It’s Your World
Welcome to your page in The Jewish Journal. The last Friday of every month belongs to the kids of Jewish Los Angeles. In honor of the New Year and new look of this page, we want you to come up with a new name for it. Please send your ideas to kids@jewishjournal.com with the subject line New Name. We’ll pick the best one and make it the new name for the kids page (and you’ll get all the credit).
Kein v’ Lo
The Kein Side:
Many children use the evening to collect tzedakah for different charities instead of asking for candy — or they donate the candy to a food bank. For most people, the holiday has nothing to do with religion or real witches or saints. It’s more of a chance to go out with friends, have fun and decorate. Besides, it’s a great way to meet your neighbors.
The Lo Side:
It is a pagan holiday (a night when people believed the spirits of the dead would contact the living) and a Catholic holiday (candles are lit Nov. 1 on All Saints’ Day to honor the dead), but Jews are not supposed to celebrate non-Jewish holidays. Asking strangers for candy is rude; and tricks are mean. Jewish children have Purim as a day to dress up.
What do you think. E-mail your thoughts to kids@jewishjournal.com with the subject line
Kein V’Lo: Halloween. We’ll publish your opinions next month.
Stump Your Parents
Enjoy these facts about autumn — test your parents, grandparents and older siblings and see who gets the right answers first.
1) Which Hebrew month do we welcome in November?
2) How many weeks of autumn are there?
3) What is the full moon that follows the beginning of autumn?
4) What were the first jack-o-lanterns made from?
5) Who first suggested using Daylight Saving Time?
6) Why do the leaves change color?
7) In the Torah Portion Noach (which we read Nov. 5), God put up what object to show that everything was OK after the flood?
Answers: 1) Cheshvan; 2) Thirteen; 3) Harvest Moon; 4) Turnips; 5) Ben Franklin; 6) As the leaves lose chlorophyll (which makes them green) their other pigments
are exposed.; 7) A Rainbow
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