REGISTER FOR JAMI 5785
Registration is live! Enroll May 6 - June 30.
JAMI 5785 | 2024-25 is coming
Why JAMI?
We know when families come to Shir Tikvah, they are looking for something different - something they cannot find everywhere else. That is why we created JAMI, our Jewish Academy for Moral Imagination. JAMI strives to address the interests and meet the needs of our families. So, why JAMI?
JAMI students learn Jewish traditions and Torah stories - not for the sake of, but to build relationship with our people’s past in order to ground in and make sense of today’s world. JAMI students explore Jewish holidays and lifecycle events - not just because, but so they can actively participate in these important moments with their families and friends. Our students discover how to be mensches, how to read Hebrew, and how to pray. Instead of being taught to passively accept whatever they are presented, our students are encouraged to ask questions of, comment on, and critique our ancient texts. They learn how to advocate for what matters to them. They become change-makers and learned Jews. JAMI students imagine the world of their dreams and get equipped to make those dreams our reality.
JAMI students come to believe that being Jewish is not only who we are, but what we do.
And JAMI students engage in Jewish community with their parents, guardians, and other loved ones. Whole families make up the JAMI community by showing up - schmoozing, singing, and studying together. They enjoy wrestling with fun and meaningful debates and rituals - both at Shir Tikvah and at home. They exchange big smiles, phone numbers, and budding perspectives with fellow families. They lend helping hands and listening ears. They share meals, rides, and advice. They celebrate and support fellow classmates.
JAMI families comfort, protect, and take care of one another.
Our Jewish Academy for Moral Imagination is a community of learners, curious and passionate, with insights and questions about Jewish beliefs and practices. Join us. Welcome to JAMI.
To read more about JAMI, visit the JAMI Homepage.
How to register
Scroll and follow these steps to enroll today.
1) Read about JAMI 5785: EIDOt (cohorts)
Our JAMI classes are grouped into one- or two-grade eidot (cohorts). Read about each eidah below, including what and how they learn, their schedule, and more.
Pre-Kindergarten
4th Grade & 5th Grade
8th Grade & 9th Grade
Kindergarten & 1st Grade
6th Grade
10th Grade
2nd Grade & 3rd Grade
7th Grade
11th Grade & 12th Grade
2) Read about JAMI 5785: Tuition
JAMI costs are calculated based on our families’ experiences in our program. This includes factors like the number of hours each eidah meets, learning and relationship-building with our staff and faculty, materials that support student and parent/guardian education, infrastructure necessary to host classes, and more.
Jewish education is central to Shir Tikvah's mission. Because this is core to who we are, Shir Tikvah supports 45% of our families' education costs in our operating budget. Another 15% of our families' education costs are covered by our annual awards from grants like those of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation. Families are asked to pay for just 40% of their education costs, in the form of tuition.
Shir Tikvah does not allow finances to stand between a student and their Jewish community. We will never deny a child a Jewish education because of financial constraints. If tuition cost is a barrier to participation, please indicate so in your registration form and apply for a scholarship.
3) reach out
Direct your questions to the appropriate member of our team. Forrest, Raena, and Jess look forward to connecting with you.
A Note on membership
Shir Tikvah membership is required to enroll in JAMI. Families new to Shir Tikvah may register for JAMI in tandem with pursuing Shir Tikvah membership. Direct your questions about joining or your membership status to Nikolina. She looks forward to connecting with you.
Student Inclusion & Wellness
Raena Davison
Associate Director of Youth and Family Education
Opening Day: First Morning with Pre-Kindergarten through 7th Grade
Sunday, September 29, 2024
4) Register
To register for JAMI 5785 | 2024-25, complete one ShulCloud Form and one Google Form per child. Progress cannot be saved on either platform, so each form must be filled out in one attempt. After submitting each form successfully, you will receive a confirmation email from ShulCloud and from Google respectively. Once you complete your ShulCloud Form, return to the Google Form to complete Step 2.
5) Make a payment plan
Shir Tikvah does not allow finances to stand between a student and their Jewish community. We will never deny a child a Jewish education because of financial constraints. If tuition cost is a barrier to participation, please indicate so in your registration form and apply for a scholarship.
6) Celebrate
Celebrate a finished to-do, save the dates for our opening sessions, and await more information about the fall. You will hear from us soon with calendars and to introduce you to our faculty.
Opening Night: First Evening with 4th grade - 10th grade
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
First Gathering with 11th grade - 12th grade
Tuesday, September 3, 2024
5783 evaluation report
Special thanks to our families who submitted a JAMI Evaluation. Click below to read the Report. Our 5784 Evaluation Report will be shared in June.
OUR ACADEMY, OR “JAMI”
The Jewish Academy for Moral Imagination is Shir Tikvah's learning community for young people of all ages, and their parents/guardians. The "JAMI" was established in response to an inspired revisioning of education at Shir Tikvah. It is a moving-on from "Religious School" and a look towards what a 21st Century Shir Tikvah family wants of and needs from their synagogue. Our Academy is a laboratory that explores questions like, How do I become more resilient? What does it take to have a brave heart? Where do I express my love in the world? Am I an agent of moral change?
It is a house of study and action built on the values of:
Hope. Like our ancestors, we believe in the potential of the future no matter how daunting.
Courage. Motivated by the lessons of our ancient texts, we face today's injustices head-on.
Love. Our prayers help us to understand our relationship with each and every part of G~d's creation.
And we explore our tradition through the lenses of:
Tending the life of the soul. Our sages taught how to be our best and care for our needs.
Nurturing the communities we are part of with belonging and wholeness. Our mitzvot inform how we should behave as neighbors and fellow human beings.
Growing skills to repair the world. Jews of old and Jews today are leading the way and it is our duty to learn from them as we too take the lead.
Our Jewish Academy for Moral Imagination is ever-evolving in partnership with students, families, teaching faculty, and staff. We invite and look forward to your help in co-creating our community this year and in the future. It promises to be a meaningful, joyous experience unlike anything we have yet encountered together.
Follow our journey
What is Jewish Moral Imagination?
Jewish Moral Imagination is the use of our tradition's teachings to inspire our creation of a better world. It is the process of identifying who we want to be and striving to become that person. It is exploring what impact we want to make and learning how to make it. It is the ability to live in our world as it is today and still dream about the world as it should be - and then fashioning it into our reality. Developing a Jewish Moral Imagination requires an authentic understanding of Jewish life and a clear purpose of what good to do with that understanding.
How do we cultivate Jewish Moral Imagination?
By fostering hope. By summoning courage. By expressing love. By tending the life of our soul. By nurturing the communities of which we are part with belonging and wholeness. By growing skills to repair our world.
Who are Jewish moral actors?
Jewish moral actors are the young leaders of our community. They eagerly approach their study with an eye toward doing great things with what they learn. Jewish moral actors are Jews of every ability, age, background, and perspective who take pride in and are deeply curious about their histories and identities. They model what it means to live as a Jew in the world today by acting righteously on their values. Jewish moral actors are the students in our Jewish Academy for Moral Imagination.
