There is no Jewish Education without Family Education.
Learning Center Mission Statement
The PJC Learning Center‘s mission is to create a vibrant and welcoming learning environment in which our children and families develop a love of G-d and Torah. We believe that the family and the Learning Center must work together to nourish our children’s Jewish identities in our synagogue, homes and the broader community. We provide opportunities to learn together participating in Jewish rituals and social action, as well as studying Torah, Jewish history, Hebrew and Klal Israel.
Family Education Goals
We understand that every family and each individual family member are at a different place in their own Jewish Life Journeys. At the Learning center, we wish to meet each family and family member where they are, while allowing all to experience moments and events of kedushah (holiness), when actively participating in our Family Education Program. We want our families to experience the Learning Center as a joyful place of learning, friendship and community, where families take charge of their Jewish Journey while growing together towards a greater understanding of Jewish living and the mitzvoth. At our Family Education program, The Pelham Jewish Center Learning Center plants the seeds of Judaism in the hearts and minds of all participants. With nourishment from the home and cultivation from the school, our students’ Judaism will grow and continue to flourish throughout their lives.
Each month, families will participate together in:
Torah Time
Monthly Shabbat morning program for families with children ages 3-6. Torah Time is a special Shabbat program crafted exclusively for the ages of 3-8, offered once a month. Students will taste a bit of the Torah portion and the Shabbat service, in a playful and joyful atmosphere. Activities during Torah Time services include dance, music, games, and storytelling and short plays.
Shabbat Mishpachah
Once-a-month musical and engaging Shabbat morning services adapted to the needs of families with children
Family Fridays
Monthly Family Kabbalat Shabbat for all families – an engaging, musical Kabbalat Shabbat service custom fit for children and parents.
Hooked on Havdallah
Informal home-based meals and get-togethers at the PJC by the end of Shabbat, to experience the Havdallah ceremony. Ice-cream party too! (Saturday night evenings, two times a year)
Yom Rishon Mishpachah
Special Family Sunday Workshops
Families will learn the basics of the different holiday, rituals and practices at interactive learning stations.
Parents will discover alternative celebrations to enrich their current celebration, and understand the value of ritual in a child’s and a family’s life.
Shabbaton
A weekend retreat for all families to immerse themselves in the magic atmosphere of Shabbat, filled with engaging activities for all ages
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Family Workshops
For Kitah Zayin Families
From the moment the child joins our community, he/she embarks on this sacred journey which is designed to guide him/her toward Jewish learning, mitzvot, prayer, and acts of kindness. Our family-focused program fosters communication between parents and their children so that the entire family may engage in opportunities to define and experience their Jewish identity.
Two Sunday mornings and one Shabbat Evening
- Jewish Rites of Passage; Tallit and Teffilin
- Jewish Values in the Family
- Jewish Choices in Adult Life
Community-Wide Family Programs
- FAMILY SHABBAT DINNERS: Each family participates in at least one Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat Service followed by a Learning Center Shabbat Dinner at the PJC. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet parents and build community amongst families and teachers. Children will actively participate during Services, and we will all share ideas on the weekly Torah Portion. Services start at 6:30 and dinner is served by 7:30.
- PJC Sukkah Decoration: Blessings and lunch in the PJC’s Sukkah
- Simchat Torah celebration
- Hannukah Party
- Purim/Megillah Reading
- Tu Bishvat Seder
- Lag ba’Omer Outing & Bonfire
- Yom Ha’atzmaut BBQ
- Shabbat B’Shamayim- End of the Year siyum – Picnic style Kabbalat Shabbat on the lawn, followed by picnic style dinner!