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From infants to high-schoolers, we love to see children at the Temple, and we have created a number of special programs to enhance our children's Jewish identity. Please bring your children to Temple as often as possible.

Tot Shabbat Rabbi Cohen leads a short Shabbat service for 2-8 year olds. Music, prayer, stories, puppets and challah help to make this a special Shabbat experience. Tot Shabbat typically begin at 10:00 a.m. and the entire program is usually over by 10:30 a.m. Don't let your children miss out on the fun! Check the Temple Calendar for the schedule.

Kayitz  Temple Emanuel's summertime program for 4-10 year olds is a week of camp-like fun mixed with Jewish themes and focused on developing friendships. Watch for details in April.

Family Shabbat Dinners  Come and celebrate Shabbat with other families of our congregation! Once a month, just prior to the Family Service, we will have a delicious Shabbat meal. For a modest fee, the Temple provides roasted chicken, and congregants bring a vegetable or dessert to serve ten. Sign up for the Family Shabbat Dinner on the Contact Page email form, or call the office at 342-3378.

Mitzvah Kids  Religious School age children (ages 4-13) are invited to be a part of a very special monthly "helping hand" program. One Sunday a month, the "Mitzvah Kids" gather before religious school at 8:45 a.m. to do good deeds. We adopt a different "needy" cause each month and make something for our adopted cause. We might bring in books and then clean them up and take them to the area cancer center, we might have a bake sale to raise money for an elderly home, or we might paint mezuzot and send them to Jewish places in need of them. We might adopt Temple Emanuel one month and do a good deed for our own building. The children are given a list of ideas and they help to decide the project for each month. As a part of this program they will also learn about "mitzvah heroes". All of the children who participate regularly in Mitzvah Kids will get to go on a special end-of-year trip sponsored by the Sisterhood.

Hebrew School is a unique experience this year for our 4th through 7th grade students. In addition to learning lots of Hebrew, these students will have the chance to bake, eat, and play games in Hebrew. No tests and no letter grades are given - but they are given lots of opportunities to show how much they know!

Jewish Community Religious School  Temple Emanuel and Beth Israel Synagogue participate in a joint religious school which (before and after the current renovation) meets at the Temple on Sunday mornings. This highly creative, state-of-the-art religious education program offers classes for children from the ages of 3 through 18, Pre-Kindergarten through High School and Confirmation. Jewish holidays, life-cycle, Bible study, comparative Judaism, Israel, Holocaust and socio-political, and comparative religion are included in our hands-on, innovative approach to Jewish education. Grades 8-12 participate in the Jewish Academy, a seminar-based learning experience, where the students choose their course of study from among the diverse course offerings.

Youth Group (SCOTTY)  The "Star City Organization of Terrific Temple Youth (SCOTTY) is a vibrant branch of the NFTY Organization. Read all about SCOTTY on the Youth Group page.

B'nai Mitzvah Day  A special day of learning and spirituality for families of B'nai Mitzvah students takes place each November. Our focus is placed on making the B'nai Mitzvah process and the actual day a meaningful, enriching experience. During the course of this special session, these young teens and their parents will have the opportunity to share thoughts on God, Judaism, and responsibility. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony and celebration are discussed with an emphasis on what is appropriate for the child.

Havdalah and Hot Dogs  Each year the Temple Emanuel religious school children are invited to a special hotdogs and havdalah party with the Rabbi. Games, food, and the havdalah ceremony make up this fun, late afternoon program.

AND THERE WILL BE MORE . . . Sukkot picnics and sukkah decorating, open air Shabbat services, Chanukah dinners, Purim parties, etc.

CHILDREN ARE CHERISHED AT TEMPLE EMANUEL!