B’nai Mitzvah, What's Up?!, and Teens
Kolot Chayeinu’s programs for our children and their families are a crucial part of our community. As a Jewish community, we believe strongly in teaching and passing on our tradition to the next generation. Children learn about Judaism, Jewish culture, and what it means to be Jewish from family, school, and community, and we are dedicated to supporting learning from all three.
The B’nai Mitzvah Program at Kolot Chayeinu is a three-year commitment:
Years 1 & 2: B’nai Mitzvah (6th and 7th Grade)
Participation in B'nai Mitzvah Class for Years 1 and 2 includes:
Weekly class on Thursday afternoons
Monthly Family Class with Clergy
Attendance at 12 Shabbat services throughout the year
Weekly private B'nai Mitzvah tutoring for one year leading up to B'nai Mitzvah
B'nai Mitzvah students study Jewish history and culture, ritual and religion, values, and ethics through arts, text-study, media, and projects in this partially elective-based core curriculum. Each class also features a community-building component and ongoing Hebrew language learning through prayer and Torah study in preparation for the B'nai Mitzvah ritual.
Examples of Core Curriculum Courses Include:
Gender & Judaism
God Talk
This Land is Our Land: History of Israel/Palestine
Haftorah Unpacked: Adventures of Prophet and Kings
Making Your Own Talit
The Folk in Folkdance
Additionally, students and parents gather together monthly with a member of the clergy for Family Class in order to study Torah and Talmudic text together, explore the Jewish calendar and holidays, and delve deeper into what becoming a Bat/Bar Mitzvah means for students and families.
Individualized one-on-one preparation for B'nai Mitzvah ritual begins around one year prior to ritual.
Year 3: What's Up?! (8th Grade)
Participation in What's Up?! includes:
Class roughly every other Monday (pizza dinner included), plus several additional rehearsals in the spring
Attendance at 3 of 4 scheduled Action Days
What’s Up?! (8th grade and above) is an arts-based social-justice course that explores issues of power/privilege, justice/injustice, and oppression/resistance. Students synthesize their learning by writing and performing an original piece to raise awareness and funds for not-for-profit organizations of their choosing, based on the issues that they explore.
Learning includes:
Jewish text study
Multimedia learning activities (primarily creative writing, theater, photography, film)
Opportunities to hear from guest artists and activists
Social action days throughout the year
Performance development for the congregation and friends, which includes writing, rehearsing, set building, ticket selling, and choosing organizations to benefit from the ticket sales
Consensus-based decision processes
Teens
Teen programming is led by Elissa Vinnik, our Director of Justice and Equity. Interested in meeting other teens, and discussing or organizing around social justice issues? Contact Director of Justice and Equity Elissa Vinnik