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Keeping The Covenant

Tribune photo by CANDACE C. MUNDY

CITRUS PARK -- Emilie Kuperman tries on a giraffe mask, one of the animal costumes for children that will be inside the Noah's Ark Display at the Jewish Community Center.

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By B.C. MANION

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 30, 2008

CITRUS PARK - Children will be able to visit Mr. Abraham's Neighborhood, dig for desert treasures, set a Seder table and wear animal costumes on Noah's Ark - at an interactive exhibit aimed at exposing youngsters to Jewish culture.

The two-week experience, called The Jewish Discovery Center, begins Sunday and runs through Aug. 15 at the Jewish Community Center, 13009 Community Campus Drive.

The idea is for kids to have fun while being immersed in activities that help them learn about their heritage, said Emilie Kuperman, the community center's director of development.

In Mr. Abraham's Neighborhood, youngsters will focus on traditions in Israel and at home. That's where they'll get to set a Seder table and play a game that asks them to sort the Jewish holidays by seasons of the year.

At the exhibit's Garden of Eden, they'll be able to plant a seed to take home with them and to make paper flowers to become part of the exhibit.

In some activities, the children will be able to take home what they've done. In others they'll be able to leave their mark on the exhibit, said Alissa Fischel, the community center's director of youth and family programming.

"They're not just visiting. They're becoming part of it," she said.

Besides the interactive displays, the experience offers numerous 30-minute programs to get kids and adults involved.

Kids will be able to learn nursery rhymes with Jewish and Hebrew themes, celebrate Shabbat through art, get moving to Jewish music and do yoga with a Jewish twist.

The experience is aimed at children ages 2 through 10. Youngsters must be accompanied by an adult, Kuperman said.

The idea is for children and their parents, grandparents or other adult friends to explore the discovery center together, the organizers said.

"This is a place for children, but it's critical that parents are here participating with their children, as well. Different ages explore activities in different ways," Kuperman said.

"Our 2-year-olds and our 3-year-olds may be more interested in taking direction from mom and dad. Our 8-to 10-year-olds are probably going to interact more independently, or interact with each other a little bit more," Kuperman said.

"Along the way, we hope that mom and dad are learning a bit, too, and they're having a nice experience as well," Kuperman said.

While designed for ages 2 through 10, organizers realize that some parents have younger children, so there's a play area to accommodate them.

One highlight of the event will be performances by Joel Stein, an award-winning singer and songwriter who will be leading musical programs and sing-alongs throughout the exhibit's run.

Beyond activities, the exhibit also will have signs with pictures on them, labeled in English and Hebrew. And there will be informational signs posted throughout, passing along fun facts about Israel and Jewish traditions.

After the event ends, organizers plan to pack away the elements of the exhibit and to take them back out for future use.

Eventually, they see the interactive exhibit as part of a much larger, permanent Jewish Discovery Center, which also would include a multimedia center for youths, a parent resource center and arts and cultural center.

The multimedia center for youths would focus on Web content production, YouTube production and video production. Youths would be able to do everything from video capture to editing and posting their work. The center also wants to launch a national teen news service, Kuperman said.

The parent resource center would provide resources to help parents at all stages - from a couple expecting their first child to those with children heading off to college and beyond.

The arts center would include exhibit space, studios and space for theatrical performances and movies, she added.

"The way we envision the permanent facility is that it would be large, flexible and able to serve a broad swath of programs," Kuperman said.

She and Fischel expect the center to be a multimillion dollar facility, and they are confident they can attract support to cover the costs from national foundations.

"This is such a groundbreaking, revolutionary idea. It's such a new way to serve families," Kuperman said.

And it could all begin with the temporary exhibit which opens Sunday.

"This is really a taste of what the Jewish Discovery Center can be for our local community, and it's a way to show our potential funders and foundations how great this can be," Kuperman said.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Jewish Discovery Center

WHERE: 13009 Community Campus Drive

WHEN: Sunday through Aug. 15

HOURS: Sunday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 to 8 p.m.; Monday and Saturday, closed

ADMISSION: Two-week family pass: $10 if purchased by Saturday; otherwise, $10 for Jewish Community Center members and $14 for the general public at the door. One day admission: $4 for adults; $6 for children (children must be accompanied by an adult.)

CONTACT: For information or a specific schedule of events, e-mail discovery@jewishtampa .com, call (813) 264-9000 or go to www.jewishtampa.com

Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or bmanion@tampatrib.com.

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