Religious School

Celebrate Hanukkah, All Weekend-Long

November 28, 2023 by jennifer • Features, Religious School

Hannukah Menorah Candle Lighting

Let’s have a latke fun together!

Join the B’ShERT community in Brooklyn for a weekend of celebration to kick off Hanukkah, with a lineup of family events that’ll leave you saying, “Hey, Gimel more!”

Friday, December 8

10 am: Tot Shabbat
For kids ages 0 to 5: a great a chance to meet other kids, caregivers, and parents in the neighborhood. (And a nice inside activity as the days get colder.)

6 pm: Potluck dinner with dreidel games and jelly donuts
Get your annual latke fix without filling your apartment with frying oil!

7:15 pm: Service with bring-your-own-menorah lighting
A music-filled service to welcome the holiday and Shabbat

Saturday, December 9

9:45 am: Religious School open house with Hanukkah activities
An opportunity for kids ages 5 to 12 to check out our religious school for a day. There are going to be art activities like t-shirt making and gelt-making, and Hannukah trivia games. Then during the Shabbat service, we’ll sing all your favorite Hannukah songs.

5 pm: A Hannukah evening outside
We’ll brighten the dusk outside with more candle lighting and donuts, plus hot chocolate, Havdalah, and stargazing through a telescope!

Can’t wait to see you to celebrate the start of Hanukkah!

Hannukah Service with Rabbi Heidi Hoover and Nonie Schuster

“The Jewish Deli” + Religious School Open House on Saturday 10/21

October 17, 2023 by miketrose • Features, Religious School

This Saturday, October 21, spend the morning at B’ShERT for two special events:

A conversation on The Jewish Deli, 9:45 am

Join Ben Nadler, the author and illustrator of The Jewish Deli: An Illustrated Guide to the Chosen Food for a conversation on “A delightful celebration of Jewish delicatessens in an accessible comics format, full of history and humor, and guaranteed to make you hungry.” Taylor & Co. Books will be on hand selling copies.

Religious School Open House, 9:45 am

While some folks are envisioning pastrami and rye, kids ages 5 to 12 are invited to try out our religious school. They’ll join a class of their age group to explore a classic Genesis story—Noah and the ark!

Our K-2 class will learn about kindness to animals and make a rainbow craft, while our 3rd-5th graders will explore a short midrash about Noah before they venture into the Jewish practice of baby namings. And our 6th-8th graders will study a modern interpretation of the Noah story in which we ask: What was Noah’s wife thinking(!) and how can we understand the flood better from her perspective?

Then, at 11 am, all are welcome to join our family-friendly Shabbat services in our historic sanctuary.

See you Saturday!

Simchat Torah Festivities — Friday 10/6 at 6:30 pm

October 3, 2023 by jennifer • Features, Religious School

Rabbi reading Torah — Rabbi Heidi Hoover reading Torah on Simchat Torah

Make Caramel Apples + a B’ShERT B’Shirt!

To get into the mood of Simchat Torah, and prepare for the festivities, join us for some creative, messy, tasty fun this Friday evening, October 6 at 6:30 pm.

All families are invited to come early for Simchat Torah services on Friday evening for two activities: caramel-apple making (we provide the ingredients, you make the mess), and t-shirt making. For the t-shirts, we’ll provide the plain t-shirts, fabric paints, and stencils; and every kid will have a chance to make their own B’Shert t-shirts (B’Shirts!) to wear at events in the future.

Then we’ll head to the Simchat Torah service, where we get to dance around with the torah and see the entire scroll unrolled, filling almost our entire sanctuary. This is a rare chance to see the full torah text all at once and is not to be missed!

Time: Friday October 6 at 6:30 pm (activities), 7:15 pm (service)
Place: 83 Marlborough Road

See you there for a joyous evening!

Unscrolled Torah — The full Torah scroll unrolled in the B’ShERT sanctuary

Now Sunday 10/1 — Sukkah Decorating and Dinner!

