Kesher (Hebrew for Connection) - 7th grade year

During the year that our students are preparing for Bar and Bat Mitzvah (typically their 7th grade year) our students embark on a year long journey in which they explore their Jewish identity through the medium of film. We also engage in discussion, field trips, and hands-on learning to broaden our understanding of the various topics and to allow the students to personally express their own feelings and connection to their Jewish identity. Here are some of the films we watch and the topics of discussion and exploration that are associated with them:

• Fiddler on the Roof – Jewish History and Jewish Tradition
• Praying with Lior – Bar and Bat Mitzvah
• Girl Rising – Social Justice and Tikkun Olam
• Deli Man – Jewish Food and Jewish Cooking
• Road to Eden – Jewish Holidays and Jewish Spirituality
• Anne Frank Remembered – The Holocaust
• The Return – Commitment to Developing and Maintaining a Jewish Identity
• Music – Each week in Religious School, we open our day in song during a part of our day we call “Kehila Tephila” (community prayer). Students, teachers, madrichim (teaching assistants), and parents join together in joyful songs (and often dance!) to get our day started right!