Exciting News at SAJ Hebrew School

Written by Gary Drevitch, Kitah Gimmel parent and Lifnei LOMED committee member and Joel Topcik, Lifnei LOMED committee chair

We have exciting news about a new Hebrew School project that we hope will become a model of what our school and our children can achieve.

Since early 2010, a group of parents has been working with Gidon as a Hebrew School Steering Committee, to clarify our school's vision and to find ways to experiment and innovate in order to empower our kids and engage you, their families.

The first fruit of these discussions is the Havdalah Project, a test program that reflects core values our committee identified as central to the school's mission, such as family participation, experiential learning, and the joys of Jewish life.

Over the course of the next month, Kitah Gimmel students (most of whom are in grades 4 and 5) and their families will engage in guided activities--at home as well as in school--around the celebration of Havdalah (the ceremony that marks the end of Shabbat.) This will culminate in a family event for this class at the SAJ on the evening of Saturday, May 14 . (Details about the project and the celebration on May 14 will follow shortly.)

We hope that all Kitah Gimmel families will mark their calendars and plan to join us for this event on May 14 and that the rest of you will follow this project as it unfolds. We think it's a model of communitywide learning that can energize kids and parents alike, and we'll look forward to your feedback in May.

We're proud that the Havdalah program is being created with the professional and financial support of Lifnei LOMED, which works with congregations to create contemporary models of Jewish learning that include families, real-life experiences, and community.