FAMILIES, CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Our aim is to create a place where love of our Jewish heritage can flourish. And where better to start than with parents and children?
Children are always welcome in the shul service, where they are encouraged to take an active part. Young people lead some of the prayers, and are encouraged to continue to leyen (read Torah), chant the Haftorah, or lead services after their bar/bat mitzvah. Smaller children soon become relaxed as they get to know everyone and begin to feel that this is their community too ... especially when there are ice cream kiddushim!
As we are a small 'do-it-yourself' community, family events are often spontaneous, coming from the needs of families themselves, rather than imposed by the community. Yet we manage to put together a range of activities, from art and craft mornings to family-oriented Friday night services and potluck meals.
Our approach to children's education is individualised and person-centred, taking into account the parents' wishes for their child, the community's commitment to education, and the child's own wishes. And all life-cycle events are designed to be unique and meaningful for for the individual children and their families.
These are some of our ongoing family-oriented activities:
Me Dor Le Dor
Join us at our 'Me Dor Le Dor' services (From Generation to Generation'), where we encourage and involve children of all ages in parts of the service. On these Shabbatot we generally also hold a communal meal for families after the service. These services generally run on the second Shabbat of every month from just after the Yamim Norai'm (i.e., usually October) through to the summer.
On Me Dor Le Dor Shabbatot, please get to shul by 10:15am
if possible so your family can be involved. Check the Kol Nefesh
calendar or contact us for more more details.
Noam
Noam meets at Kol Nefesh roughly one Shabbat morning each
month, usually on the first Shabbat of the month. Suitable for
Year 4 and up. See the flyer on this page for dates.
Friday night services and potluck meals for families
Check the Kol Nefesh calendar or contact us for dates.
Bar/Bat Mitzvahs at Kol Nefesh
Please see our Bar/Bat Mitzvah page for details.