The Jewish Experience

Jewish education has undergone many changes and for a number of months we have been working on a new vision for Jewish education at Beth Emeth. We are very excited to share this vision with you. Imagine a one day a week "Jewish Experience" focusing on six core values like the six points of a Jewish star.

The core values are:

1. Bible stories & their ethical values
2. Holidays
3. Lifecycle and Personalized Bar/Bat Mitzvah
4. Tikkun Olam (making the world a better place)
5. Outstanding events in Jewish History
6. Hebrew: unlocking the mystery of the Hebrew alphabet

The Jewish Experience will extend to the whole family with a cycle of holiday workshops and special Shabbat celebrations. The Jewish Experience will meet on Tuesday afternoons from 4:15 - 6:15. In addition to the Tuesday Jewish Experience, during the year before the child's Bar/Bat Mitzvah date there will be small group learning concentrating on the Hebrew prayers and instruction for reading Torah required for Bar/Bat Mitzvah. These sessions will take place on Thursdays in ½ hour segments and each family will be notified of their schedule. Individual Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation will continue to be scheduled by the tutor and will be on Thursday evenings.

The 7th grade program, taught by Rabbi and Mrs. Skiddell, will continue to meet on Tuesday evenings from 6:15-8:15, including dinner. The discussions will center on Tikkun Olam, contemporary issues, building identity, Israel, Holocaust studies and comparative religions. Students will also be creating their own personal yad (torah pointer) for use during their Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

We hope you will be as excited about this program as we are and that you will tell all your friends and encourage them to be part of this cutting edge approach to Jewish education.

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