Family Institute for
Jewish Living and Learning
Rosh Hodesh: It's a Girl Thing!
(grades 6-9)
Teen Big Brothers and Big Sisters
Family Minyan | Minyan Katan
Early childhood Jewish education
for infants through Grade 2
Monthly Friday Night Dinners
Preliminary Family Institute calendar
Rodfei Zedek's Family Institute for Jewish Living and Learning is a partnership formed by the parents, children, and the community. We believe that Judaism involves an ongoing search for meaning and that this search begins in childhood and continues as life-long learning. At the Family Institute, the family and the synagogue work together to nourish developing Jewish identities. Through new and creative exploration, children and families discover the joy and beauty of being Jewish in today’s world. At each stage of development, children are empowered by their curiosity to be seekers and learners of Jewish texts, language, traditions and culture, and are nurtured and inspired to become great Jewish thinkers in their own right.
The Family Institute meets on Friday afternoons during the school year and for one additional hour during the week for individualized Hebrew language instruction and mentoring. Meeting on Fridays creates an organic opportunity to transition into and experience Shabbat, in real time. As we welcome Shabbat together, we experience the transition from doing to simply being. We learn that Shabbat is about letting go of our usual weekday mode of working, acquiring, and consuming. Instead, Shabbat is a day of contemplation and gratitude for what we have and a day for renewed focus on our family and community.
As we light the Shabbat candles and engage in a lively and participatory Friday evening service, we connect to the tradition of the Jewish people around the world and throughout the ages, and develop our own appreciation of its beauty and relevance. Once a month, we share a community Shabbat dinner where we learn, sing, discuss, and experience the joy and harmony of Shabbat in our warm, community setting.
Join us at the Family Institute of Jewish Living and Learning for an intellectual, spiritual, and enriching Jewish family experience.
Learn more about how the Family Institute develops young Jewish thinkers. For answers to your questions, please contact Cantor Rachel Rosenberg at Cantor@rodfei.org or phone 773.752.2770.