As the judges make their way over to her table, seventh grade student Rebecca Sacks prepares for her turn to present her family history project in front of the crowd of parents, teachers and classmates. It was extremely meaningful, Sacks said, as she was able to dive deeper into her family history and learn about her family’s past.

For a third year, CESJDS has taken part in the nationwide “My Family Story” project. Students compete to have the most creative and expressive display of their family’s history, as well as the most meaningful and informative books. Two Hebrew classes in the seventh grade participated in the project, where participants were given the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about their own family history and traditions.

The presentations are all said in Hebrew and last about five minutes each. This gives students an opportunity to exercise their conversational skills, public speaking and mastery of the Hebrew language. Students spent several months preparing their projects during Hebrew class by writing essays, learning stories about their families and making art, all in preparation for the end display.

“I learned about how my family celebrated [holidays] over the years and where they all came from,” seventh grade student Molly Elbaum said.

Elbaum was one of the two winners from JDS for the most outstanding books, containing pictures and descriptions of themselves and their family, along with 7th grade student Reyut Weiser Rosenbaum. In the books, students include pictures of themselves and their family, describing their lives today as well as going into detail about significant moments in their family history. The project winners for the artistic displays were 7th grade students Liya Nuriel Kimmel and Shoshana Hallissey for effectively expressing their families in unique and creative ways.

Having been the teacher for both Hebrew classes participating in the project, middle school Hebrew teacher Guy Koren values this project and highlights the benefit it has on the students.

“I think it’s very special because everyone writes about their own family,” Koren said. “It’s sort of like the curriculum is different for each student.”

During presentations, students began by providing an explanation of their display and what it represents. Next, they transition to their book containing information about their families and lives today.

“This was a really meaningful experience for me to share with all of my classmates, my family and the rest of the school,” Sacks said.

This project provides students the opportunity to learn more about their families and where they came from, passing down stories from generation to generation. Students learn from their parents and grandparents about what their lives used to be like and how they got to where they are today.

“I think the most special thing is getting to do a project like this now with what’s happening in Israel,” Koren said. “It is very significant for me to hear stories about Jewish families.”