2009-10+summaries

Through //"Honoring Our Holidays, Caring for Creation,"// a h oliday-based Jewish environmental initiative, Adat Shalom is augmenting its Shabbat-based educational program and uniting members of all ages and demographics for experiential, relevant learning opportunities according to the rhythm of the Jewish year. Congregants join in home and web-based offerings before and after each of the //shalosh regalim//, supported by major "field trips" in connection with each holiday, underscoring one eco-aspect of the //chag//: e.g., an aquarium for Sukkot in light of its many water themes; an urban environmental justice tour for Pesach to consider the interconnection of social and ecological concerns; and a mountain hike for Shavuot. Additionally, the congregation is developing a "//mishnah// garden" on its grounds, tended by all congregants, for tactile teaching of the agricultural rhythms and realities embedded in Jewish holidays and texts. **
 *  Adat Shalom Recon. Congregation, **Bethesda MD (Reconstructionist, 500 households)

 Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel Congregation, ** Chicago IL (Orthodox, 400 households) Project //Mishpacha// encourages members of each demographic within the shul to be part of a //Mishpacha//, a “family unit.” Each //Mishpacha// is comprised of a cross-section of members: singles, couple without children, families with children of different age groups, and empty-nesting couples. Over the year, //Mishpachot// gather monthly for either a Shabbat meal or a Holiday Oneg. In addition, on monthly “Bring Your Mishpacha to Shul Day” on Shabbat morning, participants sit near each other at //shacharit// and a non-parental //Mishpacha// adult accompanies the child to Tot Shabbat instead of the parent. Twice a year, //Mishpachot// unite for a special //chesed// outing, experiential learning, and participation in cooperative efforts to give back to the community.

//Shabbat Keshet//, usually Shabbat morning, sometimes late Shabbat afternoon, includes communal prayer and ritual, Talmud Torah for children and adults, separate and joint, and intergenerational learning. In addition, there is a monthly congregational holiday celebration, and potluck, home-based erev Shabbat programming -- monthly for families with youngest children, and twice for families with older children. The community will also be developing a congregational vision linking various aspects of the congregation (including curriculum) with the vision.
 *  Beit Am Jewish Community, ** Corvallis OR (Reconstructionist, 120 households)

The //New// //Heights// project strengthens Jewish learning and living of Beit Daniel's preschool network families through holidays and Shabbat celebrations. Families enjoy engaging experiences that also challenge parents and children to carve out what is Jewish to them in their daily life, providing parents with accessible tools to continue the experience and the reflective exploration at home within the family framework. The project recognizes the importance of working in parallel with three main target audiences: (a) staff, preschool teachers and educators, (b) preschool families, (c) the congregation as a whole.
 * Beit Daniel ,** the Centre for Progressive Judaism Tel Aviv-Jaffa, IS (Reform, 300 households)

The //Abraham Meets Dorothy: There's No Place Like Home Family Education and Chessed// initiative recognizes that most congregants have left their home of origin in order to settle in the national historic home of the Jewish people. Centered around the theme of the “many homes we live in as Jews,” the project is an integrated and systemic family education program combining formal and experiential study, social action and touring within Israel. Participants explore obligations to fellow family members by utilizing the central Jewish life cycle events as a springboard to impart core Jewish values such as //tzedakah, bikkur cholim, chesed//, etc. Berman Synagogue, ** Rehovot IS (Orthodox, 190 households) The Rabbi Jacob Berman Center builds upon its community-based Shabbat and holiday celebrations and educational programs, in cooperation with the Rehovot municipality, the local (secular) community center, and the Rehovot branch of the Israeli scouts (both secular and religious groups), with the goal of enriching the knowledge and practice of non-observant Israeli families on their own terms and within a family-education context. The model stresses professional development for a collaborative team of the synagogue’s lay leadership and representatives of the non-observant community, utilizing training with leaders from a broad spectrum of Jewish observance.
 * Beit Knesset Ashkenaz, ** Modiin IS (Orthodox, 126 households)

