Shomrei+Emunah+(Montclair,+NJ)

The congregation will recruit a cohort of day school and public school families with younger (seven or under) children, matching them with mentor families who will host them Shabbat dinners, lunch or havdalah throughout the course of the year. Participants will engage in two Shabbat experiences each month, one synagogue-based experience (involving adult learning and a children’s activity, a joint family activity, and a meal) and another in their own or their mentor family’s home. Participants will join in a monthly intergenerational, family-based service, and create a family journal throughout the year, recording each family member’s responses to their Shabbat experiences. 67 Park Street Montclair, NJ 07043 Rabbi Noach Shapiro nshapiro@shomrei.org Judy Jaffe JafOranges@aol.com At the beginning of each month, we send inviting letters via snail mail and email to our cohort group, our //Kitah Bet//, 2nd grade families of both our Solomon Schechter Day School, our Jewish Learning Center, and our empty nesters. Chaverim (lit. friends) are we chose to affectionately call our empty nesters/mentors. We also included one 1st grade family, who asked to be included in the experimental cohort. Our idea is to start with a target group, fostering the relationships and plant the seed to grow.__[|Schedule.doc] Letter to invite our cohort, and explain our goals. [|2nd Grade Letter.doc] [|Chaverim Letter.doc] [|Sept Shabbat Matters.doc] A letter goes out to our cohort every month, serving as a reminder. In October, we held 3 sessions: two on Friday night with services and Shabbat dinner. A third was a //Hachanah.//[|October.doc] This reminder letter also served as a necessary RSVP regarding our //Havdallah// at the nearby planetarium.[|November.doc] Our December letter encourages our cohort to attend both a Sunday morning //Hachanah// as well as a //Havdallah// service at the shul__.__[|December.doc] [|Decemberr 2007.doc] [|January 2008.doc] [|**January - Rabbi.doc**]
 * __Shomrei Emunah__****, Montclair, NJ (Conservative, 300 household units)**
 * “Sacred Time/Sacred Space: Shabbat Matters”**
 * __Informational and Marketing Materials__**
 * September**__
 * __October__**
 * __November__**
 * __December__**
 * __January__**

[|February.doc]. We invited participants in our cohort to write a column for our bulletin. Here was our first one! [|Christa Rapoprt.doc]. [|March 2008.doc] [|March.doc] [|Christa Rapoprt.doc]
 * __February__**
 * __March__**

[|April.doc]. [|The STORY PIRATES are coming to Shomrei.doc]. We have planned our program to include //Hachanah// (lit. preparation). We meet Sunday mornings with our cohort. Those programs are divided into parallel study, when the adults do text study, and our children participate in similar, age appropriate activiites, followed by activities together. Shabbat Matters also has //Kabbalat Shabbat//, Shabbat morning and //Havdallah.// The goal is to expose our families to different "kinds" of Shabbat experiences, first to learn about and then to model them, thereby raising awareness and hopefully observance.There are many ways to "do" Shabbat. (LP= lesson plan.) This journal is designed to look like a day Talmud, where everyone is the family shares their pesonal reflections and experiences. [|Journal Page.doc]. In addition to the jounral pages, which are collected and will be returned to the families in abinder at the end of the year, chronicalliny their journey, here are optional anonymous questions participants can share with us.[| Baseline Question Cards.doc] __**September**__ In this session, we both introduced our families to each other and began a serious discussiuion about Shabbat and what it means to us in our lives. [|Schedule.doc], [|Hachana LP1.doc], [|Opening Questions.doc], [|Blessing the Children Resources.doc]
 * __April__**
 * __May__**
 * __Educational Materials and Best Practices__**

In both //Kabbalat Shabbatot//, we modeled different kinds of Shabbatot. Part of our systemic growth included having our Kitoth Vav and Zayin, grades 6 & 7, leading services, followed by a Shabbat dinner, where some of our high school students led Birkat HaMazon and zemirot. Shabbat terms to offer accessibility to all. [|Milon.dwd], [|Shabbat DInner Program.dwd], [|Nitilat Yadayim.dwd] [|LP2 Kabbalat Shabbat.doc], [|Shabbat Dinner List.doc] Here, we did Friday night services at someone's home followed by a dairy pot luck Shabbat meal, where both our Kadima and USY groups discussed the programs.We used the challah covers made by each family to make motzi. [|LP3 Hachana.doc], [|LP4 Kabbalat Shabbat.doc] How unique and special to foster conversation about Havdallah at the local planaterium, followed by Havdallah? LP5 Ma'ariv Havdalah done.doc__, [|Skylore.dwd]__ [|LP6 Hachanah.doc]. [|**IMG_2814.JPG**]**__,__** [|**IMG_2815.JPG**]**__,__** [|**IMG_2816.JPG**]**__,__** [|LP7 Havdallah.doc] Menucha The daughter of one of our "empty nesters" returned home after college and did a challah baking program for both our parents and children. The challah baked will be used later in the week for Shabbat at someone's home where we are all invited. Our Cantor taught our families Shabbat music on a Sunday morning, followed by a Shabbat service and dinner where we recited the brachot shel Shabbat, blessed our children, washed our hands, recited HaMozi, ate our home made vegan challah, dinner and then sang the zemirot we learned. It was awesome! here is the music. We intentionally used transliteration to accomodate ALL the families. [|ShabbatMatters Music.doc] Appreciating nature and reflecting on the spiritual aspects of Shabbat and creation at Van Vleck Gardens [|treescavengerhunt havdallah.pub] [|springscavengerhunt.pub] By popular request: Too much to do with too little time? and Birkat HaMazon. Story Pirates[|StoryGuidelinesShomreiEmunah.pdf] [|IMG_2984.JPG]
 * __October__**
 * __November__**
 * __December__**
 * __January__**
 * __February__**
 * __March__**
 * __April__**
 * __May__**