“I thought about switching to a 1:1 tutor for Hebrew, because we had extracurriculars… But my son made us change his extracurricular schedule, because he wanted to see his friends online.”
To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure it would be possible to create a meaningful community online on a Tuesday afternoon. After so much time online in the past year-and-a-half, children and adults alike were “zoomed” out.
And yet, our CYE team knew that with students returning to school and extracurriculars, we had to make our T’filah (prayer) curriculum accessible to as many Stephen Wise students as possible. Furthermore, the opportunities for students to join us from home, message us privately via chat, and showcase their creative spirit with avatars and filters, give students tools for expression and connection that can often be lacking in-person.
Thus, T’filah Tuesdays were born, a weekly online class that prepares children to lead and participate in Jewish prayer. With an opening prayer service, followed by T’filah through music for children in Grades K-2 and Hebrew enunciation and T’filah study for children in Grades 3-7, students discover the meaning behind our prayers, enjoy our sacred music, and hone their prayer skills from the comfort of home. Perhaps, more importantly, however, they build meaningful community through their interactions with peers, faculty, and staff.
With an emergent curriculum developed by our Associate Educator, rabbinic student Brett Weisman, students discover the joys of mastering service participation in small groups. We couldn’t be prouder of the progress they’ve already made this year, and we’re looking forward to what the future holds. If you’d like to see how T’filah can become an uplifting, meaningful part of your child’s Jewish journey (or your grandchild’s), contact us [email protected] to see how you can get started!
— Rabbi Josh Knobel