September 27, 2023 by jennifer • Features, Religious School Tags: families, Sukkot •

Child with Lulav in Sukkah

Nothing says “Happy Sukkot” like decorating the sukkah and a pizza dinner, right? Join us on Sunday October 1 for decorating fun and a community dinner in the B’ShERT sukkah.

Starting at 5 pm you can let your artistic side run wild. We have a new, extra-big sukkah this year, which means we need extra inspiration and extra decorating.

Once you’ve had your creative fill, get your belly full as well with pizza dinner in the sukkah followed by a short service to welcome the holiday. What a wonderful way to end the weekend!

Following on the heels of our Rosh Hashanah festivities and Yom Kippur… fastivities(?), this is another great way for families—members and prospective members alike—to get to know each other in a low-key, social setting.

What: Sukkah decorating followed by dinner in the B’ShERT Sukkah

When: Sunday October 1 at 5 pm

Where: The Sukkah at 83 Marlborough Road

Sukkot Celebration with Lulav

Rosh Hashanah Family Service + Tashlich & Field Games

September 12, 2023 by jennifer • Features, Religious School Tags: families, religious-school, rosh hashanah, welcome •

Open to all—members and non-members alike—no tickets needed!

Rosh Hashanah Tashlich — B’Shert Tashlich in Prospect Park

Join us on Saturday, September 16, for a music-filled Rosh Hashanah family service for families with kids from birth to brit mitzvah-age. Kids will learn about the meaning of Rosh Hashanah, sing songs, and generally have a good time in a relaxed atmosphere.

Then, after the service, walk with us to Prospect Park where we’ll have a short Tashlich service by the lake and ritually rid ourselves of our sins. (And by “sins,” we mean birdseed, which the ducks and geese are waiting for.) From there, we’ll stay in the park for field games like corn hole, ring toss, frisbee bottle bash, and more.

As we all get into the swing of the new school year, this is a perfect opportunity for parents and kids to get to know each other in a relaxed setting. Families who want to learn more about B’Shert can chat with long-time members whose kids have grown up at the congregation.

All in all, our Rosh Hashanah events are a great way to get a feel for what the B’Shert community is all about.

Here’s the day’s lineup:
September 16, 2023
1:30 pm: Rosh Hashanah Family Service at B’Shert
2:30 pm: Walk together to Prospect Park for Tashlich & field games
2:45 pm: Tashlich Service
3:00 pm: Play field games and get to know other B’Shert families

See you there!

B'Shert Tashlich Service — Tashlich after the Rosh Hashanah Family Service

Reminder: Religious School resumes 9/9, new educator!

August 6, 2023 by miketrose • Features, Religious School Tags: religious-school •

We are delighted to welcome our new Educator, Jessie Sander, for the 2023-24 school year. Keep an eye out for more details on the coming kickoff on September 9!

Religious School for 2023-24 begins September 9! Fill out our interest form for more info, or contact our office to speak with educator Jessie Sander.

Ready to enroll? You can complete your enrollment form online now or at our September 9 kickoff breakfast.

B’ShERT offers a full religious school curriculum from K through high school graduation including Bar/Bat Mitzvah (b’nei mitzvah), Confirmation, and a post-Confirmation high school program. Adults of all ages learn with our Adult Education programs, our Intro to Judaism classes, trips and museum visits, and special events with authors, academics, artists, culinary experts and more! Study for conversion is one on one with our Rabbi by arrangement. High school and college students can gain valuable volunteer experience through our Madrich/Madricha school assistant program. There’s something for everyone at B’ShERT!

B’ShERT’s Religious School is a welcoming and inclusive program that provides our children with an understanding and love for Judaism and its traditions. Children learn to appreciate the richness of Jewish heritage and to embrace the values of the Jewish faith.

Shabbat morning classes focus on community-building and Jewish learning in a lively, interactive setting. All students attend class on Saturday mornings, including Shabbat services.

