The 7th grade was honored to have Rabbi Chaim Schwartz, Executive Vice President of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens, come to Bnos Malka to give a bug checking workshop. Rabbi Schwartz brought light boxes, cloths, strainers, loops, and more. He explained, “As the world moves further and further away from using insecticides the prevalence of finding bugs in our produce increases.” He demonstrated for the girls step by step how to effectively check for bugs. Each girl then got to soap her kale and strawberries, strain the water using the cloth method, and then took turns looking for bugs through a loop on the light boxes
The visit by Rabbi Schwartz was a segment in a special Bas Mitzvah program at Bnos Malka. To prepare the girls for the important milestone, their 6th grade halacha curriculum centers around halachos and hashkafos specific to women. In 7th grade, The Tanach Project, has the girls research women in Tanach and using various sources they identify midos to emulate. The program culminates with self-design aprons and a chopped challenge with celebrity chef, Naomi Nachman.