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Family Shabbat

Family Shabbat is a monthly Saturday morning program with two explicit goals:

  1. To provide kids and parents alike with an introduction to the Shabbat morning prayer experience.   We will devote time and energy to learning about what the prayers mean and why we say them.  Older children will have the opportunity to participate in leading our service and reading from the Torah. 
  2. To introduce families to Jewish values through discussions, stories and hands-on projects.  We will focus on a different Jewish value each month.  


Who Is It For?

It's for families - preschool and elementary school-aged children, and their parents.  The Shabbat service will be for everyone all together; then we'll break into age-appropriate groups (preschoolers - 2nd graders, 3rd - 5th graders, parents) to learn about the Jewish value of the month.  Although siblings in the 0-2 age range are welcome, this is not a "tot Shabbat" program.  We'll provide age-appropriate toys for this set, and parents are responsible for supervision.) 


Teachers

Shannon Cruzen and Sarah Adams are back again, with their hallmark creativity and enthusiasm.  Maxine Alloway will be the pedagogical glue, tying this program into Kavana's larger educational goals, and Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum will suffuse it all with a richness of Jewish tradition.  You can read more about our fabulous educators here.

Dates & Values 

The dates for 2011 and 2012 are:

  • Sat. Sept. 10 - Erech Apayim (slow to anger)
  • Sat. Nov. 5 - Lo Levayesh (not embarrassing)
  • Sat. Dec. 3 - Somech Noflim (supporting the falling)
  • Sat. Jan. 7 - Anavah (humility)
  • Sat. Feb. 11 - Bikkur Cholim (care for the sick)
  • Sat. Mar. 10 - Kibud Av va'Aym (honoring parents)
  • Sat. Apr. 28 - Tz'ar Baalei Chayim (kindness to animals)
  • Sat. June 2 - Ma'akeh (safety)


Time 

All Family Shabbat events are from 10am - 12pm


Volunteering

As is often the case in our cooperative community, families will be asked to participate in various ways.  Everyone who registers for the series will be assigned dates to bring snacks, assist with clean up, etc.


Cost & Registration

We strongly encourage families to sign up for the whole series -- we're trying to build a sense of community here, and the more you come, the more you'll get out of it!  So pull out your calendars and jot down the dates for the whole year!  Cost for the 8-program series:  $240/family for Kavana partners, and $360/family for non-partners.  (Yes, that's per household - and grandparents and other relatives are certainly welcome!).  Click on the orange button below to register your family for the whole series.

If you discover that your family will be out of town or unable to attend the majority of the scheduled program dates, then signing up for single sessions might be best for your family.  Click on the dates below to register for single session programs.  Cost for a single program:  $40/family for Kavana partners, and $50/family for non-partner households for each session. 

FYI

  • First time is free:  If you have never been to a Kavana Family Shabbat program before and you'd like to check it out to see if it's for you before making a commitment, the first time is free!  Please email us in advance so we know to expect you!
  • A note about costs:  Program fees are calculated based on our real costs of supplies and staffing.  However, Kavana never turns anyone away for lack of funds - if money would prevent you from participating, please contact us and we'll (discretely) figure out a way to make scholarship funds available as needed.