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Education

Education

We're big believers in lifelong learning.

We welcome all parents raising Jewish children, regardless of family background and in all expressions of human diversity. Finances should not be a barrier to Jewish education  - please contact us to discuss options that respect both your family situation and our community resources.   

Nashira Education Project

Nashira means "let us sing". Our mission is to help children find their own Jewish voice through exposure to the joy and richness of our texts, culture and ritual.  

Our program includes:

  • 18 sessions per year starting in October.
  • Vibrant holiday celebrations with our synagogue community
  • Age appropriate lessons in Torah, ethics, Jewish culture and Hebrew
  • Opportunities for social action and tikkun olam
  • Connection to a warm and welcoming Jewish environment

 

Shabbat Storytime for Tots

Monthly storytime on Shabbat mornings for ages 0-4 (older siblings welcome).

2022-23 dates coming soon! 

 

Nashira Project Classes

Students learn about Jewish life and traditions, Jewish values, and Torah. As they get older, students explore what Jewish life means to them as individuals, as part of their family, and as part of a larger Jewish community.  

 

Pre-K through 3rd grades

Sunday mornings

In Jewish studies classes students learn about the rhythms of Jewish life through rituals, holidays, and Jewish values.

Hebrew Through Movement is incorporated into these Sunday morning classes--a fun and lively way to become familiar with Hebrew words and sounds before students are ready to learn decoding (reading and writing). 

 

4th & 5th grades

Sunday mornings

As students get older their Jewish Studies begin to focus on what Jewish texts and ethics have to tell us about tzedakah--social and environmental justice--and finding intersections between their personal Jewish identity and how Jewish values inform their participation in community life. 

Students at this age begin to learn Hebrew decoding with a tutor or teacher. 

6th grade

Shabbat morning Torah Study 

6th graders are introduced to Torah study in this fun and interactive class for the first half of the school year. In the spring they join the 7th and 8th graders for Junior Minyan (see below for more information), where students begin to transition out of the Nashira Project classroom and into the synagogue. 

Hebrew lessons are taught online. 

 

Nashira Classes (pre-k through 5th grade) will meet for 18 sessions for the 2022-23 school year.

 

Tuition is $410 for members and $650 for nonmembers.

 

For more information on the Nashira Project please contact our Education Director Rachael Walkinshaw.

Finances should not stand in the way of Jewish education. No one is turned away for a lack of ability to pay. If you'd like to have a conversation about a scholarship, please contact Executive Director Katie Schneider. 

 

Brit Mitzvah

The term brit mitzvah means “liable to the commandments”. According to Jewish tradition, children reach this status at the age of twelve and a half to thirteen. Generally, this is considered to be the age at which students develop the ability to take responsibility for their own ethical behavior.

Students work with the Rabbi and their Hebrew tutors to prepare for the day on which they are called to the Torah for the first time. The Shir Tikvah community welcomes these new members on behalf of Am Israel (The People of Israel).

Parent/s and children should make the decision together that marking your child’s commitment to becoming an adult member of the Jewish community in general, and the Shir Tikvah community in particular, is something the family finds meaningful.

Preparations at Shir Tikvah include:

  • family membership in good standing for 2 years prior to the event
  • weekly meetings with a tutor for a year or more prior to the event
  • 1-on-1 meetings with the Rabbi and staff
  • attendance at Junior Minyan and Shabbat services the year before the event
  • work on a Mitzvah Project during the year after their brit mitzvah

Junior Minyan

As the focus for your student shifts from the classroom to the synagogue, Shir Tikvah offers a specialized time for students to meet with their peers, their teacher and their community for Shabbat prayer and study.

On the second Saturday of most months Junior Minyan will meet at the synagogue. Students and their families will be expected to attend in the year before the student's brit mitzvah.  (Parents need to get oriented to Shabbat morning practice as well!) Students are also encouraged to attend services when their peers are being called to the Torah.

Rivkah Coburn will lead students during the first hour, weaving together prayer and Torah study. Students will join Rabbi and the rest of the community the second hour for the regular morning Shabbat Torah service.

ONLINE SIDDUR: 

Adult Education

Please see our calendar for Adult Education opportunitities. 

Tue, March 21 2023 28 Adar 5783