On Monday and Tuesday, February 10 and 11, the Yeshiva of Central Queens Junior High School sixth-grade girls prepared and hosted a Tu BiSh’vat Shuk. A shuk is an outdoor market in Israel. The girls decorated the multi-purpose room at the Yeshiva to make it look like a shuk in Israel. There were different kinds of foods, such as pickles, olives, candy, dried fruits, baked goods, and vegetables for the different brachos. The younger grades had passports and were able to purchase the items with the printed shekels they were given from the “bank.”
The girls also sang songs and taught the younger grades about Tu BiSh’vat and how we celebrate the tree’s birthday, which everyone enjoyed. Adina Masheyev, a third-grader, said, “It was really fun, and I liked being able to choose what I wanted to buy.” One of the sixth-grade girls, Eva Kandinov, who was presenting at the shuk, said, “My favorite part of the shuk was singing to the kids, having fun with my friends, and giving food out to the kids.” All the students hosting and visiting had an amazing and fun experience at the YCQ Tu BiSh’vat Shuk. The faculty and students were inspired by the incredible presentation, and all learned many new things about the foods in Israel.
By Leah Kalantarov and Diana Borohov (grade 8)