Through the Shabbat Family Experience (SFE), Beth Sholom's school meets one Shabbat a month together with Day School families and the larger congregational community. These Shabbatot include prayer components, meals, and are anchored by a piece of enduring knowledge. The whole synagogue community joins to study the same content at age appropriate levels in concurrent sessions, based on a year-long theme. Each family is given a book for their home library with a bookmark of pre- and post- reading assignments on the monthly topic. Each participant or family leaves the SFE with a 'take-home' that connects the enduring knowledge to the home.
 *  Beth Sholom Congregation****, ** Elkins Park PA  (Conservative, 900 households)

//Chavurah Chadasha// is an experiential Jewish family program that creates and encourages learning and doing in the homes, in the synagogue, and in the community with the entire family involved in developing comfort and pride in being Jewish. The goals of the program are tri-fold: (1) families form a //chavurah//, a community of learning and participation; (2) families are comfortable through knowledge and experience in the congregation’s prayer services, and Shabbat and holiday rituals; and (3) families make Judaism a real integral part of the families’ lives and not just something that happens in the congregation or school. Now in its third year, //Chavurah Chadasha// includes three cohorts totally over 30 families.
 * Beth El Congregation, ** Baltimore MD (Conservative, 1700 households)

** Congregation Agudas Achim, ** Attleboro MA (Reconstructionist, 120 household units) The signature initiative, //Shabbat B’Yachad//, includes these components: a monthly Shabbat morning experience for the entire congregation including electives taught by staff and members, intergenerational learning and prayer, and a potluck Shabbat lunch; bi-monthly //Shabbat B’Yachad Fright nights// featuring a family service, catered dinner, and services with a speaker and child care, alternating each month with //Shabbat B’Yachad at Home//, home-based Shabbat celebrations organized according to demographic, led by trained **“**Shabbat Guides.” These Shabbat-based programs are complemented by four pre-holiday intergenerational workshops for hands on and experiential learning for all ages; Keys to Your Jewish Home, providing accessible and useful tools for home observance; and periodic Shabbat skills workshops for adults. This year, Agudas Achim will create manuals and training materials detailing the “how to” of continuing these and other existing programs, investigate the use of technology to manage day-to-day communications, tracking, and management of programs, re-organize the board and bylaws to create leadership that can focus solely on governance issues, and create a 3-year thematic plan for programming. The goal is to increase overall community ownership of the approach by providing resources and support for professional staff.  //“Shabbat Fun-plex”// is a diverse array of parallel early childhood/primary opportunities on Shabbat for preschool children and their parents. This new "track" supports ongoing Shabbat morning-based programming for children and adults. Options include dance, music, story time, social action/mitzvah heroes, peoplehood – Israel, World Jewry, friendship along with the weekly levels of “Torah for Tots” (for infant-2, and for 3-4-year-olds) and “Mini-Minyan” (5-6-year-olds) services. Also included in the “Shabbat Fun-plex” are adult options for prayer and study as well as family services.
 *  Congregation Agudath Israel, ** Caldwell NJ (Con. 932 households)

**Congregation Beth El of the Sudbury River Valley,** Sudbury, MA (Reform, 340 households) Through the //BaDerech// initiative, Beth El works towards enabling all congregants to explore their Jewish journeys and strive to live the words of the //v'ahavta///( וְאָהַבְתָּ בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ ) - to fully live and express a Jewish life while sitting at home and walking on the way - by creating seamless connections between expressions of Judaism in personal homes and Beth El, our communal home. On a programmatic level, efforts to work toward this goal focus on Preschool family learning programs, Shabbat family programming, support for interfaith families, and sharing stories through one-on-one community organizing techniques. The work of //BaDerech// is also advanced on a systemic level through communicating this vision to the entire congregation, breaking down organizational silos, developing new leadership, and strengthening partnerships between and among professional and lay leaders at Beth El.