Students 8 years + up have midweek Hebrew instruction, usually delivered via distance learning on Zoom. Hebrew instruction is delivered chevrutah-style, with pairs of learners working intensively with the instructor. Direct instruction is supplemented with online games, quizzes and worksheets.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation includes direct instruction with Rabbi Hoover. Confirmation classes are taught by Rabbi Hoover. Our High School program continues post-confirmation for those students who want even more in-depth instruction.

We approach every child as an individual—from personalized Hebrew instruction to enabling them to help conduct Shabbat morning services. Our focus on each child successfully integrates children with special needs.

If you are interested in enrolling your child, fill out our interest form or call the office. You can also enroll directly via our online portal or at the kickoff breakfast.

Questions or comments? Please let us know. You can also reach our educator, Jessie Sander, at educator@bshert.org or via our office.

Schedule updates May 27–June 7

May 27, 2023 by miketrose • Features, Planning, Religious School

Due to the congregational Israel trip this week with Rabbi Hoover, there are some changes and cancellations to our schedule.

Monday, May 29th – Happy Memorial Day. No Gentle Chair Yoga and Gentle Qi Gong.

Thursday, June 1st – No Torah Study. Torah Study will resume next Thursday, June 8th at 1:00 pm.

7:30 pm Israeli Dance.

Friday, June 2nd – No Tot Shabbat.

6:00-7:00 pm – No poetry text study.

7:15 pm – Shabbat Service on Zoom only. No in-person Service on 6/2.

Saturday, June 3rd – Last day of Religious School.

10:00 am – B’Yachad on Zoom only.

11:00 am – Shabbat Service in person only. There will be no Zoom access to the 6/3 morning service.

Reminder – Gala Luncheon honoring Treasurers, past and present, Helene Smith and Jennifer Tattenbaum, Sunday, June 11, 2023, 12:30 pm at Gargiulo’s Restaurant. See attached reservation form or use the link here for the registration form.

March 19 & 25: YOUTH GROUP GAME NIGHTS!

March 15, 2023 by emma • Features, Religious School

Join us for YOUTH GROUP GAME NIGHT!

March 19th 3 to 6pm for Youth Groupers and their friends 13-18 years old.

Then March 25th 1 to 4pm for Youth Groupers and their friends 10-13 years old. Both will be held in the Community Room at B’ShERT. Pizza for all!

Thanks to all who have already RSVP’d! Send your RSVPs and any questions to Emma at outreach@bshert.org.

March 4th Family Megillah Reading & Carnival!

March 2, 2023 by emma • Features, Religious School

Dust off your wig collection! It’s costume time! 🎭👑🎵

Join us on March 4th at 11:45am for a Family Megillah Reading followed by a Carnival from 12:30 to 2pm.

An afternoon of fun, games, and hamantaschen! (And bagels!)

Religious School Update from Rabbi Pinsky 08/21

August 16, 2021 by miketrose • Being B'ShERT, Features, Religious School

Dear B’ShERT Parents and Families,

I hope that your summers have provided an opportunity for some relaxation and rejuvenation for yourselves, your children, and your entire family. As we look toward our 2021-2022 Religious School year, I wanted to share some information and updates.

We are cautiously moving forward with plans to hold Religious School in person in the Fall. Our opening day will be Saturday, September 25th with a welcome back family Sukkot celebration, and then lessons will officially begin on Saturday, October 2rd.

Our Religious School Committee is working in conjunction with B’ShERT’s Reopening Committee as well as the temple’s Security Committee to come up with the safest plan for how to move forward in the Fall. We will continue to keep you updated, and may make adjustments as guidelines shift or new information comes in.

For now, I am excited to say that Religious School registration is open! Please note that you will need to fill out a separate form for each of your children (we have streamlined the registration form to make it more user friendly). To register, click here.

If you know anyone who might be interested in registering for our 2021-2022 school year, please feel free to pass on this information.

Please fill out the registration at your earliest convenience — this helps our teachers and staff do the best planning for our upcoming student body and classes.

B’Shalom,
Rabbi Alexis Pinsky