When I was in Religious School it was always a treat for me. I know that is not the usual response to Religious School but it is true. I really liked my teachers, my classes, the cantors and the rabbis. I knew that the temple was a special place although I could not readily identify why that was.
As I grew and became a teacher and a rabbi, I understood those feelings. There is something special and also important about community and being part of something where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. That is what I experienced and that is what I try to inspire in the children at Beth Miriam.
Our school is, of course, one of our crown jewels. But before the children even get to school they can experience Beth Miriam through our worship services, our Tot Shabbat, our family experiences, and so forth. Beth Miriam need not be a place where a child is shy on the first day of school since they have been part of the community as an infant.
The SALTY and SATLTeens Youth Groups are both incredible and, if you or your teen has not experienced them, you really ought to. There are unbelievable opportunties for deepening friendships and making those formative teenage years infused with something Jewish, something special and something unique.
Why is this blog sounding like an ad? I guess it's because I want to impart that I have been very fortunate: I have the chance to help make a child's Jewish experience the same positive and fulfilling experience I had as a kid. For that, it's worth writing about...even if it does sound like an ad!
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