Raising our kids and our Jewish IQ

by Jenny Benowitz
My oldest son graduated from the Gan last spring after five fabulous years, and so began his public school journey.  Graduation was bittersweet.  Of course I wanted my son to grow and advance, but at the same time I worried: Would he thrive in kindergarten? Would he make friends? And how would he connect with his Jewish community now that he was leaving the cocoon of the Gan?  After all, he had spent a good portion of his week at the Gan playing with Jewish friends and learning about Judaism.  At his new school, there would be only a handful of Jewish kids, and he would have limited time for much of anything Jewish given his new all-day school schedule.

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So, when Rabbi Weininger approached me last fall to help plan a weekend to give young families the tools to incorporate Judaism into their busy lives, I jumped at the chance.  After our first committee meeting, it became clear to me that my family was not alone in our quest to seek Jewish connections and meaning in our secular world. So many families were struggling.  
 
On February 19 and 20, Rabbi Lauren Kurland will be joining us at Adath to give us tools to manage the struggle.  Together with Rabbi Kurland, we will explore ways to keep Jewish connections strong and incorporate Judaism into our hectic lives.  The weekend will begin with a Friday night Shabbat dinner/discussion/music jam geared toward those of us with kids from birth to Pre-K.  On Saturday morning, Rabbi Kurland will visit Havaya and SPA, give a D’Var Torah, and converse with parents during Kiddush.  The weekend will culminate in a Havdallah and dessert potluck for B’nai Mitzvah families at the home of Jason and Sandy Sondell.
 
Whether you are a new parent, dealing with a tantruming threenager, or guiding your child through the travails of teenager-dom, the weekend offers something for everyone.  I would love to see you there!

More information and registration HERE