Tashlich at Turtle Rock

by Susan Schnur, Anna Schnur-Fishman, Alex Steele-Morgan (Illustrator)

Overview

Annie is excited about the Tashlich ceremony on the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, when her family will walk to Turtle Rock Creek and throw crumbs into the water, as symbols of mistakes made the past year. As Annie leads her family through the woods stopping at favorite rocks, bridges, and waterfalls in her family’s own Tashlich ritual, they think about the good and bad things that happened during the past year, and make plans for a sweeter new year. This story focuses on ecological connections to the Tashlich ceremony and encourages families to customize the ritual and commune with nature at the New Year.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781512495041
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Susan Schnur is a Reconstructionist rabbi whose "paper pulpit" is Lilith magazine, a Jewish women's quarterly. Susan lives with her husband in Boston, Massachusetts.

Anna Schnur-Fishman is a senior at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She loves linguistics, Yiddish, and writing.

Read an Excerpt

Tashlich at Turtle Rock

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By Susan Schnur, Anna Schnur-Fishman, Alex Steele-Morgan

Kar-Ben Publishing

Copyright © 2010 Susan Schnur and Anna Schnur-Fishman
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7613-4509-1

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CHAPTER 1

"We always start at Old Log, Annie," Lincoln says, giving me the look.

I give him one right back. "This year I'm in charge," I announce. "And this year we're starting at Turtle Rock."

It's the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah and we're on our way to do tashlich. That's when you go to a place with flowing water – a lake, a river, or creek – and you throw in pieces of bread that represent mistakes you've made in the last year. My friend Franny who lives in New York does it in the fountain at Lincoln Center, and my brother's friend Matt says he once did it in a toilet. My family has its own tradition.

"Is everything we need in your backpacks?" Mom asks. "Apple?"

"Check!"

"Honey?"

"Check."

"Bread?"

"Check."

"I've got the pocketknife," Mom says.

"Follow me!" I say, leading them into the woods behind our house. This time of year the trail is lined with trees changing color. I've planned four stops along the way: Turtle Rock, Billy Goat's Bridge, Gypsy Landing, and finally Old Log.

"Okay, everyone!" I announce. "While you're walking, think of one really good thing you want to remember from last year." We hike quietly while everyone thinks.

When we get to Turtle Rock, I find four stones that can "write," and give one to each person.

"Okay. What good thing did you remember?"

Link goes first. He writes B-U-S on Turtle Rock. "I learned how to ride the bus by myself," he says, "and it's really cool. I can go anywhere!"

Then Dad gets up. He scratches the letters K-O-R-O-S-T-Y-S-H-E-V on the rock. "This year, Grandpa and I went to Ukraine. We visited the little village where he grew up. It's a trip that I'll always remember."

Mom goes next. She uses her stone to draw a picture of a lady with long hair. "I made a new friend this year," she says. She means Paula, who is also a writer. "We help each other write, read each other's work, and talk about books. I am so grateful for Paula."

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Tashlich at Turtle Rock by Susan Schnur, Anna Schnur-Fishman, Alex Steele-Morgan. Copyright © 2010 Susan Schnur and Anna Schnur-Fishman. Excerpted by permission of Kar-Ben Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

"Tashlich, a Jewish custom performed during the high holidays, symbolizes the throwing away of last year's sins by discarding crumbs into a body of water. On the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, Annie, who's "in charge" this year, creates a special outing for her family where they will perform the ritual and a few added observances. Following her lead, they hike through the woods and stop at different locations along the trail to remember the good and bad of the past year, make a promise to keep in the new year and then eat apples dipped in honey to welcome the beginning of a sweet year to come. The long yet straightforward narrative depicts an environmentally conscious, traditional family eager to share the acknowledgement of their mistakes and good memories. Annie's likable bossiness helps the necessarily explicative text go down easy. Gouache on textured paper emulate pointillism, depicting fall foliage dominated by auburn, brown and green colors. An author's note encourages families to find unique ways to practice this low-impact yet spiritually rich custom." --Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

The Rosh Hashanah custom of tashlich involves the casting away of sins to start the New Year with a clean slate. Anna, Lincoln, and their parents have made an annual ceremony of tashlich by celebrating their accomplishments, committing to good works in the coming year, and discarding the transgressions that they have made against other people in the previous year. With an eye toward leaving a smaller ecological footprint, Anna's family does not write and burn their sins as many people do, but "deposit" them on natural items like acorn caps and stones, or bread crumbs that will be consumed by fish. The family's practice is lovely as is their exurban neighborhood, full of running streams and brightly colored leaves. It would be easy for readers to use this book as a blueprint for their own tashlich ceremony as the author even suggests urban alternatives to running streams (such as fountains and, oddly, toilets). If this book has a flaw, it is that the narrative starts without a real introduction of the theme. There is no set-up. The book starts in mid-conversation between Anna and Lincoln. The second page is the actual beginning of the book. Despite this minor problem, there will be a place for this book in libraries looking to expand their holiday collections and in religious school classrooms where the book can be incorporated into the practice of tashlich, itself. Reviewer: Lois Rubin Gross

Children's Literature - Lois Rubin Gross