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.
Shir Tikvah YOUTH AND FAMILY CALENDAR
Stay on top of all-things Youth and Family life at Shir Tikvah! Join us for regular and unique programming. For information about Shir Tikvah beyond youth and families, check out the congregation calendar.
saturday, March 1
9:30am - 12:30pm JAMI Shabbat Morning (6th grade families)
6th grade families gather as they continue taking steps toward the B’Mitzvah year.
saturday, March 15
9:30am - 10:30am Tot Shabbat
Our K’tanimot - families with newborns, babies, and tots - gather to sing and dance our way through shabbos morning. Oneg (shabbat treats) follow the service.
10:30am - 11:00am Stories of the Season: Purim!
Gather ‘round after Tot Shabbat - or come special just for this - as we read, sing, and snack our way toward Purim and get ready for the Carnival!
Sunday, March 16
10:30am - 11:30am Purim Carnival: Early Access for our Youngest
K'tanimot are invited to access the carnival early before the big kids arrive. Enjoy (somewhat) quieter carnival activities early and stay as late as you would like once the carnival officially begins. K'tanimot families are welcome to arrive at 10:30am. Purchase your ticket and lunch in advance here by 3/14. Tickets are required for children attending the carnival; parents do not need tickets unless they plan on participating in the activities. At the Carnival, payments over the phone and in cash are accepted.
11:30am - 1:30pm Purim Carnival: General Admission
Sunday JAMI students will attend class that morning (in costume!) and the carnival fun awaits them (and anyone else) upon dismissal. Purchase your ticket and lunch in advance here by 3/14. Tickets are required for children attending the carnival; parents do not need tickets unless they plan on participating in the activities. At the Carnival, payments over the phone and in cash are accepted.
WEDNESDAY, March 19
6:30pm - 8:00pm Beit Horim (Parents’ Session): Preparing for Seder
Are you looking for some inspiration for this year’s seder? Is it time to zhuzh some things up to meet the needs of your growing children? Do you do some beloved fun and meaningful things at your seder that others would appreciate hearing about? Do you just want to talk about Passover with your peers? JAMI parents are invited to join Forrest to learn some engagement strategies for young folks of all ages, and to idea-swap in time to liven up your Pesach celebrations. JAMI parents not usually in on Wednesdays are welcome; childcare is provided during our session. RSVP required by 3/16.
Friday, March 21
5:00pm - 8:00pm JAMI Shabbat Evening with 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and families
Our Misaprimot (2nd & 3rd grades) and Chofrimot (4th & 5th grades) students and families gather for learning, dinner, and t’filah. RSVP required by 3/14.
5:00pm on Friday, March 21 - 8:30am on Saturday, March 22 6th grade Overnight
Our 6th graders finally take a plunge into youth group life! More information and the link to RSVP is here; required by 3/16.
Saturday, March 22
9:30am - 10:30am JAMI Shabbat Morning Text Study with 7th grade
Our B’Mitzvah class gathers in advance of t’filah for treats and text.
10:30am - 12:00pm Juniper Sinakhone becomes B’Mitzvah!
We celebrate as Juniper leads t’filah and teaches and chants through Parshat Vayak’heil.
Wednesday, March 26 - Saturday, April 5
JAMI Closed | Spring Break
Youth and Family Education staff and faculty will be offline. B’Mitzvah Tutoring is remote-only on 3/26 and 4/2. Or will share the schedule in advance; families should be in touch with tutors and rabbis for their Zoom links. Classes resume 4/6 and 4/9.
Sunday, April 6
9:30am - 11:30am Yom Chesed
Join our Youth and Family Education Committee members in showing Shir Tikvah some love! Yom Chesed - Loving-Kindness Day - is a chance to clean, organize, and spruce up some Shir Tikvah spaces. Spend the morning on a few building and grounds projects to help our staff and to live out community care. RSVP here by 4/2.
Friday, April 4
5:45pm - 6:30pm Stories of the Season: Pesach!
Gather ‘round before shabbat as we read, sing, and snack our way toward Pesach and get ready for our s’darim (seders). Folks are welcome, of course, to stay for shabbat t’filah, which begins at 6:30pm. Childcare, by RSVP, is available during the service.
