The Charlotte Jewish News - January 2008 - Page 18
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Havurat Olam Creates New School
Congregation Havurat Olam,
serving University City,
Harrisburg, and Cabarrus County,
is an independent congregation
with an exciting goal: make all
things Jewish altogether accessi
ble and a whole lot of fun — with
out ever compromising on depth
or meaning.
Dr. Barbara Thicde, rabbinic
student with ALEPH, the Alliance
for Jewish Renewal, leads two
Friday night services each month.
What makes those services differ
ent from all other religious servic
es?
Second Friday Family
Night service is replete
with creative learning
opportunities. Example?
Children and congregants
alike are given their roles
in the Noah story: From
lions to tiger to bears to
members of Noah’s fami
ly. And then the story
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unfolds. Noah appears. There’s
time for a short skit and a lot of
questions: How do you feel about
leaving your friends
behind? How do you react
to the idea that you have to
abandon the herd? Do you
have any idea what is about
to happen? Do you think
Noah ought to talk this one
over with God, instead of
just following orders?
Debates and skits, ques
tion and answer sessions with our
forefathers and mothers offer live
ly interchahges with our children
for a purpose: learning creatively
about our heritage and our tradi
tions. Creative approaches and a
musically vibrant environment
characterize Fourth Friday servic
es too, where learning Torah is fol
lowed by in-depth discussion and
debate.
And then there is The New
School for All Things Jewish.
Recently, Congregation Havurat
Olam reopened its religious
school basing its pedagogy on
some of the latest educational
models proven in Europe. Those
models include movement inte
grated in the classroom experi
ence, individualized learning
opportunities, and teacher-student
ratios of, at most, five to one. The
New School for All Things Jewish
has a motto: We Encourage
Underage Thinking. Teachers take
that motto very seriously indeed.
Children move from center to
another during Sunday School,
spending forty-five minutes in
each. There’s Writ,
where the kids learn
Hebrew, prayers, and
songs, a second center
for Torah and Mitzvot,
dedicated to the active
study of scriptures, leg
ends and ethics, and a
last session in Getting
Crafty for fun with
Jewish cooking and proj
ects. Our school days
begin and end with
school-wide prayer for
study and songs in
Hebrew, Ladino, or even
Yiddish.
Every fourth Sunday is a field
day for the whole school. The chil
dren take the morning for a major
craft project, take trips into nature
or museums, or go out for a day of
tikkun olam. All children earn
kitah credits for anything from
learning prayers to completing
library book reports (prizes
awarded for credits earned!). Once
the children know their Aleph Bet,
they move at their own pace
Students at The New School for All Things Jewish
bless the challah.
through an exciting series of texts
and accompanying CDs that help
them master the components of
the Sabbath service.
Interested in a congregation full
of actively engaged adults and
kids? For more information,
please call 704-720-7577, email
us at info@havuratolam.org, or
visit our website at www.havura-
tolam.org.
Partners in Torah
(Continued from page 17)
complete spectrum of Jewish affil
iation and educational back
grounds.
With your personal Torah train
er, your mind will enjoy an incred
ible workout. In just one hour a
week you may learn to read
Hebrew, analyze Biblical texts, or
take a dip in the vast and brilliant
ocean of the Talmud. Explore
Judaism from the comfort of your
own home at a time of day that’s
convenient for you. No topic is off
limits, no question too outrageous.
This program is free of charge
(even the phone call is sponsored
by the IDT phone company).
Call Meechal Roizman at 704-
367-1225 to sign up or for more
information. ^
We're passionate
about teaching your child
values in a non-judgmental
environment; about nurturing
individuality, while building
community; about educating
to your child's potential rather
than to an end-of-year test.
Feel the warmth,and hear
how CJDS can benefit your
child and your family.
CJDS
Charlotte Jewish
Day School
Junior Kindergarten-Eighth Grade
704-366-4558 www.cjdschool.org
It's OK to look; come see for yourself.
The Community School with
a Universal Vision