Shir Heharim-Brattleboro Area Jewish Community (BAJC) offers three youth and family based programs.
Yalla Tot Shabbat is an interactive program on 10 Fridays throughout the year for families with children ages 1-5. Yalla Tot Shabbat is led by Marlene Rachelle, a seasoned Tot Shabbat facilitator based in Western Massachusetts. The program includes dinner with pizza, challah, hummus and grape juice. There is no charge for Yalla Tots although contributions are always welcome. We are looking for a parent to be a volunteer coordinator of food & registration.
Yalla Chaverim is a creative, fun Jewish learning and community building experience for youth ages 6-12 and their families. Translated as “Let’s go Friends!,” Yalla Chaverim is led by BAJC’s Rabbi Amita Jarmon and two experienced teachers (an outdoor educator and a veteran art teacher). It takes place on 9 Saturdays and 12 Sundays during the 2022-2023 school year.
On Shabbat mornings, everyone in the family is encouraged to come to a one hour Yalla Chaverim service which includes lots of singing and stories. After a short Kiddush with snacks, youth will continue with Hebrew and Jewish Studies while parents have time to discuss questions raised by the Torah portion and topics of interest to them.
On Sunday afternoons, Yalla Chaverim will often be structured around holiday themes and will include outdoor activities. Special programming throughout the year includes puppet shows with Anna Sobel’s http://www.talkinghandstheatre.com and storytelling with award winning Maggid David Arfa. Parents are encouraged to participate on Sundays as well as Shabbats.
Tuition is $400 per child, $700 if you have 2 children participating. Please inquire about scholarships.
Bonei Aish Hadash, translated as “Builders of a New Fire,” is a teen program welcoming all youth ages 13-17 who are interested in learning about our rich Jewish culture. We are excited to build a diverse group of teen leaders as they engage in adventure, community building and fun. The program began on October 16 with a visit to the Jewish Community of Amherst (JCA)’s garden and outdoor oven for a pizza social, with a demonstration of the oven by Sam Coates-Finke of Backyard Bread https://backyardbread.com/ who coordinated its construction. There will be 2 spring sessions devoted to building an outdoor oven at BAJC with Sam.
The culmination of Bonei Aish Hadash will be a pizza and dance celebration with friends which includes making pizza in the new outdoor oven. Hours for high school community service graduation requirements can be received through these program activities.
Sunday April 30, 10 AM – 4 PM: Outdoor oven building with master builder and baker, Sam Coates-Finke, at BAJC, 151 Greenleaf Street, West Brattleboro.
Saturday, May 21 – Sunday, May 22: The 2nd stage of the oven building will be combined with an overnight on the West Brattleboro property of BAJC with Jewish teens from other parts of Vermont, including canoeing on the Connecticut river on May 20 and cooking an Israeli dinner together. More details and registration for the overnight program here.
Rain date June 4.
Tuition for Bonei Aish Hadash is on a sliding scale: $100-$500, but no one will be turned away due to lack of funds. Please inquire about scholarships.
For more information about Yalla Chaverim or Yalla Tots and to receive an application form for Yalla Chaverim and/or Yalla Tots, contact Rabbi Amita at ravamita@bajcvermont.org.
For more information or to register for Bonei Aish Chadash, contact teenprogramBAJC@gmail.com
Major funding for all three programs is provided by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.