This committee coordinates activities for children ages 3 - 12 including Shabbat services, playgroups and holiday celebrations. Our Shabbat morning groups are led by dedicated synagogue members under the direction of experienced educator Mr. Avinoam Durani. These programs serve to complement the Torah learning they gain from school and home, while providing a welcoming social environment in our shul. This committee also coordinates Melave Malka Parties, pre-holiday arts & crafts workshops, parents' night out, special Shabbatonim and outdoor events. A monthly program will be provided for this age group.
SHABBAT PROGRAMMING
Infant/Toddler Room
Parents may sit and play with their children in a room equipped for babies and toddlers. Rugs and storage bins have been provided by Chevrat Chesed. Parents are asked to help straighten up the room before kiddush. All children must be accompanied by an adult in this room. Nursing mothers may use the Bride's Room for privacy. For hygienic reasons, parents may NOT change soiled diapers in this room. Changing tables are provided in both restrooms on the second floor. Please discard soiled diapers in the restrooms.
Shabbat Morning Youth Tefillah 10:00 am-11:30 am
Children in these groups enjoy a wide variety of activities while learning through songs, stories, games and prepared lessons about the Parshiot and other topics. The children have their own Kiddush.
1) Ages 3 - 5 Classroom B
2) Grade 1 Classroom C
3) Grades 2 - 4 Multi-purpose room
4) Grades 5 - 6 Beit Midrash
**Parents Please Note: The Shabbat Morning Youth Programs are designed so that the children's shul experience is as spiritually meaningful as that of the adults. Therefore, we encourage all children either to participate in Youth Groups or to remain in shul with a parent during davening. Children are not permitted to stay in the lobby, social hall, driveway or outside during services. Girls and boys over the age of 11 are expected to remain in the main shul during services. Girls over the age of 9 are expected to sit in the women
SPECIAL YOUTH EVENTS *NEW*
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Chesed Project
This Chesed Project offers an exciting opportunity to empower girls and boys to perform acts of loving kindness in the community during the year in which they become Bat or Bar Mitzvah. Each interested child may select from a wide variety of chesed project
Birthday Kiddush
On each Shabbat M'Varchim, a special Kiddush is held in honor of the children who will celebrate birthdays during the coming month. Rabbi Gewirtz makes Kiddush at the children' Monthly events are planned for our synagogue youth during the fall and winter months.
Yom Tov Celebrations
Special holiday celebrations are planned for our children and their families, as well as for the entire synagogue membership. Young Israel hosts a Sukkah Decorating Party, Sukkah Hop, Chanukah and Chagigot for Chanukah and Purim, Matzah-Baking, and much more.
Yom Tov Babysitting
Babysitting for infants and toddlers, as well as children 3-10, is available on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur for a reasonable charge.
In addition to in-house youth programming, Young Israel works with local organizations to provide for additional educational, social and recreational opportunities for the children of our shul and community. For information about any of these activities, please contact the shul office.
Please be sure the office has your child's/children Hebrew and English birth dates. Please contact our Programming Director Gabe Kahn in the office
TEEN PROGRAMMING
National Conference of Synagogue Youth
Serving American Jewish teens for over forty years, the National Conference of Synagogue Youth is the youth division of the Orthodox Union (the "OU"). Junior NCSY provides programs and events for sixth through eighth graders, while ninth through twelfth graders participate in Senior NCSY. The New England Regional office is located in Boston and their schedule is replete with Shabbatonim, Social Action projects and special events for the entire region. Teens are welcome to visit the Boston Center for Jewish Youth located at 1931 Commonwealth Ave. in Brighton. Many members of the Brookline Chapter have served on the Regional Board of Directors. As a result, our teens enjoy a full calendar of exciting programs.
Contacts:
Rabbi Shmuel Miller, New England Regional Director, NCSY at 617-254-NCSY or Bracha Krochmal 617-254-NCSY
National Council of Young Israel
The National Council of Young Israel Youth Department serves the multiple needs of the youth of every synagogue branch of the Young Israel movement on various levels. Ongoing programs, Shabbatonim, special events, and trips are conducted by the Council. NCYI also distributes publications geared specifically for children and madrichim. One such publication, Torah Tidbits, is a newsletter for children filled with Torah Twisters, Gematriot and other fascinating pieces of Torah sent in by youth from Young Israel shuls nationwide. Children from our shul are encouraged to send correspondence to Torah Tidbits, which will be printed in the publication and distributed nationally. Torah Tidbits will be made available monthly to our younger members. The "Young Israel Youth Program Manual" is a wonderful guide used by our Shabbat leaders during Youth groups. Filled with Parsha questions, games, stories and holiday material, it is a valuable tool for our curriculum planning.
YOUTH SUMMER PROGRAMS
Passport to Israel Program
Passport to Israel is an innovative savings plan that unites families, congregations and the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston to help make a visit to Israel part of the Jewish education of as many teenagers as possible within our community. In this special partnership, children enroll in the third grade. For the next seven years, the child's family, the shul and CJP contribute to the Passport to Israel fund. The child's invested Passport account grows rapidly and between the sophomore year of high school and the start of college the fund helps pay a substantial portion of the cost for an educational trip to Israel. Yearly contributions per child for the regular seven-year savings plan are $175 from the family, $25 from Young Israel and $100 from CJP. There is also a "catch-up" option for students who enroll as late as the seventh grade. Based on current calculations, contributions plus interest total about $2,400 for seven-year participants and $2,100 for students who wait until seventh grade to enroll. Rabbi Gewirtz is available to suggest an Israel program that is appropriate for your child. Please contact Gabe Kahn, Director of Programming, in the shul office for enrollment information.
NCYI SUMMER PROGRAMS
ACHVA USA / EAST: Tour for students entering grades nine through twelve. Six weeks of travel through the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada.
ACHVA USA / WEST: Tour for students entering grades ten through twelve. Six weeks of travel through the western half of the U.S.
ACHVA ISRAEL: Tour of Israel for students entering grades eleven and twelve. Six weeks of touring Israel with an adventurous twist.
ACHVA FAMILY MISSION TO ISRAEL: Two weeks of touring and fun for the entire family in a Young Israel atmosphere.
Contact: NCYI National Office 800-727-8567 or www.youngisrael.org.
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