Through //Green Mountain Shabbat v'Hagim,// the congregation develops a model for intergenerational learning on the //shalosh regalim// (Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot) similar to its ongoing Shabbat-based program. The goal is to give families the tools in advance to explore and acquire more ownership of these holidays, and connect social justice projects to each holiday. In addition, they will continue improving their existing Green Mountain Shabbat and First Friday programming, which offer a mix of parallel and joint programming appealing to all ages and segments of the community, helping bridge the congregation's silos.
 * Congregation Beth El, ** Bennington VT (Reconstructionist, 105 households)

The //LaDor VaDor Intergenerational Programming Initiative// pairs younger congregational families with senior citizens in the community to foster friendships and relationships through monthly Shabbat //oneg//s. Each //oneg// includes a meal, sharing stories, singing //z’mirot//, text study and interacting in a joyous environment. This si complemented by ongoing programming throughout the year as well as weekly visits from pre-schoolers to the local Jewish nursing home and senior center.
 * Congregation Beth Jacob**, Columbus OH (Orthodox, 200 households)

//“Shabbat Shalem”// (A Complete Shabbat) redefines CBI’s approach to educational programming and seeks to enhance communal engagement on Shabbat within the congregation. It incorporates events planned by the Adult Education Committee, Youth Education Committee, Ritual Committee, Social Action Committee, the Gan Shalom pre-school, Board, and Rabbi, and organizes them around a central annual theme (such as prayer, Shabbat, //Tikkun Olam//). //Shabbat Shalem// is celebrated eight times per year, and includes family services, learners' services, communal text studies (led by members), scholars-in-residence, children’s musical //havdalahs//, //melaveh malkahs//, and community-wide Shabbat lunches and dinners. This year, the community will focus on reorienting board and committees around the //Shabbat Shalem// vision, developing curriculum for pre-school families, and promoting a culture of sustainable learning among synagogue members. //Covenantal Shabbat Centered Community// is an educational and worship experience bringing children and adults together each Shabbat morning. The approach merges adult learning, children’s classes, worship, and communal meals, with the goal of fostering a strong connection to Shabbat and synagogue which will lay a foundation for lifelong learning and Shabbat participation. A substantial number of adults are becoming prayer leaders, adult education and religious school teachers, invigorating Shabbat mornings and connecting separate interest groups and slices of the congregation.
 * Congregation Beth Israel,** Berkeley, CA (Modern Orthodox, 180 household units)
 * Congregation B'nai Keshet, ** Montclair NJ (Reconstructionist, 265 households)

**Congregation Kneses Tifereth Israel****,** Port Chester NY (Conservative, 270 households) //JTime: Living in Jewish Time// engages fifth grade students and their families in learning about and celebrating Sukkot, Tu B’shevat, and Shavuot, using interactive, inter-generational, participatory models. //JTime// brings families together at the synagogue and beyond the synagogue walls to enrich the participants’ understanding and observance of these three holidays. In addition, each holiday unit includes a hands-on //tikkun olam// project to enhance the learners’ holiday celebration and understanding of the value of healing the world. //JTime// is built on the successes of //Got Shabbat!//, KTI’s program for fourth grade students and their families, which focuses on celebrating Shabbat within the context of family and community.

// Rimmonim // is a congregation-wide project to heighten awareness of //middot// (core Jewish values) and the ways they can enhance and improve our lives. The foundation of the initiative is a twice a month Shabbat morning family education initiative geared towards children in grades K-2 and their parents (and open to all) focused on the study of //middot// (one per month) and their application to everyday life. Parents and other congregants volunteer to lead the various components of the Shabbat sessions -- //tefillah//, Torah story, family learning, and adult learning. //Rimmonim// also encompasses additional adult learning opportunities including a //Middah// of the Month blurb in the Shabbat announcement sheet, a facilitated monthly post-kiddush Shabbat learning session, and periodic Sunday post-//minyan// learnings, as well as inter-generational social action projects for the entire congregation.
 * Congregation Netivot Shalom, ** Berkeley CA (Conservative, 365 households)

Through //“Galei Limudim”(Learning Wave)// approach, adult congregants (parents and non-parents) study the theme and content of a religious school class’s curriculum, developing a four-week mini-unit which they then teach to the relevant class in collaboration with a classroom teacher. Shaar Zahav runs the //Galei Limudim// approach twice a year in lower grades (2/3, and 4/5), training a core group of congregational education leaders to make the project leadership self-sustaining, and developing processes for identifying and recruiting //Galei Limudim// participants. In addition, a new Shabbat morning program, "Shabbat Simcha," features a learner's minyan, Shabbat learner's tracks, and lunch. The service introduces the congregation’s new Siddur and familiarizes the community with the prayer service. The tracks focus on Judaism and the environment, //middot//, Torah and the themes of holiness, Jewish journeys and people of the book.
 * Congregation Sha'ar Zahav, ** San Francisco CA (Reform, 316 households)

