Indiana—It has been said it takes an entire village to raise a child, but when children gathered in the Elkhart Adventist Church for Vacation Bible School, they discovered it takes 35 adults to make a Jewish village come alive!

Under the guidance of Sue Nelson and Nancy Hile, the children were dressed in period costumes and directed by their respective tribe leaders to one of several shops in the village. The children were taught how to pound metal into coins and how to make a pouch to carry the coins. There was also a metal-smith shop, and what would a village in old Jerusalem be without a carpenter shop? Spiritual lessons were learned as the children reflected on young Jesus working in His father's carpenter shop.

Everyone practiced weaving while they learned weaving was originally done to meet practical needs, but in time weavers produced wall-hangings made of linen and goat hair. The children also visited a music shop and learned what instruments may have looked like in Bible times. By far, the oldest known Jewish instrument is the shofar, or ram's horn, which was blown by ancient Hebrews in battle and during religious observances. It is still used in synagogues today, especially during Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur. There were also harps, lyres, flutes, drums, and metal rattles.

Instruction was given on games children played in Bible times. Attendees learned how to construct a pocket kite, which does not require a tail.

A favorite shop was the bakery. From earliest times, bread has been a basic food. The children learned that in old Jerusalem people usually made bread from wheat flour or barley meal. The poorer class usually used barley meal, mixed with pea and bean seeds to increase bread production.

Each evening the children were served a snack of one or more fruits and/or nuts mentioned in the Bible, still available today. A visit to the Elkhart Jewish village was truly enjoyed by not only the children, but by the adults as well.

Clareen Colclesser, Elkhart Church communication leader