Building Jerusalem, One LEGO at a Time

Congregation Beth Israel re-created Jerusalem in celebration of life and faith

Congregation Beth Israel Hebrew school students and their families celebrated art, creativity, history, and their faith on February 21 by participating in the construction of a large model of the Old City of Jerusalem built entirely of LEGO blocks. The construction required approximately 60,000 LEGO pieces. Building the model was the centerpiece of this year’s “Eliana Andersen Arts and Creativity Festival,” commemorating the life of a fellow student who died in 2005.

Her mother, Kathy Andersen said, “Ellie loved school, religious festivals, her friends and family, trips, and all kinds of social gatherings. By combining all of her loves in a celebration of the arts, we reflect our tradition of enhancing community through creating beauty and art.” Jews refer to this as “hiddur mitzvah,” or enhancing a good deed through art and beauty.

The construction of the model was supervised by Stephen W. Schwartz, a certified architect and educator, who has conducted his Building Blocks Workshops, as they are known, across the country. His vision is to teach Jewish history through large group activities that are memorable by virtue of their bold visual impact, as well as the teamwork that they involve. A 400 square-foot drawing, noting every monument, gate, street, wall and alley was the basis of the family-friendly project. “The beauty of seeing kids and their parents working together is a really great sight,” said Schwartz.