NEW AITZ HAYIM
EDUCATION INITIATIVE BEGINS THIS FALL
Rabbi Benay Lappe, along with Greta Rothschild and the education committee, have created a program which addresses the unique needs of Jews today, and is based on what has succeeded-and avoids what has failed-in Jewish education in the past. Though the program is geared to children from birth to eighteen, it will benefit and create opportunities for everyone in our community.
The Torah gives us a clear message that gaining a Jewish perspective is important. After reciting the his final teachings to Israel, Moses said, "Take to heart all the words with which I have taught you today. Teach them to your children, that they may observe faithfully all the terms of the Teaching. For this is not a trifling thing for you: it is your very life; through it you shall long endure on the land that you are to possess upon crossing the Jordan."
But Moses was reassuring too. He told frightened and uncertain parents who felt overwhelmed by this responsibility to educate their children to understand, "Surely this Instruction which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach. It is not in the heavens, that you should say, 'Who among us can go up to the heavens and get it for us and impart it to us that we may observe it?' Who among us can cross to the other side of the sea and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?' No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it."
The task follows one path-that an essential Jewish education conveys the knowledge, facilitates the experiences, and instills the perspectives that guide us in living better lives. Jewish living takes place not primarily in the synagogue, and not primarily on Jewish holidays, but at every moment in every place. Our approach to Jewish education mirrors this. A Jewish education happens not only in the classroom, but at the dinner table, around the campfire, while traveling to Israel or Washington, even while reading the newspaper. A successful Jewish education will instill the unique Jewish perspectives and sensibilities that allow us to live Jewish lives every day of our lives, not just for "Jewish things." And our approach
appreciates and respects the varied Jewish lives and desires of every member of even the small Aitz Hayim community. It is designed to work for every family
and every child.
Our three element program begins with the notebook which captures what we believe the essence of Jewish living to entail. It is primarily a compilation of experiences that form the basis of being Jewish. Some are primarily the accumulation of knowledge; some are unforgettable moments; some places to see and others are things to do. It will become immediately obvious that there are a myriad of different ways to access these experiences. It is also obvious that, as many of them are repeated at different times in life, they will take on a different meaning.
The second element of the program involves coaches who become guides to figuring out how to acquire these different experiences. Some will come almost automatically in your family. Some will be easily doable with some help in obtaining resources. Others will need outside teachers and facilitators. Some may be appropriate at one age and others at another. Some may work best during an intense period and others are lifelong. For example, learning to speak Hebrew is most effectively done through intense immersion. Three weeks at Ulpan Akiva in Netanya produces better results that months and months in classes.
The third element is an outline of our plans of what we will offer within the Aitz Hayim community to meet many of these needs. Some of the programs are beginning immediately and others will get going shortly.
THE NOTEBOOK
The first element of the program is our ever-evolving loose-leaf notebook that will serve as a planner for conceptualizing Jewish living. Each of its thirteen sections outlines experiences and areas of basic knowledge that allow us to use our Judaism. It is not an ordered curriculum nor is it an exhaustive list of what defines being Jewish. Rather, it is a collection of Jewish possibilities. Some may already be part of your lives. Some may become new experiences you may want to adopt, some you may try once and others may never fit for you. Some are skills and concepts to master and some are those one-time experiences that have lifelong impact. But we believe that an awareness of the range of Jewish living opportunities is of benefit for all of us, and that is what the notebook will present.
The 13 sections of the notebook are:
1. Creating a Jewish home
The books and magazines, ritual items, art, music and activities that set the tone for Jewish living.
2. The Bible
The stories and concepts that frame the themes of the Jewish story.
3. Places
The places, like Israel, that define Jewish civilization and what's Jewish about any place you visit.
4. Literacy
Hebrew reading, Hebrew word concepts, and Yiddish idioms and concepts.
5. Prayer
The basic prayers and melodies, a familiarity with the variety of services, and an appreciation of prayer.
6. Jewish time
The rhythm of the day, the week, the months and the seasons, Shabbat,
holidays and special moments that last a lifetime.
7. Life cycle events
Jewishly marking our growth and life transformations.
8. Jewish culture
The stories, movies, theater, TV shows, art, music, food and museums that capture and develop the spirit and conflicts of Jewish living.
9. Community
The institutions and programs that organize the political, economic, chari table and social aspects of our Jewish lives.
10. History
The complex story of a people centered in a land and spread throughout the world.
