››Pre-K through B'nai Mitzvah Education Programs

P'nai Or's Children and Family Education program has two primary components:

SIMCHA SUNDAYS occur 3 Sundays a month. Twice monthly regular sessions
begin with community singing and storytelling with Reb Aryeh, before breaking
into 2 class periods for Religious Education and Hebrew. Once monthl y when
Gimmel and Pre-B’nai students will receive a full hour of Hebrew instruction and
1 hour of experiential learning focused on the different mitzvot (commandments),
middot (values) and midrash (creative) expressions of Judaism. Families are
invited to participate in this experiential format along with their student.

Once monthly MISHPACHAH SERVICES give students and their families an
opportunity to practice their davvening skills in services, long before their actual
bar or bat mitzvah. Students from all age groups participate in leading prayers,
under the direction of Reb Aryeh. Holiday, Family and Outdoor programs are
interwoven into the life of the community, along with mitzvot and tzedakah
projects. The key components of our education program include:

• Sacred Circles, Blessings, Storytelling, and Music - Enables students to
  feel and experience the spiritual in Jewish life.
• Ethics and Values - Students develop a strong ethical base through core
  Jewish teachings and practice.
• Theatre Arts - Students create plays depicting the major festivals.
• Holiday Customs and Rituals, Seasonal/Natural Cycles, and Life Cycles-
  A cornerstone of the program, this helps connect students to Nature and
  community through celebrations of the seasons and cycles of our lives.
• Torah Reading - Starting with the Bet class, students will study aspects of
  the weekl y parsha. Hebrew words and phrases will be incorporated.
• Art/Midrash - Allows children to develop their artistic skills in interpreting
  Torah stories and text.
• Living History - Children Role play characters from different periods of
  Jewish History.
• Prayer and Services- Shabbat Service focus on teaching helps students
  learn the structure and meaning of the Shabbat prayers and songs.
• Community - Children participate and learn from congregational activities
  such as Tikkun Olam, Tzedakah, and interfaith projects.
  
  

››P'nai Or offers the following pre-B'nai Mitzvah classes

AlephBet Class for grades K-2
Belonging to Community & Developing Positive Jewish Identity. Children are
introduced to Torah, holidays & seasonal cycles, values & ethics, basic Hebrew,
and blessings. Lessons are hands-on and participatory, featuring mitzvot,
creating ritual objects and experiencing awe in nature.

Gimmel Class: (grades 3-5)
Inquiry, Critical Thinking, & Creative Expression. Students begin to experience
the Jewish story as their own, through the expressive arts. They develop critical
thinking skills through hevrutah discussions (with learning buddies) on Torah and
Jewish history. They will build a relationship to community and to our core ethics
& values through mitzvot and tzedakah projects. And they will begin to explore
dail y prayer as a tool to connect with gratitude, hope and holiness in their lives.

B'nai Mitzvah: (grades 6 and up)
Life Passage Journey into Adult Responsibility. Working individually and with the
group, Reb Aryeh introduces the students to prayer, in the words of Heschel, "as
a path to developing a sense of wonder in the face of the inconceivable surprise
of living." Students will engage in textual study with the realization that what they
bring to and derive from Torah is a valid part of our sacred 3,000 year
conversation.

Hebrew for all grades
Kindergarten thru 2nd graders will focus on reading readiness, alephbet
recognition, and simple words & phrases, while the older grades will focus on
understanding the multifaceted meanings within the root structure of Biblical
Hebrew, leading to reading and writing skills that prepare them to engage in life-
long relationship with Torah.

 

Lauren Eaton had this to say:

At my P'nai Or Bat Mitzvah, for my Torah interpretation (or Drash), I was encouraged to seek out alternative interpretations and to search for interpretations that made sense to me. Even when I tended to favor traditional interpretations, I felt that since I had researched the writings of feminist rabbis and spoken with dissenting wise members of the congregation, I was aware of the alternative points of view. But in the end, my interpretation was entirely my own.

››P'nai Or Children & Family Education Calendar for 2007/2008

Sept. 8 Mishpachah (Family) Service2, 9:30-10:30, followed by Bagel Brunch
Orientation & Torah Study
Sept. 9 FIRST DAY of Simcha Sunday3; 9:30 Family Circle w/ Reb Aryeh at the Fulton Park Community Center
Portland Area Jewish Educators (PAJE) conference. Free to educators.
2 p.m. – Conference begins
5:45 – Dinner begins
7:00 – Sam Glaser concert

Sept. 13 First Day of Rosh HaShanah, Children’s Service at 10 a.m., @ Unity Church
Sept. 22 Yom Kippur, Children’s Service at 10 a.m. @ Unity Church
Sept. 26 Erev Sukkot
Sept.30 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 in the Gevurtz sukkah

Oct. 7 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center
Oct. 13 Mishpachah Service, 9:30-10:30 at St. Mark, bagel brunch & Torah study to follow
Oct. 14 Simcha Sunday H&M (see footnote #3), 9:30-11:30 at the Fulton Community Center
Oct. 21 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center

Nov. 4 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the FCC (Note: Daylight Savings Time ends)
Nov. 10 Mishpachah Service, 9:30-10:30 at St. Mark, bagel brunch & Torah study to follow
Nov. 11 Simcha Sunday H&M, 9:30-11:30 at the Fulton Community Center
Nov. 18 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center

Dec. 4 First Night of Hanukkah
Dec. 9 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center, Congregation Hanukkah Celebration begins at 5:00 p.m. @ St. Mark
Dec. 15 Mishpachah Service, 9:30-10:30 at St. Mark, bagel brunch & Torah study to follow
Dec. 16 Simcha Sunday H&M, 9:30-11:30 at the Fulton Community Center
Dec. 23 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center

Jan. 6 Simcha Sunday H&M, 9:30-11:30 location TBD
Jan. 12 Mishpachah Service, 9:30-10:30 at St. Mark, bagel brunch & Torah study to follow
Jan. 13 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center
Jan. 20 Simcha Sunday: Field trip – Tu B’shvat Tree Planting (location TBA)
Jan. 22 Tu B’shevat

Feb. 3 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center
Feb. 10 Simcha Sunday H&M, 9:30-11:30 location TBD
Feb. 23 Mishpachah Service, 9:30-10:30 at St. Mark, bagel brunch & Torah study to follow
Feb. 24 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center

Mar. 2 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center
Mar. 9 Simcha Sunday H&M, 9:30-11:30 location TBD
Mar. 15 Mishpachah Service, 9:30-10:30 at St. Mark, bagel brunch & Torah study to follow
Mar. 16 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center
Mar. 20 Erev Purim; Join us for the Community Celebration
Mar. 22-30 PPS Spring Break

Apr. 6 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center
Apr. 13 Simcha Sunday H&M, 9:30-11:30 location TBD
Apr. 19 First night of Pesach
Apr. 26 Mishpachah Service, 9:30-10:30 at St. Mark, bagel brunch & Torah study to follow
Apr. 27 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center

May 4 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center
May 11 Simcha Sunday H&M, 9:30-11:30 location TBD
May 17 Mishpachah Service, 9:30-10:30 at St. Mark, bagel brunch & Torah study to follow
May 18 Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center
May 23 Lag B’Omer

Jun. 1 Last Simcha Sunday, 9:30-12:30 at the Fulton Community Center
June 8 Erev Shavuot; Procession of the First Fruits & Tikkun Leil Shavuot Study
Jun. 14 Mishpachah Service, 9:30-10:30 at St. Mark, bagel brunch & Torah study to follow

For more information,email Rivka Gevurtz at rgevurtz@comcast.net or call 503-335-8268.