the shabbat chai program temple beth el of south orange county

TEMP L E BET H

EL

The Shabbat Chai ProgramTemple Beth El of South Orange County

Alan Fenning

Rabbi Peter Levi

Rabbi Rachel Kort

A Little Shabbat Chai Magic: Simchat Torah

Temple Beth El of South Orange County

TBE is in the OC


Two minute TBE history

Founded in early 1980s with nomadic existence

Purchased land and built modular facility in early 1990sUshered in period of rapid growth (from 125-150 M.U.s to 500+)

Purchased larger site and renovated existing building 2000Continued growth to around 650 M.U.s in 2005; then leveled off

Recognized for excellent education programNATE accreditation; family track; madrikhim


Eruvin 53b-54a

Beruriah came across a student who was reciting traditions in a whisper. She kicked him and said to him, "Is it not written (2 Samuel 23:5): an everlasting covenant, recounted in all things, and preserved? If it is recounted in all your 248 limbs it is preserved in memory, and if not – it is not preserved.”

Sunday Religious School to Shabbat Chai


Why would anyone think of moving

?

Will Your Grandchildren Be Jewish?

Based on the current intermarriage rates and the average number of children per family, the chances of young, contemporary Jews

having Jewish grandchildren and great-grandchildren, with the exception of the

Orthodox, are increasingly remote.

Responses to the statement:

“I have a strong sense of belonging to the Jewish people.”

72% for those 65+62% for those 55-6458% for those 45-54 52% for those 35-4447% for adults under 35 (Cohen and Wertheimer, 2006)

In just ten years, between 1990 and 2000, the number of Jews who reported that most of their

close friends were Jewish fell from 43% to 33%!


Kids today live in a different world today such that we

cannot rely on generations old models of building Jewish

identity.“I grew up in Skokie...we didn’t do Shabbat.”

--Mother at Temple Beth El, 2011


Studies have shown that the tradition model of Jewish supplementary education is not enough to create an enduring Jewish identity for adults.

JEW American


“Only one form of Jewish education actually generates more intermarriage: Sunday school (or, in general, one-day-a-week supplementary school, generally associated with Reform congregations). All other things being equal, those who report going to a Jewish school only once a week (e.g., “Sunday School”) for 1-6 years experienced an increased likelihood of marrying non-Jews by 8 percentage points, as contrasted with those who never went to a Jewish school.”

“A Tale of Two Jewries: The ‘Inconvenient’ Truth for American Jews” Steven M. Cohen, 2006

Jewish educational activities that have been shown to have the greatest positive impact on Jewish identity are

Day Schools

Jewish Summer Camp

Organized Trips to Israel.

What are the qualities of day school, camp and Israel that make these experiences so impactful? The kids get to LIVE in Jewish time.


Instead of learning about Judaism on Sundays, learn by doing.

Transform classroom learning into hands-on authentic Jewish experiences.


This is the experience we seek to offer through Shabbat Chai.

Instead of focusing on teaching facts and skills, we focus on creating authentic Jewish experience for our children; we want to give our kids an opportunity to live Jewish.

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

—Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900–1944)


Shabbat Chai isn’t just about a group of Jews

coming together on Fridays and Saturdays instead of

Sundays.



Sundays.

Shabbat Chai is about living Shabbat: community,

joy, Torah, prayer, dancing, singing, a break from work

and school.

We are working to infuse these diverse qualities of

Shabbat into the program.



Sundays.

Shabbat Chai is about living Shabbat: community,

joy, Torah, prayer, dancing, singing, a break from work

and school.


The Process: Precursors

Rabbinic Transition [2006-2008] – commitment to a more Shabbat-oriented community

Institutional Culture – Strong education program; Innovations/ Purposeful experimentation

Economic /Financial Issues – loss of church tenant; onset of recession


The Process: Board Process

Discussions of “big picture”; synagogue transformation

Steps to address deficit

Decision to examine feasibility of Shabbat learning July 2009 Triggering event: financial factors

Feasibility report September 2009

Decision to proceed with Shabbat learning for Fall ’10 Nov 2009 Top down process Potential loss of members/students


Congregational Involvement in Planning

Announcement of working concept

Emphasis on values/Jewish identity formation

Brief mention of economics

Open sessions to discuss plans and get membership input on working concept

Professional staff changes: -- Director of Education phased retirement -- Assistant Rabbi


Letter to Congregation December 2009

Open Sessions (x4) Dec, 2009; Jan, 2010Led by Temple President with Senior Rabbi and Director of Education

Level of deficit not sustainable

Steps to reduce deficit and achieve balanced budget in 2 years1. Shift to Shabbat learning so facility can be rented Sunday mornings and afternoons2. Re-align professional staff roles with impending retirement of educator3. As economy recovers, encourage return to prior dues/giving levels4. Also, planned giving and capital campaign to address longer-term finances

Financial situation (Temple

President)


Emphasis on relationships

Increasingly organize communal life around Shabbat

Identity formation and experiential learning goals

Synagogue Transformation (Senior Rabbi)


Shift from Sunday mornings to Saturday mornings at same hours

Outline of activities/schedule with and without bar/bat mitzvah Classroom learning; tefillah and shira/song sessions Adult learning Older grades attend some/all of bnai mitzvah service

