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Shabbat Mornings
Wednesday Afternoons
B’nai Mitzvah & Beyond
(6-8 Grade)
Family/Holiday Programming
Summer Programs
Register
Shabbat Mornings
Wednesday Afternoons
B’nai Mitzvah & Beyond
(6-8 Grade)
Family/Holiday Programming
Summer Programs
Educational Philosophy
Shabbat Mornings
(for PreK-5th grade) 10am-12:30pm
Wednesday Afternoons
(for 1st-5th grade) 4:30-6pm
On Wednesdays, students in grades 1-5 participate in Kesher clubs. Throughout the year, students rotate through various mixed-age classes that allow them to explore fun and different ways to build Jewish identity and connect with Jewish traditions, holidays, and texts. The goal is to expose students to many different access points, and help them find their own pathway to Jewish engagement that they can return to during high school, college, and throughout their lives. Please note: not all clubs are offered every year, but there are always at least 4 options for students to rotate through.
B’nai Mitzvah and Beyond

Saturday and Wednesday Classes
On Wednesdays students work with our adult Tikkun Olam committee to learn about the various ways in which we can work together to help improve the world around us. Students will participate in a variety of Mitzvah Projects throughout the year, and start to think about how they can engage with the JCA community as Jewish adults.
On Saturdays students will attend services with the community to become familiar with the prayers and flow of the service, and students spend time together with their teacher in class exploring the meaning of the prayers and thinking about how to find their own connections to Judaism and prayer. The class will have a series of guest teachers from the community who specialize in teaching art, poetry, prayer leadership, and more.

B'nai Mitzvah Tutoring
Beginning in 5th grade, students will work 1-1 with our Hebrew decoding tutors to learn the letters and vowels, and how to put them together. This tutoring is appropriate for students who have not been attending day school, or otherwise learned to read/decode Hebrew at home. Hebrew tutoring is included in the cost of Kesher tuition.
Beginning one year from the B’nai Mitzvah date, students begin working with their B’nai Mitzvah tutor who will work with the student to learn to chant their Torah portion, lead the Torah service, and will generally guide the student through all they need to know for the day of their B’nai Mitzvah. B’nai Mitzvah tutoring is an additional charge paid directly to the tutor. Financial assistance available.

7th/8th Grade Leadership Program
This program will consist of opportunities to learn important leadership skills including service leadership, and teaching skills for assisting in the classroom, all with an emphasis and looking at these topics through the lens of Jewish values. We will also offer students the opportunity to become RedCross certified in a variety of areas including CPR, First Aid, and babysitting. This program will meet most, but not all Saturdays, and requires that students commit to one Wednesday a month to participate in our intergenerational Jr. Tikkun Olam Committee program.
Family/Holiday Programming
The family and community are at the core of our Kesher approach to learning and Jewish engagement. Developing a Jewish identity cannot take place exclusively in a classroom setting, it must include experiencing Judaism and Jewish practice in community. Therefore, while there may be no Kesher classroom sessions on or near certain holidays, we consider the community/family holiday programming and celebrations to be part of the learning program. We strongly encourage families to join us in this important form of learning and connecting.