// “Z’manim” (“Times” // ) is a core family education experience during Kabbalat Shabbat, Mincha, and Havdalah, intemnded to enhance and expand the congregation’s already robust family-centered Shabbat morning educational program, which offers multiple worship/spiritual offerings, educational experiences, meals and socialization. Each //Z’man// includes a meal, an educational opportunity, and a celebration of the particular ‘time’ itself – e.g. Kabbalat Shabbat/ Havdalah services. As a part of the formal education program, families will choose one or more //Z’manim// to attend, and will be involved in planning and production for each event, cooking, shopping, etc, as well as preparing to lead/co-lead worship segments tied into each of the //Z’manim// time periods. The intent is for the //Z’manim// committee to develop as its own community and begin (in year two) planning and organizing their own activities in partnership with the synagogue lay-leadership and professional staff.
 * Congregation Shirat Hayam of the North Shore **, Swampscott MA (Conservative, 560 households)

The //Family Beit Midrash,// a new paradigm for synagogue adult education focusing on family oriented, //beit midrash-//style learning, engages individuals in serious Torah study on Shabbat afternoon. Small groups of six-eight parents and children, grouped based on age, background and interest, meet with a //madrich///coach before //minchah// Shabbat afternoon; //madrichim// have strong Judaic background and are trained by a program coordinator. //Madrichim// choose subject matter for their group as well as the nature of their group based on their own family situation; the //madrich// is a participant as much as everyone else, and enjoys the same benefit of learning with a family member. Groups place a heavy emphasis on text based learning and enhancement of textual skills and are established based on ability to find a coach for that respective group. The project plans to expand to other family structures beyond parent-child, creating study groups for spouses, for singles, and groups which integrate newly married couples with empty nesters.
 * Dat Minyan, ** Denver CO (Orthodox, 100 households)

In //B’yachad,// ten second and third grade families are embarking on a journey in which they live and learn about Judaism on Shabbat and holidays. Families commit to attend Shabbat morning services weekly, meeting during the hour preceding the Family Learners Minyan for bagels and learning. Student classes focus on //parashat hashavuah//, a key component of the bet and gimel class curriculum, and on games to reinforce Hebrew decoding; parent classes focus on the rhythm of the Jewish year with an emphasis on both synagogue and home observance. Following learning, //B’yachad// families join the larger community of the Family Learners Minyan, which also attracts the Adult B’nai Mitzvah class, day school families, adults eager to learn, and older members who seek the energy of the younger generation.
 * Forest Hills Jewish Center, ** Forest Hills NY (Conservative, 800 households)

Building upon //Limudim//, its weekly Shabbat morning family education program during which children and adults engage in both family-based and grade-based learning and //davening//, IKAR will develop its FEP program (family education plans), create more at-home learning resources, promote inter-generational //parshah// discussions during the community lunch and engage in a strategic planning process. //Limudim// connects parents of school-aged children consistently with a vibrant adult Shabbat morning prayer and study community.
 * IKAR, Los Angeles CA** (Independent, 380 households)

Kavana Cooperative is building upon two core Shabbat and holiday-based family education programs: (1) "Prep and Practice," a monthly Sunday program that helps families learn about upcoming holidays and prepare to celebrate them, both at home and with the community, and (2) Family Shabbat, a monthly Shabbat morning program geared towards young children and their parents, which includes an interactive, abbreviated Shabbat morning service, and the exploration of Jewish values through activities, stories and text study. To deepen and extend these approaches, this year Kavana will seek to implement a community-wide programmatic theme for the first time, and undergo a process to clarify the community’s strategic vision and implement a strategic plan.
 * Kavana Cooperative, ** Seattle WA (Non-denominational, 70 households)