Sunday, April 13
JAMI Closed | Pesach Break I
Youth and Family Education staff and faculty will be offline.
Saturday, April 19
No Tot Shabbat | End of Pesach
Sunday, April 20
JAMI Closed | Pesach Break II
Youth and Family Education staff and faculty will be offline.
Wednesday, April 23
6:30pm - 8:00pm Yom HaShoah Program
More information coming soon.
Friday, April 25
5:00pm - 7:00pm Shabbat Movie Night
More information coming soon.
Saturday, April 26
9:30am - 12:30pm Shabbat HaMakor (5th grade families)
More information coming soon.
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.
To learn more about Youth and Family life at Shir Tikvah, email Forrest Yesnes, Director of Youth and Family Education. To learn more about Shir Tikvah membership, email Nikolina Erickson-Gunther, Membership and Clergy Manager.
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 Nikolina Erickson-Gunther, Membership and Clergy Manager.
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.
To learn more about our K’tanimot cohort at Shir Tikvah, email Forrest.
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 and email Forrest.
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 and email Forrest.
“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 on Sunday mornings.
Breakfast Club (9th - 12th graders)
STiFTY (9th - 12th graders) gathers monthly on- and offsite.
Rosh Chodesh Juniors’ and Seniors’ Minyan (11th and 12th graders) gathers monthly on- and offsite.
To learn more about community and opportunities for teens, email Forrest.
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 community and opportunities for parents at Shir Tikvah, email Forrest. 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.
Youth & family leadership
It takes a village; meet the team.
Forrest Yesnes (he/him/his) is our Director of Youth and Family Education. Forrest began working for Shir Tikvah in 2013 as a Hebrew School teacher and in other part-time youth-related roles, and was hired full-time as Director in 2015. Forrest has a Bachelor of Science in Youth Studies and a Masters Degree in Jewish Education.
Forrest leads the department, supporting our students and families; heading JAMI; supervising the faculty; running the B’Mitzvah program, and liaising with our teen community.
Forrest enjoys camping, roadtrips, climbing, running, oat milk, and all-things Passover.
Raena Barrios (she/her/hers) is our Associate Director of Youth and Family Education. Raena began working for Shir Tikvah in 2016 as our Inclusion Coordinator and grew to become our Associate Director in 2019. Raena holds a full-time position at Shir Tikvah as Director of Operations. Raena has a Bachelor of Arts in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies.
Raena leads the department with an eye toward ensuring students with unique behavioral, learning, and medical needs are included and successful in the classroom.
Raena enjoys camping, raising her backyard chickens, running marathons, and sitting in the grass.
Or Levinson (they/them/theirs) is our Youth and Family Education Assistant. Or began working for Shir Tikvah in 2023. Or has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.
Or supports the department with an eye toward managing and organizing administrative details, and works particularly closely with our B’Mitzvah families.
Or is also a movement artist and facilitator, who performs and leads workshops on folks’ relationships to body, history, and land. Or enjoys klezmer music and Yiddish folk dance.
Lauren Pradhan (she/her/hers) is the co-chair of Shir Tikvah’s Youth and Family Education Committee. In her professional life, Lauren is a strategist and advisor specializing in culture-building. Lauren brings over 20 years of corporate and non-profit experience to her committee work.
Lauren and her husband, Kethan, have two boys: Kiran in 6th grade and Ari in Kindergarten. They have been members of Shir Tikvah since 2020. Lauren enjoys any holiday that allows us to gather around the table and will forever be improving on her challah recipe.
Lauren oversees committee responsibilities alongside members-at-large Renee Divine, Arielle McHenry, Edan Schwartz, and Beth Young.
The Youth and Family Education Committee
The Youth and Family Education Committee is made up of Shir Tikvah parents who are invested in Shir Tikvah’s young people and families, who believe in Shir Tikvah’s staff and faculty, and who are inspired by Shir Tikvah’s visions and mission. They tend to the needs of the department, supporting the department and Director in Youth and Family Education events and initiatives.
Read the Youth and Family Education Committee Charter here. With interest in supporting the Committee’s efforts, email Lauren Pradhan, Committee Co-Chair.
