Temple Israel participates with other congregations, JCCs and Jewish day schools throughout Greater Boston in a community-wide Family Education Initiative - Sh’arim. Sh’arim is part of the COJC (Commission on Jewish Continuity) of CJP (Combined Jewish Philanthropies).

FAMILY EDUCATION at Temple Israel aims to foster lifelong Jewish learning, practice, and values within the family. Through a variety of programs, from Kesher Family Learning to Tikkun Olam/Social Action Day, from family shul-ins (sleepovers at the Temple) to First Friday Dinners, our programs seek to bring families together to experience and experiment with Judaism.

The Family Education program at Temple Israel strives to respond to the emerging needs of our families.  Special initiatives have included programs for GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) families, multi-racial families and interfaith families.

The cornerstone of Family Education at Temple Israel is the Kesher Family and Parent Learning Program. (Kesher in Hebrew means connection).  Kesher strives to:

• Provide parents with a forum to deepen their  
  knowledge of Judaism and Jewish perspectives on contemporary life;
• Support parents in their endeavor to create and nurture Jewish
  life in their families;
• Enable parents and children to learn about each other through shared activities;
• Help parents to get to know each other and build a strong and vibrant sense of Jewish community;
• Connect parents to the overarching themes and topics that their children are studying.

Kesher Family Learning is an integral component of the Temple Israel Education Program.  In Kindergarten through Grade Four, parents are asked to join their child in the classroom for three special curriculum based programs. In grades five through seven, the number of family learning programs varies according to the grade’s curriculum.  If for some reason a parent cannot attend a particular session, we encourage you to send a significant adult in your child’s life to participate with your child. The cost of these programs is covered by the Family Education fee paid prior to the start of the school year. 

Kesher Parent Learning is an eight session grade level series for parents designed to reflect the themes and topics that are being studied by your children during Religious School.  There is a nominal fee for the Parent Learning Program.  If you have not yet signed up for the program, please contact Peg in the Education Office at pmoloney@tisrael.org. 

If you are unsure if Kesher Parent Learning is for you please feel free to participate in the first session at your child’s grade level!

Kesher PARENT LEARNING PROGRAM 
GRADE-LEVEL DESCRIPTIONS

KINDERGARTEN/GRADE 1:
JEWISH HOLIDAYS: THEIR MEANING FOR OUR TIME
Kindergarten and Grade 1 parents will focus on the Jewish holidays and their meaning in the lives of 21st century families.  Participants will study segments of the Torah and other sacred texts related to the holidays.  We will explore questions such as: Why do we celebrate these holidays? How can we enrich our holiday practice by understanding the sacred texts that spawned them?  We will also explore the people and land of Israel as they relate to the Jewish holidays.  This is a two-year curriculum taught by the Director of Education.

GRADE 2
MITZVOT: WHAT ARE THEY AND HOW DO THEY AFFECT MY LIFE?
Mitzvot are commandments.  As Reform Jews there are many mitzvot that we practice.  We will explore the broad range of mitzvot, how they can enrich our lives and the complexity of observing actions commanded by God when we, as Reform Jews, ascribe to the notion of personal autonomy in making Jewish choices. 

GRADE 3
THE BOOK OF GENESIS:  A CLOSE READING
Our third grade students begin their study of Torah with a close look at the book of Bereisheet/Genesis.  The children learn both the content of the text as well as beginning skills with which to approach and interpret the text.  In this adult class, we, too, will engage in a close reading of the text on an adult level and learn the necessary text study skills to interpret and challenge the text.  We will explore such themes as the tension between reason and faith, family loyalty and separation, and ideas about difference. 

GRADE 4
HOLINESS: THE LAND, ITS PEOPLE AND THE COVENANT
Who is Am Yisrael/ the People of Israel?  What do we mean by Eretz Yisrael/ the Land of Israel?  What is the brit/covenant that connects the two? How do we embrace this brit? Through the master stories of the Jewish people in the books of Shemot – Devarim (Exodus – Deuteronomy) we will explore these questions and what it means to live a holy life.

GRADE 5
PROPHECY, LEADERSHIP AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Our fifth grade students spend the first half of the year learning about the Jewish prophets and their call for social justice.  The prophets served as mediators between God and humans in an effort to bring the two closer together. We too will explore prophecy and the prophetic imperative of Reform Judaism to engage in the work of social justice and tikkun olam (healing and repairing the world). Fifth grade is also the year that students and families embark on their pre-bar/bat mitzvah social justice journeys.  Families are asked to engage in serious thinking about how they can make a difference in the world.  We will work together to create opportunities for our children to acquire hands on experience by exposing them to a sampling of important social issues facing the larger community in which we live.  As part of our learning, we will explore Jewish texts that inform our social justice organizing and experiences.

GRADE 6
PARENTING A JEWISH ADOLESCENT
Contrary to popular belief, the teen years are great years. Most parents and teens navigate "teenhood" quite well; however, that does not mean that we all couldn't use a little help now and then. Judaism is rich in resources and wisdom for parenting with love, honor and humor. In our sessions, we'll explore the joys and challenges of parenting teens though the lens of cognitive development and Jewish sources. We will pay special attention to topics of current interest such as sex and sexuality and how to negotiate the internet and other new media safely and responsibly.  We will also practice how to discuss these difficult topics with adolescents drawing on Jewish values.

GRADE 7
BIBLE STUDY: A CRITICAL LOOK
The Bible isn’t just a bunch of stories. It consists of complex, sometimes disturbing and almost always puzzling texts. With the guidance of the Temple Israel clergy, you will have an opportunity to delve into these texts that have shaped the Jewish people for millennia. You will be able to challenge them and be challenged by them!!!

For more information about Family Education and the Kesher Program at Temple Israel, please contact Susan Moser, Family Educator at smoser@tisrael.org or (617) 566-3960, ext. 125.