Eshel Avraham seeks to integrate its pre-school and veteran families into a cohesive community by : (1) training kindergarten staff in a //family oriented// as opposed to a //child oriented// approach to education; (2) educating its active laity to see the inherent benefit in the preschool families as a part of the community (beyond the economic aspect); and (3) building together with the pre-school families and the laity an experiential continuum that leads both constituencies to celebrate together the high points of Jewish time in a way that gives new meaning to everyone, as well as special projects to realize together important Jewish values.
 * Kehillat Eshel Avraham, ** Beer-Sheva IS (Masorti, 150 households)

KKH’s project aims to increase the long-term synagogue participation and home-based Jewish practice of Israeli families in its nursery school (//gan//), who despite their affiliation have either little interest or little knowledge of Jewish practice in a liberal framework. The strategy seeks to transform these parents them into partners in creating a meaningful Shabbat experience that will answer their needs and introduce them to new ways of celebrating Shabbat within the liberal context. This year the congregation will present its programs to all new and second-year //gan// parents as a supplement to the //gan// and invite them to take part, and form a group of parents who actually choose to be //kehila// members, using the group to reach out to the larger community of parents, building a social group out of these parents, and offering training and encouraging their own ideas and initiatives. Through programs of Shabbat enrichment, community learning and teaching materials, the //kehila// hopes to bring more people out of the “consumer” group and engage them in Jewish life from a place where they feel more comfortable with a range of Jewish rituals and synagogue life.
 * Kehillat Kol Haneshamah, ** Jerusalem IS (Reform, 340 households)

Ramot Zion's initiative offers young families in Northern Jerusalem involvement in Jewish learning and practice around Shabbat, holidays and national commemoration days, values and //tikkun olam//. The target population, mainly secular Israelis, are often estranged to Jewish practice and feel threatened by the idea. The project seeks to break the barriers of fear and disdain, and bring a positive experience through midweek and Shabbat family activities for all ages - children, parents, teens, and grandparents. Family activity is incorporated into the ongoing synagogue culture, aligning the synagogue at large with our goals and encouraging integration of the new families into the congregation. The activities include: Friday night //kabbalat shabbat// programming, combined with the main service; Shabbat services for parents and children; //tefila// study sessions for parents on Shabbat; biweekly midweek parent-children club, with joint workshops on Shabbat, holidays and values; activities in the local kindergartens; a teen club; holiday activities for families, and a family empowerment Shabbat retreat.
 * Kehillat Ramot Zion, ** Jerusalem IS (Conservative, 180 households)

The //Du-Siach// initiative features monthly //shabbatonim// exploring a dimension of an annual theme for the congregation. During the week before the //shabbaton//, the theme is raised in an introductory evening class and an email listing web-based resources. The //shabbaton// begins with Friday night home-based dinners featuring structured conversation; Shabbat morning the conversations transition to a public dialogue further exploring the theme in the context of the morning’s ritual and liturgy. //Divrei Torah// by an adult and child and interactive children-centered programming address the theme, which is also the focus of conversation over Shabbat lunch. On a quarterly basis, the community engages in an 'Erev Shabbat'/ Friday-social-action-day as a full community, connecting the broader community with the work of the community’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah //Chessed// club. Holiday programming focuses outward on the richness of Israeli diversity and the ritual traditions of the Diaspora, providing opportunities to engage the local older generation.
 * Kehillat Zichron Yaakov, ** Zichron Yaakov IS (Orthodox, 65 households)

** Kehillat YOZMA ** **, ** Modi'in, IS (Progressive/Reform, 300 households) // Kehillat // YOZMA will expand its systemic outreach to those families who initially come for the educational opportunities offered by its elementary school. This approach is based upon using the school as a means of drawing the parents and children into the greater YOZMA community, exposing them to the beauty of Shabbat and holiday celebrations, integrating the children in YOZMA's youth group TELEM, and involving parents and children in YOZMA's rich social action activities. By building a program of special events throughout the school year specifically targeting the school family population, YOZMA seeks to increase school families' and intergenerational participation in the weekly Shabbat services, in adult //Beit Midrash// and in the celebration of life cycle events (baby naming ceremony, bat/bar mitzvah etc) in the synagogue community.  "//Gesharim//: Bridges to Jewish Life," builds bridges  between preschool and elementary school families and the YOZMA community at large.

