ACADEMICS
Jewish Education
Z'MAN KODESH
Z’man Kodesh (sacred time) minyanim meet two mornings a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, with additional gatherings to celebrate Rosh Chodesh (new months) and holidays. All 9th graders choose from our siddur-based minyanim: Mechitza, Partnership, Trad/Egal, Reform/Liberal, and Questions and Study. These minyanim also have a strong core of 10th-12th grade students, who model leadership and authentic congregational engagement.
Z'Man Kodesh Options
Mechitza
Partnership
A student-led prayer group with traditional davening and divrei Torah, as well as some singing. Men and women sit on opposite sides of the mechitzah and we use an Orthodox siddur. Aiming to maximize women’s participation in the service, both men and women read from the Torah and are called up to the Torah for aliyot, men lead parts of the service, and women lead other parts of the service.
Questions and Study
Dive into the words and themes of the siddur (prayerbook) and Torah, and explore the ideas that underlie Jewish prayer in this minyan. Combining Jewish ritual with discussion and explanation, this minyan is for those looking to dig into Jewish communal experiences in an egalitarian, question-centric space.
Reform/Liberal
Connect to the timeless words and themes of the siddur (prayerbook) and Torah in this fluid, musical minyan. Using Mishkan Tefilah, the Reform movement’s siddur, services will include Hebrew and English prayer and contemporary melodies common to camp and liberal synagogues. Student leadership, as well as learning new prayer skills and trying out new practices, is strongly encouraged.
Traditional Egalitarian
Connect to the timeless words and themes of the siddur (prayerbook) and Torah in this fluid, musical minyan. Using Mishkan Tefilah, the Reform movement’s siddur, services will include Hebrew and English prayer and contemporary melodies common to camp and liberal synagogues. Student leadership, as well as learning new prayer skills and trying out new practices, is strongly encouraged.
Alternative Minyan Options
Students in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades choose from a variety of minyanim including siddur-based minyanim. A sample of additional options include:
Jewish Values Parsha Study
Jews are called “people of the book” because of the centrality of Torah to our tradition. Listening to and reflecting on the stories of the Torah is a fundamental component of most Jewish prayer services. In this Zman Kodesh, we will build community by diving into the stories of our Torah, keeping true to the ancient precept that a Jew should never go three days without Torah study. This minyan is for those who prefer to relate to Jewish prayer through immersion in primal Jewish Torah stories rather than through participation in a siddur-based prayer service. Come join us as we experiment with what happens when we seek meaning for today in the ancient stories of our tradition!
Moving Traditions Women’s
In the Moving Traditions: Women’s Minyan, students will explore their Jewish and gender identities, challenge harmful norms and stereotypes, and build Jewish community. Our spiritual practices and activities are infused with Jewish values and wisdom made relevant today. We will use tefillah, texts, and rituals as tools to discuss the issues that impact our daily lives. This minyan is rooted in the Moving Traditions curriculum, focusing on building personal wellbeing (shleimut), caring relationships (hesed), and a Jewish and feminist vision of equity and justice (tzedek). Open to those who identify as women and/or have a connection to being a woman (including trans and genderfluid/queer folks).
Seeking
In this minyan, we explore the question, “What does it mean to live a good Jewish life?” We use a variety of sources to prompt reflection, questioning and a chance to think aloud. Sources include: Jewish prayers or texts, TED talks, articles from newspapers or literary journals and personal stories. Participation is required and students choose to be as vulnerable as feels safe and appropriate for them. This is a multi-age, open and safe space to reflect on gratitude, lovingkindness, and the obstacles that keep us from being our best selves.
Art as Prayer
In this minyan, we will follow a structured routine of Jewish spiritual practice through the lens of creativity. Rituals will include gratitude sharing, creative exploration, and much more. All are welcome – you don’t have to be an artist to join, but you do have to be ready to engage with Jewish spirituality through creative expression and shared reflection. We will use creative modalities such as writing, painting, drawing, and music, along with group sharing and reflection, to explore themes of Jewish prayer including awe, praise, request, and gratitude, as well as the spiritual wonderings of our everyday lives.
Moving Traditions Men’s
In Shevet: Moving Traditions Men’s Minyan, students will have the opportunity to engage with the mystical “maps” that teach us how to live and grow, amidst a supportive group of like-minded men. Using unique approaches to tefillah, Jewish texts, meditation, and other rituals, participants will create a sacred and open-hearted space to consider understand their responsibilities and possibilities as humans, as Jews and as men, supporting each other in becoming more authentic, more human and more alive. “Shevet” means tribe, and this minyan will be a strong community of spiritual practice and support. This minyan draws from the Moving Traditions curriculum, which focuses on building personal wellbeing, caring relationships, and a Jewish vision of doing what is right. Open to those who identify as men and/or have a connection to being a man (including trans and genderfluid/queer folks).
Mussar
Do you want to be a better person? Do your actions sometimes go against what you believe is the right thing to do? Do you believe you can change even if just slightly? Same! Come do Mussar. Mussar is an ancient form of Jewish wisdom which focuses on the development of middot, character traits (such as patience, humility, trust, kindness, etc.) to attain personal and communal betterment. It is highly accessible to anyone willing to be reflective and open minded. In this minyan we will learn about the middot through Jewish (and other) sources, reflect through journaling (and other means), share our relationship and experiences with the different middot, and support one another to come to a deeper understanding of who we are as individuals and as a community.
Yoga and Meditation
Come build the spiritual practices of Yoga and Meditation that will help you live a more engaged and mindful life. We will engage in Jewishly inspired yoga and meditation to help us learn to be present in the moment, to understand our thoughts and emotions more clearly, and to feel connected to the mystery of life both inside and beyond us.
