Moriah students display history

The Moriah’s School sixth grade hosted its annual Heritage Fair for nearly 300 attendees last week.

The school’s first fair was in 1997. Since then, it has become an essential component of the sixth grade curriculum.

“Over the years, the sixth-graders and their families have continued to recognize the importance and uniqueness of this event,” Rachel Schwartz, the head of Moriah’s middle school English department, said. “The Heritage Fair connects all of us with our historic past. I am extremely grateful to each family that has generously allowed The Moriah School to display a small piece of their family’s history. As a community, we are able to share our heritage for one special evening.”

The Heritage Fair program starts in January with a sixth grade class trip to the Museum of Jewish Heritage. There, students learn about heirlooms and artifacts from earlier generations, finding inspiration that might lead them to discover a piece of their own family history. Students next are encouraged to talk to their parents and grandparents about special family heirlooms and their significance. Students bring the heirlooms and stories to the classroom to be shared with classmates and ultimately put on display at the Heritage Fair for the community to see. Each heirloom was accompanied by a detailed story written by the students and distributed as a catalog to all fairgoers.

The Moriah School is part of the Living Museum, a project designed by the Museum of Jewish Heritage and based on Moriah’s Heritage Fair. The Living Museum is designed to highlight Jewish heritage across the country. The Moriah School is dedicated to instilling in its students the importance of preserving family history and Jewish legacy.