From baby to bar mitzvah

Fun and learning abound for community's youngest Jews

BETH OLSON
Staff Writer

Lauren Lai attends a Mishpacha Hadassah picnic. Photo courtesy of Gwenn Krell

Many Jewish parents look forward to sending their children to Jewish preschool. However, many local Jewish organizations are now reaching out to families with infants and toddlers to get them involved in the Jewish community at an even younger age.

Temple Beth Israel recently partnered with Hadassah's Mishpacha group to hold a Tuesday morning playgroup for families with children ages 4 and younger. The two organizations complement each other, in that the focus of the Mishpacha group is to bring in mothers and their young children.

Gwenn Krell, president of Mishpacha, says there was a need for a Hadassah group that welcomed families when the group began four years ago. Through her participation with her own children, she has seen the children benefit from growing up with other Jewish children.

Through playgroups, holiday parties, fund-raisers and membership drive events, the children have also been exposed to the educational component of Hadassah.

"They learn about Israel and about what we're doing to help Israel so they in turn will want to help in that way, too," Krell says.

Likewise, Temple Beth Israel is striving to connect with young families by providing activities for them nearly every day. In addition to the playgroup, there is a yoga class on Tuesday mornings, a storytime in the temple's library on Thursday mornings and a Shabbat Club with Michelle and Rabbi Stephen Kahn on Friday mornings. The temple will also host a Kindermusik class on Monday mornings in the fall.

"We have well over 100 unaffiliated Jewish families that are now on our roster that come to these (activities)," says Rabbi Kahn, who reports that 25-30 families usually attend.

Part of the appeal, he believes, is that he actively participates, sitting on the floor with the children and playing the guitar.

"It think it's really important for me to create a relationship with these kids as early as possible," he says.

In addition, Michelle Kahn, who has a bachelor's degree in musical theater and a master's degree in social work, has developed an age-appropriate program that includes puppets, parachutes, songs and playtime.

Three years ago, the Chai Childhood Center opened at Temple Chai with an emphasis on reaching out to families with young children. In addition to the early childhood education program for children ages 6 weeks to 4 years, the center hosts a variety of activities for young families.

The first Saturday of the month, Temple Chai holds Torah for Tots, a Shabbat service held in the temple's small sanctuary and led by a clergy member.

"It's important that the children are familiar with their faces and their voices as they sit down and play the guitar with them. They're real people," says Debbie Popiel White, director of early childhood education.

The service includes songs and stories, and at the conclusion, families visit the Chai Childhood Center for an art activity pertaining to the topic of the service.

The demand for programming for young families led White to begin two new programs for the upcoming year at Temple Chai.

Pray or Play will be an unstructured opportunity for parents to bring their young children to Saturday morning services. The playground will be open and the hope is "to encourage families to spend Shabbas at the synagogue," says White.

Bagels and Blocks is geared toward the youngest members of the community - ages 6 to 18 months - and their parents. The program will include information about parenting and child development from a Jewish perspective.

"It's about a sense of community," says White. "It's about people feeling connected to Jewishness and to the Jewish community."

The Bureau of Jewish Education provides educational opportunities for all ages, including a Baby and Me Shabbat program once a month on Friday mornings. Linda Feldman, family life educator at the BJE, believes it is essential for parents to participate in Jewish activities with their children - even infants. Feldman leads the Baby and Me Shabbat program, and often brings in local rabbis and cantors to sing with the families.

"It's so nice to get into the Shabbat spirit, even getting infants familiar with the songs and the beauty of Shabbat," she says.

Temple Emanuel holds both a Friday morning Toddler Shabbat on a weekly basis, as well as a Friday evening Tots 'N Torah once a month. For both programs, Rabbi Andrew Straus and Education Director Susan Schanerman sit on the floor of the bimah with the children and play guitar and sing songs.

"It's incredibly important for families to feel connected," says Syndi Scheck, the temple's preschool director. "Children are sort of the connection for the families. When the children enjoy being together and playing together, the parents create friendships and relationships."

Even after children begin preschool, parents often want to participate in Jewish activities as a family, but are still in need of programs that address the special needs of young children.

The BJE, in conjunction with Hadassah, runs a program called Training Wheels for children ages 3-6 and their parents. The monthly class brings families together to learn about the holidays, something Feldman thinks is particularly important once the children start preschool.

"Parents are sending a message to their children that this is important and this is something we can do together Jewishly," says Feldman.

At Beth El Congregation, many of the families whose children attend the preschool don't belong to the synagogue. In an effort to connect these families to the synagogue, Executive Director Jeffrey Frankel has planned Under the Big Top, an evening program that will include a hot dog dinner, clowns and other activities.

"We want to bring them into our building and do fun, exciting programming," says Frankel.

Likewise, Scheck has created programs, which she calls Summer Fun for Little Ones, to bring preschool-age children to the synagogue during the summer. She has already held a Sundae Sunday, and a Science Party is scheduled for next month, where children will be using Hebrew words in science, doing water play and having Popsicles.

"When the children come to these programs and experience temple life, even if it's not something Judaic, even if it's something purely social, children ... feel comfortable and it encourages the parents to want to come and they understand that the temple is a community," she says. "It's not just a place to come on Shabbat."

Contact the writer at beth_olson@jewishaz.com.

Youth activities keep children busy