Families

"To educate a child without educating and involving the parents and the entire family can be compared to heating a house while leaving the window open." – Mordecai Kaplan

We believe that Judaism is an ongoing search for meaning and that this search starts in childhood. We believe that the family and the synagogue can work together to nourish developing Jewish identities, and that the best way to convey the joy and beauty of being Jewish is to provide new and creative ways for children to explore Judaism at each stage of their development.

The following programs reflect these beliefs, and aim to create experiences that will enrich both the "at-home" and "in-synagogue" Jewish experiences of children and families. Please check this page often, as we update it regularly!

For more information, please contact Director of the Religious School and Interim Director of Education (Youth & Family), Ivy Schreiber.

Hebrew School registration 2008-2009

Hebrew School registration for the 2008-2009 has begun.

For information and to register online, click here.

Services for Families & Children

Junior Congregation

Calling all families with children in second grade and above! BJ's Junior Congregation services are held on the first and third Saturdays of every month beginning September 6, 2008. If your child would like to help lead the service or learn to lead any of the prayers, please e-mail Rebecca Rosenthal or call x243.

Prayer Sign-Up

To sign up to lead a prayer in Junior Congregation, select the date you wish to sign up for below:
• More dates coming soon.

Torah Reading Sign-Up

Sign up to be a Torah reader

Frequently Asked Question about Junior Congregation

We've heard that many of your would like to know more about the Junior Congregation service to help you feel more prepared and comfortable before you come. We have put together a Frequently Asked Questions about Junior Congregation to help make sure you have all the information you need.
Please click here to see our list.

Weekly

Join us every Saturday morning at 10:45AM in the Chapel at 86th Street* for a special service led by our educational, cantorial, and rabbinic staff. This service creates the kavannah (intention) for Shabbat in a warm, interactive setting that includes singing, dancing, storytelling within the framework of the Shabbat morning service. Parents are welcome and encouraged to participate, and are required to accompany children under the age of seven.

* Please note that Children's Shabbat Services are held in Frankel Hall from the last Shabbat in June until the first Shabbat after Labor Day.

During the school year, the children form three separate minyanim by age following the Torah reading:

Minyan Alef (for children ages 3 and under)

Held in the Parlor Room at 86th Street, children explore the meaning of Shabbat through song, movement, and storytelling.

Minyan Bet (for children in pre-k, kindergarten and first grade)

Held in the Chapel at 86th Street, children deepen their understanding of Shabbat and the Jewish year through storytelling, games, discussion, and Shabbat -appropriate art projects.

Minyan Gimmel (for children in second grade and above)

On the first and third Saturday of each month, children and their families are encouraged to attend Junior Congregation. On remaining Saturday mornings, we will be holding a new class that focuses on prayer - both learning to lead the prayers and the content of those prayers. We will be focusing on one prayer each week. The class will take place from 10:30-11:00AM, after which time, children are invited to join the community in the main service.

Following services, the groups come together for a light kiddush in the Parlor Room at 86th Street. Families are encouraged to socialize after kiddush or to join the main service in the Sanctuary for the end of Musaf.

Monthly

Family Kabbalat Shabbat Service

Held on the first Friday of each month from September through June at 6:00 PM in the Sanctuary at 88th Street, this service is especially for families. It is interactive and includes singing and storytelling appropriate for children under 13. It is led by all of our rabbis, who rotate coverage each month.

Junior Congregation

This student-led service was created especially for families with children in second - seventh grades. It is held on the first and third Saturday of every month at 10:30AM in the 86th Street Social Hall. A light kiddush will follow the service.

Holy Days and Festivals

Children's Services begin at 10:45AM on all days when adult services are held, including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, the first and last days of Sukkot, the first and last days of Pesah, and Shavuot. Children's services are held in Frankel Hall on Holy Days and Festivals, except on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and when Holy Days fall on Shabbat.

For more information, e-mail Rebecca Rosenthal, Youth & Family Education Shabbat and Holidays Coordinator, or call x243.

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BJ Homeless Shelter

Every month, students from a different grade and their families are invited to prepare a simple meal for the guests of BJ's homeless shelter. We gather in Frankel Hall, downstairs at BJ's synagogue on 88th St. at 5:00PM to cook, set and decorate the table, and engage in age-appropriate study and discussion about the Jewish value of feeding the hungry. We wrap up by 6:30PM. Each month, a parent volunteer coordinates the menu and the volunteer families. A contact for each month will be listed in the Kol Jeshurun.

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