On Sunday, Jan. 25, Beth El Temple in West Hartford, with funding from an Alfred and Helen Weisel Jewish Education Grant, presented an interactive “Journey Through the Bible” experience.

During the program, students in grades three through seven in the religious school participated in a round-robin morning of activities. At each station, Beth El students met one or more biblical characters – teachers dressed in costume – who told students about themselves and their lives. The biblical characters described a challenging ethical situation which they faced and conversed with students asking what they might do in such a situation.

Honesty was the value discussed at one station, where the students met Adam, Eve and the Serpent. Love and loyalty to family were the values explored at the station where students met the biblical characters Ruth and Naomi. And wisdom was the trait that students discussed when they met the biblical character Solomon.

The goal was to help students see how the stories of biblical characters provide important lessons that are relevant even today. Students had the opportunity to see, first-hand, the importance of the dilemmas and values presented in the Torah.

CAP: Jacob Yontef Mathog of West Hartford with Beth El Religious School teacher Steven Levine dressed as King Solomon.