JAMI
Jewish Academy for Moral Imagination
5787 | 2026–27
JAMI is Shir Tikvah’s learning community for students in pre-kindergarten through 11th grade and their families. Through Torah, Hebrew, prayer, music, relationships, and Jewish practice, students grow in knowledge, a sense of belonging, moral imagination, and responsibility in repairing the world together.
Cost should never be a barrier to JAMI. Financial assistance is available to help make JAMI accessible to every family. If a scholarship would be helpful for your family, complete our short request form and a member of our team will follow up with you.
Tuition & Financial Support
Shir Tikvah is committed to making Jewish education accessible to every family. Payment plans and financial assistance are available, and we encourage families to reach out if the published tuition would be a barrier to participation.
A few things to know:
Tuition is for the full 5787 | 2026–27 JAMI year.
JAMI tuition is billed through your Shir Tikvah account.
Shir Tikvah membership is required for JAMI enrollment.
JAMI tuition is separate from B’Mitzvah tutoring and program fees.
Questions about registration, tuition, or scheduling? Contact Maryn Hakes.
Questions about billing, payment plans, or financial assistance? Contact Jessica Markuson, Executive Director.
Help JAMI Flourish
JAMI is sustained by the time, creativity, and care of our community. Opportunities may include serving at the bagel table, preparing classrooms, substitute teaching, tutoring Hebrew, and supporting special programs.
Teens may apply to serve as paid madrichim, helping teachers and younger students on Sunday mornings.
Unsure where to begin? Be in touch with Maryn to find the right volunteer opportunity for you or your family!
Support JAMI with a gift through PayPal,
or give through your ShulCloud account.
Absent, sick, arriving late, or leaving early?
Call or text the Youth & Family Education line at 612-234-2765.
When JAMI Meets
Sunday mornings
Each Sunday begins together in the Sanctuary with JAMI T’filah: Havdalah, marking a shared transition into the week of learning. Students then head to their cohort classrooms.
Kindergarten-7th grade
Sundays, 9:30–11:30 a.m.
Pre-Kindergarten | Mishpachot
Selected Sundays, 9:30–11:30 a.m. See the Mishpachot 5787 calendar for meeting dates.
Wednesday afternoons and evenings
Grades 4-7
Students enroll in either Session Alef or Session Bet. Both sections participate in JAMI T’filah: Ma’ariv, our shared evening prayer gathering between the two learning sessions.
Session Alef learning: 4:30–6:00 p.m.
JAMI T’filah: Ma’ariv: 6:00–6:30 p.m.
Session Bet learning: 6:30–8:00 p.m.
8th grade | Olim
Wednesdays, 4:30–6:30 p.m.
9th-11th Grade | Tzadikot and Confirmation
Wednesdays, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
JAMI 5787 | Eidot (Class Cohorts)
Our JAMI classes are grouped into grade-based eidot. Find out more information about each eidah by clicking on its name!
Also, each eidah has its own Google Calendar with JAMI dates, breaks, Shabbatot, special programs, and other gatherings specific to that eidah. Select the calendar (or calendars) you would like to follow below. There are more detailed instructions below. If you run into any issues when trying to subscribe, email Maryn, and they will help troubleshoot the issues.
Pre-Kindergarten
Mishpachot (משפחות), or “Families”
Subscribe to the Mishpachot
Calendar (iCal version) here.
Mishpachot meets downstairs at Shir Tikvah.
Kindergarten & 1st Grade
Mentshn (מענטשן), or “The Mensches”
Subscribe to the Mentshn
Calendar (iCal version) here.
Mentshn meets upstairs at Shir Tikvah.
2nd Grade & 3rd Grade
Misaprim (מספרים), or “Storytellers”
Subscribe to the Misaprim
Calendar (iCal version) here.
Misaprim meets upstairs at Shir Tikvah.
4th Grade & 5th Grade
Chofrot (חופרות), or “Excavators”
Subscribe to the Chofrot
Calendar (iCal version) here.
Chofrot meets upstairs at Shir Tikvah.
6th Grade
Sho’elim (שואלים), or “Questioners”
Subscribe to the Sho’elim
Calendar (iCal version) here.
Sho’elim meets upstairs at Shir Tikvah.
7th Grade
Morot (מורות), or “Teachers” and “Rebels”
Subscribe to the Morot
Calendar (iCal version) here.
Morot meets downstairs at Shir Tikvah.
8th Grade
Olim (עולים), or “Risers”
Subscribe to the Olim
Calendar (iCal version) here.