//"Shul Without Walls"// takes advantage of Kesher's location in D.C., an area full of meaningful sites, many of which provide messages compatible with Jewish //middot//. A series of "treks" to local sites are paired with activities, lessons, and/or lectures highlighting the Jewish significance of the specific locations, integrating adult, children's, and family-based learning. Examples include a trek to the National Arboretum for Tu B'Shvat, a trek to the Albert Einstein Memorial to discuss traditional Judaism's interface with modern science, anda trek to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian to discuss Breishit through different eyes.
 * Kesher Israel - The Georgetown Synagogue, ** Washington DC (Orthodox, 270 households)

North Shore Jewish Center is enhancing the development and implementation of //Congregation Under Renewal,// a multifaceted approach to engaging all branches of the congregation in Shabbat and holiday-based experiential learning. The integration of the congregation’s Synaplextm program with family Shabbat celebrations and //Family Kehillah,// a family led Shabbat service held twice monthly, supplements //Chaggim Chayyim - Holidays Come Alive//!, a holiday-based family education initiative. Five grades (bet, gimel, dalet, hay, and vav) are fully involved in //Chaggim Chayyim//, with about 38 family-based holiday educational programs per year. Components of parallel classes, textual learning, greater parent involvement in leading programs and teaching their children, Jewish celebration and practice accompany addressing Jewish parenting and social integration issues. In addition, //Leaders for Tomorrow// develops vision driven leaders for the congregation by coaching them through a hands on project. North Shore Synagogue, ** Syosset NY (Reform, 794 households) "//J.ello – **J**ewish **E**xperiential **L**iving and **L**earning **O**pportunities project//" integrates family learning and celebration of Shabbat and holidays into all three primary grades of the Religious School. //J.ello// promotea Jewish living and learning through active participation at the synagogue and at home, emphasizing hands-on experience, competency, practice and celebration. Building on two years’ success with a prototype model called ShareShabbat and a pilot J.ello program with 18 second grade families, the expanded J.ello program will become the sole and normative offering for K-2 families. Oranienburger Strasse Synagogue, ** Berlin GE (Masorti, 250 households) The congregation is expanding its Shabbat and holiday educational engagement for children and parents through //Tefilat Yeladim// (weekly Shabbat childrens’ services, monthly family Kabbalat Shabbat, the creation of a children’s siddur), enhanced holiday educational programming for families, introducing a pre-bar/bat mitzvah family educational system, and intemnsive, congregation-wide educational programming before and on the holidays of Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. Reform Temple of Forest Hills, ** Forest Hills NY (Reform, 343 households) “SHABBAT 2.0” engages 5-15 K-2 families in an intensive exploration of Shabbat. Families commit to this intensive year of “doing” Shabbat in order to gain tools to create or reinvigorate their family Shabbat observance, gathering twice monthly on Shabbat morning for intergenerational learning and tefilah. Families are given “Shabbat baskets” to help them facilitate their home Shabbat experience, and record their experiences of practice of their Shabbat home celebration in journals. Participants help guide each other on their Shabbat journeys by sharing their own special observances and memories of observances and help broaden the greater community’s understanding and connection to Shabbat. “SHABBAT 2.0” enlists a cohort of veteran family members, empty nesters, and Shabbat Community to serve as role models.
 * North Shore Jewish Center, ** Port Jefferson Station NY (Conservative, 430 households)

// B’yachad //, an alternative to the traditional two-day a week Religious School, offers an equal number of Hebrew instructional hours as the regular program in one session a week on Shabbat. It also includes a Family Shabbat Experience once per month, Friday or Saturday, exploring this year’s theme “//Middot//: Jewish Values” through family oriented activities. On a monthly basis, families also attend a //Tikkun Olam// (Social Action) Program on Sundays includes off-site learning and doing of the monthly mitzvah. In addition students will participate in the Regional 4th/5th or 6th/7th Grade weekend retreat. Families in //B’yachad// join to enjoy active learning experiences with the purpose of inspiring a connection between Jewish education and modern life.
 * Temple Adat Elohim **, Thousand Oaks CA (Reform; 620 households)

