Family Programming 5774 – A complete guide

By Rabbi Jordan Helfman.

Click image above to download a complete Family Programming Guide

Dear Friends,

The dual goals of this Family Program Brochure and poster are to help us build a stronger community and to better lay out the Jewish Journey on which we hope all of our children will participate.

Holy Blossom Temple is a place where day-school families can live what their children are learning in school, through Holy Day celebrations and social justice opportunities. Parents of children in our supplemental school can enjoy the friendships their children make in meeting other Jews during youth group and youth activities.

The Campaign for Youth Engagement, just one element of Rabbi Thomashow’s amazing legacy here, has taught us that we need to modernize, diversify and engage children through differentiated learning styles and diverse learning opportunities.

We are listening, but need your help and your ideas to bring this to fruition. Please e-mail or call me (jhelfman@holyblossom.org, 416.789.3291 ext. 277) to share what programs you can help run for our teens and youth at Holy Blossom Temple, from singing to cooking, dance to video editing to band. Let’s share our skills, modeling how Judaism informs what hobbies and professional pursuits we are passionate about and work towards.

We want to integrate our youth and teens into Temple life. For students who are now b’nei mitzvah, we ask want to celebrate their many life achievements through Aliyot to the Torah and other honours. We invite them to chant Torah and Haftarah, to visit the sick in our community, and even to undergo training to lead services here at Holy Blossom Temple.

This pamphlet lays out our programs through three headings: Jewish Experiential Education, Worship and Communal Celebrations, and Building Community. Our family paths through these activities will all be different, but Judaism is lived in community. Through hosting Shabbat dinners and play-dates, we create the community we want to live in. Please contact me about hosting or attending a hosted Shabbat dinner or starting a chavurah (learning/play group).

I am very much looking forward to getting to know you better. Please do not hesitate to be in touch for any reason.

L’Shalom.