Hineini, "Here I am" is a phrase that appears multiple times in the Torah. What does it mean for each of us to respond "Here I am, a Jew in the 21st century?"
Grade 7: 21st Century Jewish Identity and Life
As many students in 7th grade prepare to become Bar/t Mitzvah, our curriculum focuses on what it means to each one of us to be Jewish. What are different ways that Jews pray? What are different ways that Jews express their identities? What are the personal family and broader historical influences that inform our identities and the choices we make? We also explore issues presented by the Holocaust from a Jewish perspective.
Fall: What is Prayer? Why Pray? Why do Jews Pray the Way We Do? and Leading a Shabbat Morning Service
Winter: What Does it Mean to be a Jew?
Spring: Holocaust-Remembrance, Rescue, Resistance, Resilience
Grade 8: Jewish Ethics, Values, Traditions and Me - How Judaism Guides My 21st Century Choices
Building on the skills of critical thinking and exploring text that our students have developed in preparing for Bar/t Mitzvah, we use Jewish texts and teachings as guideposts to compare and contrast what students are encountering in popular culture, current events and their lived experiences. Our goal is to develop critical thinking rooted in the wisdom of our tradition and inspiration and guidance on how to live ethically and responsibly. Additionally, we seed the ground for continuing engagement and involvement in the Etz Chayim community and the broader local, national and world Jewish community.
Hineini sessions take place on Wednesday, 6:15-8:30 pm.
Eating dinner together is part of the program. Parent involvement in dinners is minimal. Families rotate responsibility for ensuring that a vegetable side dish and dessert are provided each time. Parents are also responsible for making sure that the kitchen is cleaned up after the dinner they have "sponsored." This responsibility is shared among our 6th grade Gesher families and our 7th and 8th grade Hineini families. We bill parents separately from tuition for the amount of pizza needed to feed the number of students in the combined classes.
Tuition: $1100, families of enrolled students must be Etz Chayim members.
Madrichim: Students in the spring of 7th grade and all of 8th grade may also be interested in Madrichim, a teen leadership training program. Madrichim learn teaching skills and are given guidance in crafting and implementing creative ways of engaging younger students in Jewish learning and life. For more information, teens should contact
Abra Greenspan.