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> // Bayit to Bayit // is a Jewish engagement experience for families which serves as an alternative to traditional Religious School. Families engage in at least one communal Shabbat or one holiday celebration each month, in addition to two Sunday learning programs at the synagogue. The programming involves joint and parallel learning for adults and children, providing age-appropriate Jewish experiences at the synagogue and support for home activities and observances. Outside of the synagogue, //Bayit To Bayit// activities include weekly electronic materials for family study and discussion at home, social action projects and //chavurah// activities. Non-//Bayit to Bayit// adult congregants are encouraged to attend the adult study sessions on //Bayit to Bayit// Sundays. //Bayit to Bayit// adult participants are encouraged to attend synagogue adult education programming. //Bayit to Bayit//-style Shabbat experiences have expanded to include the rest of the congregation through Synaplex, Religious School, family education days and connection with the Caring Committee and Green Team. This year, the entire Religious School population will participate in the Shabbat, holiday, social action and electronic study aspects of //Bayit to Bayit//.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Temple Beth El of South Orange County **, Aliso Viejo, CA (Reform, 658 households)

The //Shabbat Hospitality Initiative (SHI)// is a multi-pronged, integrated approach to renewing Shabbat. The lead effort is a Shabbat outreach initiative one Friday night a month that encourages members to have Shabbat home dinners with multiple guests. The congregation provides Shabbat trained ritual and social facilitators who work with hosts to create an interactive and joyful Shabbat table experience in these homes. This program, //Shalom Aleichem//, encourages sharing Shabbat (//hachnasat orchim//) home meals with fellow congregants, and dissemination of Shabbat practices and ritual skills throughout the congregation. The //Shavua Tov// Shabbat Afternoon initiative brings monthly communal Shabbat experience to families. Meeting at the synagogue, **Shavua Tov** is a family celebration and learning experience centered on the Shabbat traditions of the afternoon. A joyful Third Shabbat meal, //havdalah//, and family education sessions build community and familiarity with Shabbat practices and values. //SHI// combines these programs but the broader aim is to energize the entire congregation and inspire a new generation of leaders.
 * <span class="wiki_link_new"> Temple Beth Shalom** **,** Long Beach, CA (Conservative, 175 households)

<span class="wiki_link_new"> **<span class="wiki_link_new">Temple Beth Sholom, ** Roslyn Heights, NY (Conservative, 875 households) The //Morei Derech Beth Sholom// Project engages families looking for greater Jewish involvement by pairing them with //Morei Derech,// guides or "Jewish Life Coaches" who help these families connect the synagogue and their homes and navigate their Jewish journeys. The first group of //Morei Derech// were identified and trained in the first year, using a training curriculum with four components: Shabbat, Holidays, "The Mitzvah Initative" and Coaching Methodologies. Simultaneous to the training of the //Morei Derech//, synagogue leadership was engaged a parallel learning track, learning to see their roles as //Jewish// leaders, in a sense becoming the "Ultimate //Morei Derech"// of the congregation.

//Shabbat B’yachad// is an innovative approach to family learning and Shabbat celebration in which participating families gather two Shabbat mornings and one Shabbat evening a month at the Temple. On Shabbat morning the families pray together, teach each other Torah and experience parallel learning for adults and children on //middot//. On Friday evenings, families learn about Shabbat and join the rest of the congregation for services. Once a month families celbrate Shabbat together in their own homes using discussion guides to facilitate Shabbat family learning.**
 * <span class="wiki_link">Temple Isaiah **, Los Angeles CA (Reform, 1050 households)

Temple Judea, ** Coral Gables FL (Reform, 608 households) //Mishpacha Moments//, an alternative or supplement to Sunday school for students in kindergarten through third grade and their families, helps parents and children make Shabbat morning a cherished time together. Each //Mishpacha Moments// session provides the opportunity for children and parents to participate in a musical family Shabbat service, engage in a family educational experience and socialize and learn with other families. This year, over 23 Shabbat morning sessions, learning experiences in //Mishpacha Moments// focus on Torah and the foundational stories of the Jewish people. **

