Am Yisrael offers several programs and prayer services geared towards families with children. All are designed with age appropriate activities and education in mind, within a Jewish context.
Rabbi Newman Kamin meets with each class in our School of Jewish Studies (SJS). Students, Parents, Grandparents and other family members are welcome to join these sessions. These classes with the Rabbi concentrate on topics students are learning in their SJS classes.
Mr. Charlie Sherman and Mr. E. Marc Nevins co-lead a family-friendly, spirited prayer service. Rabbi Newman Kamin delivers a D’var Torah. Torah Chanting is one of the core components of Family Shabbat Services. We have dozens of students and their family members who have chanted verses of Torah at Family Shabbat Services and on Torah-based Jewish holidays over the years. Please click here for logistic details.
Twice each school year each class is invited to help lead our Friday evening services. If you haven’t already, please mark these dates in your calendars. Please click here to access to the School of Jewish Studies (SJS) Calendar. When we meet in person, we call on students to come forward to the Sanctuary bimah with their classmates to help lead prayers they have been practicing in class. When we services are via Zoom, we give families English reading honors, connected to the themes of our prayers. These twice a school year services are a key component to the community-building experience.
An early introduction to Judaism in a one-hour interactive setting. Meet others and explore Shabbat, Holidays and Jewish values. Play, sing, dance, pray and create art. Hear stories and have a snack. Build community and celebrate Judaism. Open to newborns through 3.5 year olds. Child must be accompanied by a parent, other relative or caregiver. Special thanks to jBaby Chicago for sponsoring this program. Please click here for logistic details.
For the past decade we have been giving opportunities for Intergenerational Torah Reading on various Shabbatot and holidays such as Simchat Torah, Pesach and Shavuot. We have had two, three and up to four generations of Torah readers sharing verses of Torah to chant within an Aliyah. If you are interested in receiving Torah verses to chant at our services, please be in contact with our Head of School, Mr. Charlie Sherman: 847-708-1805 (mobile) or csherman@amyisrael.org.
Updated 12-29-2021, 26 Tevet 5782