Judy Avnery, Limud director at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, Mass., writes:

The students of the Limud program (grades K-5) built this replica of the Second Temple made of 35,000 Lego bricks specially ordered from Denmark. Building a replica of Jerusalem’s old Temple connected these 365 young Jewish learners from Temple Beth Elohim to what will soon be the creation of their own new temple here in Wellesley. We dreamed up this school-wide project to share the excitement of Temple Beth Elohim’s new home by emphasizing the role of the community in bringing it to life. We wanted our project to reflect the greater goals of our curriculum and connect the children to the future of our synagogue and to Israel’s past and current history. We wanted the children to feel the importance of their role in building the temple. Every section was essential. Without all the pieces, the Temple would not stand. Just like in days of old, it wasn’t “what” you brought to the Temple, but the fact that you participated in the building and the life of the Temple. The Legos were such a great way to get the kids involved creatively and enthusiastically and ultimately created a stable and vibrant replica. Before the building of the temple began in February, each class learned about the Temple in Jerusalem, its role in Jewish life at that time in history, the differences between The Temple and their temple, and the Jewish rituals and objects that the children can find in their temple today to remember some of the ritual from Jerusalem’s old Temple.

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