Youth and Family life at Shir tikvah
Growing up and getting older at Shir Tikvah - it’s a blessing!
being part of shir tikvah as a family
Welcome to the Youth and Family Education webpage! Whether you are a new visitor looking to learn about Shir Tikvah, an active parent keeping up with the latest information, or a student curious about the next event - you’re in the right place! Read on for information about upcoming Youth and Family gatherings and initiatives at Shir Tikvah. Further down, find information about specific programs and communities within the Youth and Family Education department. Note this page is best experienced on a bigger screen.
Exploring shir tikvah
Visit and join our beloved congregation - we want to be with you!
“Joining Shir Tikvah was a way to give my kids a voice.”
-Mother of a 6th grader and 3rd grader
Being part of Shir Tikvah is neither a simple programmatic choice to make nor just a logistical something for you to figure out. Being part of Shir Tikvah is a values-based decision for your family. It is an imagining of who you want to be - as kids, as parents, as people. It is an embrace of a joyous Jewish journey and a readiness to wrestle along the way.
Participating in Shir Tikvah life is saying, “Hey, this matters! Tradition matters. Innovation matters. Learning, prayer, and justice are important to us. We can make and be good friends. We can celebrate. We can mourn. We can have difficult conversations. We can open our hearts in this place, and pour them into the congregation and into the world. We can offer - and ask for - help. We can learn well. We can do good.” Joining Shir Tikvah is a commitment to yourselves and to community.
Families at Shir Tikvah experience the best of Shir Tikvah - they learn about, celebrate, practice, and embody a vibrant, informed Jewish life. All year, every year they explore the hope, courage, and love it takes to be in the world with our beloved and talented Youth and Family Education staff, and our committed and creative team of faculty. You are in good hands!
All families - not just members - are welcome to participate in Shir Tikvah events and gatherings that are open to the public. To learn more about becoming a member and officially joining, visit our Membership webpage. Note that membership is required to enroll in our education programs, to become B’Mitzvah, to participate in youth groups, and more.
Birth & adoption
Grow your family in community. You are not alone!
Are you expecting? In the process of adopting? Preparing to welcome a child into your life? We are thrilled to surround you with blessings, resources, and support at this important time in your life (and in Shir Tikvah’s life!).
Please be in touch to coordinate support; we want to welcome your newest with love and gifts, introduce them to their congregation and someday-classmates, and support you by setting up a meal train. We can also schedule a brit milah or naming ritual.
To be in touch with your news, email us here!
K’tanimot
Hebrew for “little ones”, K’tanimot is our cohort of families with newborns, babies, and tots.
We see your rambunctious, curious young ones, and we welcome them (and you!) with opportunities for singing, dancing, stories, schmoozing, coloring, big questions, and more! Join us for monthly Tot Shabbat gatherings (complete with kid-friendly oneg treats), holiday-based Stories of the Season programs, and other events throughout the year.
In addition, Shir Tikvah offers childcare on the first Friday of every month during shabbat evening t’filah. Sign-up is required in advance each time. Sign up for Shabbat Childcare here.
JAMI
The Jewish Academy for Moral Imagination is our education program for Pre-Kindergarteners through 12th graders, and their families.
In JAMI, our students come to believe that being Jewish is not only about who we are - but what we do.
Our JAMI students learn Jewish traditions and Torah stories, not for the sake of, but to build relationship with our people’s past and 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 wrestle with how to be mensches, how to read Hebrew, and how to pray. And 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 learned Jews and change-makers. JAMI students imagine the world of their dreams and get equipped to make those dreams our reality.
Our values of Hope, Courage, and Love are infused into every aspect of JAMI, from our culture to our curriculum. Our Jewish Academy for Moral Imagination is a community of learners, curious and passionate, with insights and questions about beliefs, humanity, life, and practices. Join us!
To learn more about JAMI at Shir Tikvah, visit our JAMI webpage.
Becoming B’mitzvah
The journey to Jewish adulthood is a highlight of the Shir Tikvah experience.
At Shir Tikvah, our students do not have a B'Mitzvah, but rather become B'Mitzvah. We help prepare students for - and celebrate them on - their B’Mitzvah day, and just as eagerly support who they become because of and after that day.
B’Mitzvah journeys at Shir Tikvah are transformational processes involving several years of study - individually and with classmates and community. Central to the experience of becoming B’Mitzvah with Shir Tikvah is a thoughtful and open exploration of prayer, a committed and spirited engagement with Torah, and a readiness to wrestle with both. Throughout the B’Mitzvah years, students grow closer to themselves and one another as they spend time getting to know and learning with their class of families. So too do they study and grow close with Shir Tikvah staff, teachers, tutors, and congregants.
No two B’Mitzvah journeys look alike, because no two B’Mitzvah students are the same; each individual student’s path toward B’Mitzvah adapts to and solidifies around their interests, needs, and perspectives.
Shir Tikvah B’Mitzvah students are learners and teachers who celebrate in and are celebrated by their community.
To learn more about becoming B’Mitzvah at Shir Tikvah, visit our B’Mitzvah webpage.
“When I first met you, I knew you would fill this new, scary experience with laughter and happiness.”
-A B’Mitzvah student to their tutor
Teen community
Youth Groups as well as unique classes, trips, and more await our teens.
Shir Tikvah’s teenagers are passionate, expressive young adults. They share thoughtful insights and ask provocative questions. They are proud Jews, focused justice-seekers, and emerging leaders. We response to them and their incredible interests by providing a diverse set of offerings exclusively for teenagers. There is something for every kind of young adult in our teen community! Join us for weekly and monthly chances to gather, goof off, and grow.
Teens: Jump into a current program or project that speaks to you, and be in touch with your additional ideas! Don’t miss out - be part of the ruach!
Junior Youth Group (6th - 8th graders) gathers quarterly on- and offsite.
Banned Books Club (8th and 9th graders) is an annual series.
S’ganimot (8th - 12th graders) are our teaching assistants who support JAMI classes.
STiFTY (9th - 12th graders) gathers monthly on- and offsite.
Rosh Chodesh Juniors’ and Seniors’ Minyan (11th and 12th graders) gathers monthly on- and offsite.
parent LIFE
Learning and time together are not just for our children. We love our parents/guardians!
Parents who are not Jewish are welcome and loved at Shir Tikvah; half of our JAMI students are raised by someone who is not Jewish. We respect our “Jewish+” families and are here to be supportive of the unique needs that Jewish and non-Jewish parents need to educate and provide for their families. One of our superpowers here is that no two Shir Tikvah families are the same.
To learn more about Adult Education at Shir Tikvah, visit our Adult Ed webpage and email Rabbi Joey Glick, Assistant Rabbi.
Shir Tikvah parents/guardians are not just bank accounts and chauffeurs - you are our partners! It is our honor to accompany you on this holy journey of raising children, as together we share the responsibility of growing active, learned, moral Jews.
Parents play a crucial role in modeling to our kids that Jewish life and learning are not reserved for childhood, but are indeed lifelong pursuits. Parents help with this by attending class experiences alongside their children during occasional family-wide programs. And they pursue educational and social opportunities for themselves, like hanging out in the Oneg Hall with peers during classes and participating in Beit Horim (“House of Parents”) discussions and study sessions.
At the same time, our parents are not just parents - you are adults with your own interests, you are congregants with your own needs. And so we encourage your engagement in Shir Tikvah life beyond parenthood, beyond Youth and Family Education opportunities. Build your own connections and community: Get together. Take a class. Come on shabbat. Run a program. Volunteer. Join a committee. Shir Tikvah is your community, too. You deserve belonging just like your children do.
