検索キーワード： ユダヤ教

A little girl and her Sephardic Jewish family joyfully greet the Jewish New Year. "When leaves begin falling, the shofar comes calling. The halá golden brown is shaped round like a crown. Anyada Buena! Shanah Tovah!"

Sammy Spider watches the Shapiros hang the calendar that shows all the Jewish holidays of the year. First comes Rosh Hashanah. "Spiders don't celebrate Rosh Hashanah. Spiders spin webs," says Mrs. Spider as the Shapiros dip apples in honey. "I like honey," said Sammy. "You are my little honey," said Mrs. Spider. "And you should stick close to me." Next comes Yom Kippur. A toot from the shofar blows a curious Sammy back to his web.

When the Katz family moves in, C.J. the mouse is scared. Nibbling jelly doughnut crumbs in the kitchen, he hears a soft voice say, "Hello." The Katz family is spinning a dreidel and eating chocolate coins. It looks like fun, but a mouse can't play with cats! "Hello again," says the soft voice. "Please don't go. I could use a friend." Can C.J. overcome his fear and make some new friends just in time for Hanukkah?

Rain in the morning makes Kai say, "That's not what I want!" After school, he wants to read stories with Bubbe, but she isn't there. "That's not what I want!" says Kai. Maybe, he thinks, there's a creature that makes bad things happen. Could it be a Golem, big and scary? But maybe things aren't so bad if you look at them in a different way...

Painting scenes from Bible stories is Rembrandt's passion. Many of his Amsterdam neighbors are Sephardic Jews, and the children often come to play with the costumes at the renowned painter's house. Rabbi Menashe Ben Israel encourages his neighbors to pose for Rembrandt's biblical scenes. He helps the painter understand the descriptive words in the Hebrew bible. At the rabbi's home for Sabbath dinner, Rembrandt watches his friend cup his hands over his children's heads and say a blessing, which gives him an idea for a very special painting.

Shira the puppy loves to sing. At doggie daycare, she sings for her doggie friends, but the people say, "Hush and shush, Shira. Not today." She sings when Aryeh and Arielle watch TV, but the kids say, "Not today, Shira." On Friday, while Aryeh and Arielle are setting the table for Shabbat, Shira starts to sing. Aryeh says, "Shush. Not today." Shira wants to sing along as Aryeh and Arielle bless the candles, wine, and challah on Shabbat, but still she is shushed. But on Saturday night, the sky turns dark and it's time for Havdalah. Is it finally time for Shira to sing?

Tilly loves having company. One day, Tilly's mom says a family that has just arrived from Iraq will be staying with them for a while until they get settled in the community. "Just say 'welcome!'" her mom says. "Sometimes that's all it takes for strangers to become friends." A man from synagogue brings over clothes for the children and a neighbor brings a pot of stew that smells "just like home" to the new arrivals. The Iraqi boy, Youssef, teaches Tilly's brother soccer ball tricks. When an apartment becomes ready for the family, Tilly feels a little sad.