<span class="wiki_link_new"> Temple Rodef Sholom, ** San Rafael CA (Reform, 1150 households) “//Kol HaMishpacha//,” an alternative to traditional religious school model, engages entire families in //havurot// committed to regular study, consistent home and communal Shabbat, holiday observance, and the creation of a shared //tikkun olam// project. The first //kvutzah//, //Chalutzim//, meets two Sundays and one Erev Shabbat monthly continues into its fourth year, while four //kvutzot// meet on Shabbat morning. In //Kol HaMishpacha Gesher//, 30 seventh grade families meet for 18 Shabbat mornings to learn the meaning and holiness of the //bar/bat mitzvah// passage. Several times during the course of the year when there is no Bar/Bat Mitzvah in the main sanctuary, //Gesher// families join the congregation in the main service in an effort to integrate the silos. Innovations for the fourth year of the project include a 6th grade KH group on Shabbat morning focusing on //Tefilah,// and three Community Shabbat mornings, when of the KH Shabbat morning groups will join for song and prayer, including Tot Shabbat and Adult Torah Study.

Members of the congregation are creating IJPs (Individual Jewish Plans) for the purpose of facilitating their personal discovery of Jewish meaning, connection and continuity. This innovative personalized approach focuses first on families with young children, with the goal of leveraging the emotional access to young families created by Shabbat and holiday and home and communal experiences in order to move toward an integration of learning, //tikkun olam//, and prayer in a multi-generational environment. Phase One involved developing and training a cadre of //See-ot// (guides) to work with individuals/families to articulate their hopes, dreams, fears and Jewish desires and through active listening and reflective responses together develop specific actions or programs that address those need, as well as to connect them to others with complimentary interest and needs.
 * The Temple Congregation B'nai Jehudah **, Overland Park KS (Reform, 1125 households)

//"My Jewish Neighborhood"// facilitates lay-led, home-based celebrations of Shabbat and holidays by connecting Jewish households with other Jewish households in their immediate neighborhoods. Hoboken's compact urban environment allows the re-creation of some aspects of the past tight-knit urban immigrant Jewish community, where family and Jewish celebration were an organic part of the life of a city block. Hoboken and environs are divided into six neighborhoods, with each synagogue member part of a 'sub-community' of just a few blocks. Each neighborhood hosts a series of hands-on intergenerational Shabbat and holiday events in individual homes, planned by synagogue staff and lay leadership and carried out by neighborhood residents, after training for these lay hosts and facilitators. These Jewish events "around the corner" lowers the barriers to participation for marginally affiliated Jews and those who are new to the community. Additional events throughout the year bring people from the various neighborhoods together for study, celebration and an end-of-year Shabbaton.
 * United Synagogue of Hoboken, NJ** (Conservative, 250 household units)

<span class="wiki_link"> **Young Israel of West Hempstead,** West Hempstead NY (Orthodox, 540 households) This project seeks to reinvigorate Shabbos observance at the individual, family and communal levels by developing a curriculum and program addressing three major aspects of Shabbat observance: //tefillah//, basic //hashkafah//, rituals and ceremonies. A congregation-wide curriculum and related programs address the the obstacles related to increasing the spirituality of Shabbat observance for Orthodox families. The prayer curriculum includes weekly home discussion at the Shabbat table, followed by weekly communal programs such as //tefillah// workshops. “Graduates” of the training may lead services in all of the //minyanim//, and several times a year accomplished teens lead the services in the main sanctuary. The //hashkafah// curriculum is geared to teens and allows for potentially difficult discussions with rabbis, young adult mentors, parents and other family members. The “Bring Spirituality Back to Shabbos” curriculum focuses on different aspect of the Shabbos meal, including Kiddush, Hamotzi, Zemirot and Havdallah; the curriculum divides key topics into learning segments for all ages and backgrounds; families learn together from a sourcebook each week at the Shabbat table, reinforced by independent learning with community speakers, and experiential activities on the same theme. All six //minyanim// receive the same information and experience it together, laying the groundwork for intergenerational discussions and integrating all aspects of the shul.