All learning has now been moved online through the Covid-19 restrictions. Find out how to participate at www.shirshalomvt.org/yachdav/
Hello, Shir Shalom Community and New Friends!
Shir Shalom is now celebrating our 31st year as a congregation! Our school began as a labor of love by parents who wanted their children to understand and celebrate what it means to be Jewish. Its objectives include:
- teaching our children about being Jewish
- learning Hebrew in preparation for bar/bat mitzvah and to be able to comfortably attend services anywhere
- studying Torah
- learning ethics, from Pirke Avot to Rabbinic commentary
- learning, understanding and celebrating Shabbat, Jewish holidays and lifecycle events
- studying the history of the Jewish people
We continue that vision.
As we have learned from Torah, there is no greater — or worthier — obligation than the Jewish education of our children.
Living Judaism
To capture the essence of Living Judaism, the Shir Shalom Board put together a new Education Committee over the summer tasked to re-envision our learning program, augmenting some elements and transforming others. The committee included parents as well as others from the community, and we came together in the spirit of the original Shir Shalom founders, with the intent to create something we hope will enliven all of us, whether we have children in the school or not.
We’ve adapted our Hebrew School to be more integrated into the greater Shir Shalom community, where learning will happen intergenerationally, side by side. Now the children will spend some time doing classroom learning, where they will study Hebrew, Torah, prayers and song, and we’re inviting parents and community members to learn alongside them. The children will spend the rest of their time with the community in experiential learning. There, we as a community will come together for Shabbat learning services, holiday and lifecycle celebrations, and social justice actions.
We’re thrilled to welcome Lois Fein as our Creative Director, tasked with overseeing this new vision of Living Judaism: The Shir Shalom Jewish Education Program, infusing every aspect with vibrant music, and continuing to innovate as we take this journey together as a community. As always, there will be a Post-B’nai Mitzvah and Madrichim program, adult education opportunities, and scholar-in-residence workshops.
Please join us this year. Come offer your knowledge, your enthusiasm, your quest to learn, your appreciation of community, and your deep love for living Jewishly.
To kick off Living Judaism’s first year, we’re coming together as a community on Sunday September 23 for Sukkot. We’ll start at 10am building the sukkah, then we’ll learn and celebrate together. We’re excited to be there with you.
If you have questions, feel free to contact Kimberly Kol, member of the Shir Shalom Education Committee, at kimberlykol@me.com.
Looking forward to a great year. May the Source be with you!
Joshua Kol
Chair, Shir Shalom Education Committee