HAFTR first graders cheerfully embrace their first siddurim

HAFTR’s first graders received their first siddurim at the school’s annual Chagigat Siddur celebration. Families filled the room to witness this significant step in their children’s Jewish lives.

The Lower School mashgiach ruchani, Rabbi Asher Klein, shared a bracha, reminding students that their siddur provides a way for them to speak directly to Hashem, in words that are pure, meaningful, and filled with heart. The first graders then sang and recited tefillot as they proudly held their siddurim.

The day was fruit of the work of HAFTR’S first grade and Judaic Wtudies team: Etia Cohen, Rebecca Feuer, Brittany Gannon, Debra Haft, Penina Klein, Yael Polak, Rivky Lock, Hannah Nierenberg, Aviva Parness, Miriam Rosenberg, Julia Rubin, Rus Solomon, and Naomi Stern, with musical support from Janet Goldman.

After the ceremony, students took part in that helped bring tefillah and their new siddurim to life. They decorated their siddur covers, marked special pages, and explored what prayer means in their own lives. The next day, they opened their siddurim in class together as one grade — no longer as something new, but as something that felt like their own.

Chagigat Siddur is a reflection of how HAFTR nurtures faith, honors tradition and celebrates each child as they begin a lifelong relationship with Hashem.