Mid-week alternative for those with serious Saturday morning conflicts

Shabbat Learning Working Concept (Director of Education)


Conflict with sports; dance; other activities

Member Reactions/Discussions

Mid-week alternative would separate classmatesAltering essentially private service aspect of b’nai mitzvahPossible fundraising in lieu of shifting to Shabbat learningPotential to have religious school of Friday afternoons; mix of Fridays/SaturdaysOverall, some adamantly opposed, some strongly in favor, most had mixed feelings


Evolution of the Working Concept – for last open sessiona. Two Saturday mornings and one Friday evening per month (average) Similar to current family education scheduleb. Monday alternative before/after Hebrew school

Follow-up letter to open session attendees – early Februarya. Exploratory meeting on setting up fundraising task forceb. Invitation to join implementation task force--Make recommendations to Board--Scheduling scenarios for Shabbat learning and weekday alternative--How to integrate Shabbat morning learning with b’nai mitzvah service

Response to Congregational Discussions


2 Fridays, 1 Saturday or Sunday Mitzvah Day each month

All Holy Days

Mid-week “hebrew”school add 1/2 hour

No mid-week religious education alternative

Implementation Task Force Results

The Shabbat Chai Program



Shared Language: Transformational institutional change through education

Shared Values: Learning Jewish by Living JewishLiving in Jewish Time

Shared Shared Vision: Building vs. Fixing


Religious Education on Shabbat isn’t just Sunday School on Friday

Implementation


Typical Day


How do you teach belonging? Create opportunities for community building

Parent Task Force: Families feeling welcomed by families, not just professional staff

Team Building as part of the curriculum

Reinvigorating Junior Youth Group

On going opportunities for families to connect

Celebrating Shabbat as One Temple Community


Aligning our curriculum to embrace the Learning by Doing philosophy

Our goal is simple: learn through authentic experience

Experiential Education

Project Based Learning: Preparing a project while at the same time engaging in Jewish learning in an informal setting

Prophetic Text Messages:What message would you send to change

the world?Live your life because you don’t get another one.

Stop wasting earth’s resources!Don’t abuse yourself or others!

Just dance!

Stop fighting!

Mitzvah Mall


Faculty buy-in

Learning together

Working together

Highlighting success


2011-12 Shabbat Chai Calendar

Shabbat Feb. 3 Fri 4-7pm

PreK-2nd Grade Family Shabbat Feb. 4 Sat 9am-12pmAll Shabbat Chai Program Feb. 11 Sat 9am-12pm3rd -8th Grade Retreat Mar. 2-4 Fri-Sun All DayShabbat (PreK-2nd Grades and families unable to participate in the retreat)

Mar. 2 Fri 4-7pm

Erev Purim Mar. 7 Wed 5pmShabbat Mar. 16 Fri 4-7pmShabbat (5th Friday) Mar. 30 Fri 4-7pmMitzvah Day Apr. 15 Sun 9am-12pmShabbat Apr. 20 Fri 4-7pmShabbat May 4 Fri 4-7pm

6th & 7th Grade Family Shabbat May 5 Sat 9am-12pmShabbat May 18 Fri 4-7pmShabbat Jun. 1 Fri 4-7pm

Shabbat Sept. 16 Fri 4-7pmPreK-2nd Grade Family Shabbat Sept. 24 Sat 9am-12pmErev Rosh Hashana (Multi-Generational Service)

Sept. 28 Wed 5:00pm

Rosh Hashana Sept. 29 Thurs 10am-12:30pmKol Nidre (Multi-Generational Service)

Oct. 7 Fri 5:00pm

Yom Kippur Oct. 8 Sat 10am-12:30pmErev Sukkot Oct. 12 Wed 5:30pmSimchat Torah Oct. 20 Thurs 6:30pmMitzvah Day Oct. 30 Sun 9am-12pmShabbat Nov. 4 Fri 4-7pm3rd-5th Grade Family Shabbat Nov. 5 Sat 4-7pmShabbat Nov. 18 Fri 4-7pmShabbat Dec. 2 Fri 4-7pmShabbat Dec. 16 Fri 4-7pm

Temple Hanukkah Celebration Dec. 23 Fri 5pmShabbat Jan. 6 Fri 4-7pmShabbat Jan. 20 Fri 4-7pm3rd-5th Grade Family Shabbat Jan. 21 Sat 9am-12pmMitzvah Day Jan. 29 Sun 9am-12pm

His students asked Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, "A red cow – in what priestly garments is this rite performed?"He said to them, "In golden garments of the high priest."They said to him, "You have taught us, 'In white garments'."He said to them, "You have you spoken well. A deed which I did with my own hands and saw with my own eyes – and nonetheless I forgot the rule/ All the more am I likely to forget it when only my ears hear the rule."It is not that he did not know, rather he wanted to prod the students. . . . For Rabbi Yehoshua says, "He who only reviews by heart but does not toil [does not act] is like a man who sows and does not harvest. One who learns Torah and forgets because one does not follow it is like a woman who gives birth and buries." --Tosefta Parah 4:7

TEMP L E BET H

EL

the shabbat chai program temple beth el of south orange county

Documents

jewish school

jewish grandchildren

jewish fell

jewish time

jewish people

form of jewish education

enduring jewish identity

qualities of day school