11. Jewish personalities
The characters, past and present, who make up the Jewish story.
12. Jewish thinking and values
The talmudic way of thinking, the theological questions and philosophies that form the basis of Jewish intellectual life and how they inform our behavior.
13. Jewish sensibility
The uniquely Jewish attitude and orientation to looking at and acting in the world-developing a "Yiddishe kop"
Just looking through this notebook will be a valuable experience in and of itself. On the one hand, you will realize how Jewish you already are. On the other hand, you'll see how much richer your life can be. with relatively little effort. You'll see that within the thirteen different areas there are opportunities for every age and for every lifestyle and interest.
JEWISH LIVING COACHES
The second element of the program is the Jewish Living Coach. Every family who wants to can meet with one of our specially trained coaches to talk over their Jewish lives and goals. Using the notebooks as their guide, your coach will meet with you in your home to help you figure out where you are Jewishly and where you want to go. This will give you an opportunity to clarify for yourself what your Jewishness means to you and what you want for your children, all in a non-threatening, non-demanding way. Then, with the help of your coach, you can choose which Jewish elements and educational opportunities you would like to incorporate or experience in your lives. The coaches will help you decide what things you can do in your own home, like reading Jewish bedtime stories or discussing Jewish current events at the dinner table, and will also tell you about the courses and experiences offered by Aitz Hayim and the greater Jewish community. If you'd like, your coach can help you make connections with other Aitz Hayim families with whom you can share Shabbat dinners or other holiday celebrations.
THE AITZ HAYIM COURSE OFFERINGS
The third element of the program is the schedule of regular study groups, classes, mini-courses and one-time experiences offered by Aitz Hayim.
Peer Study Groups
1. Pre-School Shabbat-a newly designed twice-a-month program, where children ages 0-5 will learn the melodies, stories and experiences of Jewish living.
2. Kindergarten to Grade 2-a once-a-week, after-school get-together for singing and discussion of Hebrew word concepts, Jewish values, holidays and Israel.
3. Grades 3-4-a weekly evening pizza dinner, discussion group, sing-along and opportunity to learn Jewish prayer. Jewish stories and the Jewish process of wrestling with moral questions will be introduced informally along the way.
4. Grades 5-6-this weekly group will emphasize bonding among a Jewish community of peers, and introduce more sophisticated Jewish learning and, of course, pizza.
5. Grades 7-8-the successful "Benay Talmud Group".for junior high students that combines appreciation for Jewish thinking with consideration of age appropriate issues.
6. High School-more Benay, with an emphasis on Jewish approaches to challenging teen problems.
Classes
Twice-a-week, small-group Hebrew language tutorials for 3rd & 4th graders and 5th & 6th graders, focusing on prayerbook and modern Hebrew reading, writing and vocabulary development.
Mini Courses
We will offer a series of two, three, and four-session courses which will cover a broad range of Jewish life skills and experiences, such as Jewish music, ethics, Jewish cooking, death and dying, visiting the sick, Jewish cinema, making Shabbat in your home, etc. Some will be
specifically geared for a certain age group. Others will be designed for families to learn
together.
B'Nai Mitzvah Planning
In the two years leading up to your child's bar or bat mitzvah, Aitz Hayim will offer a program of several sessions per year to help families and their children prepare. The first year's sessions will address how to plan a meaningful bar/bat mitzvah, and will be geared toward parents. The second year of the program will address the question of what it means to become a bar or bat mitzvah, and will be geared toward the b'nai mitzvah themselves. Skills such as trope, making sense of a Torah portion, and how to write a d'var torah will be
covered as well. Individual bar/bat mitzvah tutors will also be available.
One-Time Experiences
Each year, Aitz Hayim will offer a series of facilitated learning such asoutings to museums, plays, films, etc., taking advantage of the resources of Jewish Chicago.
We hope our new vision of what a Jewish education looks like will resonate for you and that you might use the notebook, on your own or with a coach, and find a handful of ways to enhance your and your children's Jewish lives this year.
More details of the new educational program will be available when we distribute the loose-leaf notebooks on Rosh Hashana. In the meantime, please feel free to call
the Aitz Hayim office 847-266-1919 if you have any questions. In addition, we will be offering a series of family Shabbat dinners throughout the year, and will be upgrading our children's programming for all of the holidays. More specific details of the overall educational plan will be available when we distribute the loose-leaf notebooks on Rosh Hashana.