Olim meets downstairs at Shir Tikvah.
9th-11th Grade
Tzadikot (צדיקות), or “Righteous Ones”
Subscribe to the Tzadikot
Calendar (iCal version) here.
Tzadikot meets downstairs at Shir Tikvah.
Sixth-grade students and parent(s)/guardian(s) also participate in seven Saturday-morning gatherings focused on learning, Shabbat prayer, lunch, and community building. On those weekends, the class does not meet on Sunday.
Seventh-grade students and their parent(s)/caregiver(s) are encouraged to attend their classmates' B’Mitzvah celebrations.
On those weekends, the class does not meet on Sunday.
See the B’Mitzvah page for details.
Subscribe to an Eidah Calendar
Each JAMI eidah has its own public calendar with JAMI dates, breaks, Shabbatot, special programs, and other gatherings. These calendars work with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, and most other calendar apps. A Google account is not required.
Choose the eidah calendar you would like to follow, then use the instructions for your calendar app below. Be sure to subscribe rather than download or import the calendar so that future updates appear automatically.
Google Calendar
Subscriptions must be added from a computer, not through the Google Calendar mobile app.
Right-click the eidah calendar link and select Copy link address.
Open Google Calendar on a computer.
Next to Other calendars, click + and select From URL.
Paste the calendar link and click Add calendar.
The eidah calendar will then appear in Google Calendar on other devices signed into the same Google account.
Apple Calendar on an iPhone or iPad
Press and hold the eidah calendar link and select Copy.
Open the Apple Calendar app and tap Calendars.
Tap Add Calendar, then Add Subscription Calendar.
Paste the calendar link and tap Find or Subscribe.
Choose iCloud as the account, then tap Done or Add.
Outlook
Copy the eidah calendar link.
Open Outlook Calendar and select Add calendar.
Select Subscribe from web.
Paste the calendar link and select Import or Save.
Other calendar apps
Look for an option such as Add calendar by URL, Subscribe to calendar, or Subscribe from web, then paste the eidah calendar link.
Music and T’filah
Music and prayer are woven through classroom learning, JAMI T’filot, and the B’Mitzvah journey. JAMI prayer and music leaders shape the year’s musical and liturgical arc, while cohort teachers help students practice, understand, and deepen what they are learning within their own groups.
Through regular, repeated participation, students deepen their familiarity with Jewish prayer, develop a shared repertoire, and grow in confidence as participants and leaders. Along the way, they learn that communal singing needs their voice too.
Why JAMI?
JAMI asks not only what Jewish tradition teaches, but what we do with what we learn. Students encounter Torah, Hebrew, prayer, holidays, history, and contemporary Jewish life while learning to ask honest questions, care for their communities, and imagine how the world might become more whole.
Families are part of the learning community too. Through shared prayer, celebrations, conversation, and practice, children and adults grow in Jewish knowledge, relationships, responsibility, and belonging.
Our holy task is to cultivate Jewish moral imagination and raise Jewish moral actors.
Who to Contact
Rabbi Joey Glick — Associate Rabbi of Lifelong Learning
Curriculum, Hebrew readiness, learning needs, B’Mitzvah education, and the overall educational direction of JAMI.
Emma Nicosia — JAMI Principal
Day-to-day classroom life, access, accommodations, classroom support, and student participation.
Maryn Hakes — Youth and Family Education Assistant
Registration, schedules, tuition information, communications, and JAMI logistics.
Or Levinson— Rabbinic Intern of Lifelong Learning
Curriculum development and support for JAMI teachers.
Jessica Markuson — Executive Director
Account charges, payment arrangements, and financial support.
Our values
Our values guide us toward our vision and steer our curriculum.
Tikvah| תקוה
Hope
Like our ancestors, we believe in the potential of the future, no matter how daunting.
ahavah | אהבה
Love
Our prayers help us to understand our relationship with each and every part of G-d's creation.
Ometz Lev | אומץ לב
Courage
Motivated by the lessons of our ancient texts, we face today's fears and injustices head-on.
What is Jewish Moral Imagination?
Jewish Moral Imagination is the practice of drawing on the teachings of our tradition to help create a better world. It asks us to consider who we want to become, what kind of impact we hope to make, and how we might live those commitments more fully. It means learning to see the world as it is while still imagining the world as it could be, and then taking part in bringing that vision closer to reality. Developing a Jewish Moral Imagination requires both a deepening understanding of Jewish life and a growing sense of what that understanding asks of us.
