt that having the community come together with so many families with children was very uplifting.
Each season of the year we plan a different science focus, with opportunities to explore for all ages. We are grateful to Sinai and Synapses for the grant support and for all their resources to deepen our connection to Judaism through science
