Frequently Asked Questions Q. It seems that the program only meets once a week on Sundays? What are the hours? A. The program meets Sunday mornings only, from 9:15-12:00 Q. Does the program lead to a Bar/Bat Mitzvah and, if so, is additional preparation required? A. The Program leads to a Bar and Bat Mitzvah. We have a staff Rabbi who coordinates and officiates at the ceremony. Our Big Brothers and Big Sisters prepare each student individually under the Rabbi's guidance. Q. Are the children in the program from various denominations? A. Yes, they come from all denominations including the unaffiliated by choice. |
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Jewish Youth Encounter Program
Two Sculptors I dreamed I stood in a studio And watched two sculptors there The clay they used was a young child's mind And they fashioned it with care One was a teacher, the tools she used Were books, music, and art Day after day the teacher toiled With touch that was deft and smart A parent labored by her side With patience, love, and care Sitting with the teacher's work Polishing and smoothing it over And when at last the task was done They were proud of what they had wrought For the things they molded into the child Could be neither sold nor bought Each agreed he would have failed If he had worked alone For behind the teacher stood the school And behind the parent, the home |
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The following is an article written by Eliana Grosser, a “Big Sister”, who tutors every Sunday morning at the JYEP: Although most kids do not like spending their free time at Hebrew School, I know a little girl who loves to. Her name is Chloe and she’s in 4th grade at a public school in Demarest. I am her “Big Sister”, and every Sunday we spend almost an hour together through the Jewish Youth Encounter Program learning different things about Judaism. Within the past year and a half we have finished the Aleph Bet and have moved on to reading and understanding complete sentences in Hebrew. The bond Chloe and I share is more than a simple student-tutor relationship, and, despite the age gap, we have become friends. We make the learning fun and exciting. Instead of pencils, we use markers, because Chloe decided that it would be more fun to practice Hebrew words with different colored markers. She also decided last year that there cannot be two letters with the same name, so instead of Tuf and Tuf at the end of the Aleph Bet, the letter without a dot we named “Puff”. Aside from our weekly meetings at TABC, there are Shabbatons every once in a while, where we have the opportunity to spend an entire weekend together. Chloe loves these and she is always one of the first kids to sign up. In light of her life philosophy about boys, namely that “boys are yucky and we shouldn’t talk to them”, she insists on attending these events even if there are going to be boys there. For the Teaneck Shabbaton at Rinat she gets to stay at my house, which she loves, but her favorite Shabbaton is the one in Ahavath Torah in Englewood. This is simply because “Avi Torah” (as she calls Ahavath Torah) is more fun to say than Rinat. I have learned not to argue with her on Avi Torah versus Ahavath Torah, as she is convinced that she is correct. The JYEP is a Hebrew School in disguise. Although there are classes, teachers, tutors, and even sometimes homework, the kids, specifically Chloe, do not view it as Hebrew School. Learning about Judaism is fun for them, because not only do they learn, they make new friends, friends who can understand them and are good role models for them. I think that I would be a different person without Chloe, because I have learned many things about myself and my own Jewish values, and I have even discovered that sometimes 4th grade logic makes much sense. It is interesting for me to see how many of the things that I take for granted are so exciting for her, and I love knowing that when Chloe walks out the doors at the end of our sessions, she sees Judaism and Hebrew in such a positive light. |