Each class will only run if there is enough enrollment. If a class has high enrollment we may offer additional sessions.
All classes are on Tuesday evenings at Temple Emanu-El from 7:00-8:30 pm. Classes will begin with dinner.
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Looking for a course that is not listed? Have a passion that you want us to help develop? Let us know and we can try to create a course too. (Examples – Conversational Hebrew? Interfaith Class? Let’s Talk about God? Judaism and Social Justice?)
MINI-MESTER 1
September 26th-November 28th
Mini-mester 1 Schedule
9/26, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 11/14, 11/28
Challah for Hunger (8th and 9th Grades)
As a HaMakom community, we will gather to build connections through baking challah. Each week we’ll bake challah and then sell it to support a local organization combating hunger. We’ll study texts about the mitzvot of challah, learn about and advocate against hunger in our local area, and engage in philanthropy to support the work of local anti-hunger nonprofits in your neighborhood. This is a hands-on delicious class as we give back to our community and learn about how we can fight hunger in our area.
10th Grade Confirmation
The Confirmation year is a hallmark of Temple Emanu-El. Confirmation is an opportunity for our 10th graders to study with our clergy, travel to Washington, DC for a four-day advocacy seminar, and then stand in front of our congregation in the Spring and become Confirmed! It is a year of deepening our connections to our tradition, to God, and to each other.
Judaism through Art (8th – 12th Grades)
In this hands-on elective with Cantorial Soloist and Artist Ronni Pressman, we will embark on a captivating journey exploring the rich tapestry of Jewish culture, traditions, and beliefs through the lens of artistic expression. Through engaging discussions and hands-on activities, we will examine how art has served as a powerful tool for storytelling, preservation of history, and celebration of Jewish identity.
Better Together Fellowship (8th – 12th Grades)
The Better Together Fellowship is a year long program that meets one Tuesday a month and throughout the year. Better Together is an intergenerational partnership between our TEEns and a local senior facility. We’ll be partnering with Lantern Hill in Berkeley Heights. The fellowship is designed to foster connections between the generations as we explore Jewish values, history, and stories. Together, Seniors and Teens will participate in conversations and activities that will deepen relationships and help deepen one another’s Jewish identity.
*The Better Together Fellowship class meets once a month during HaMakom fro 7:00-8:30pm.
The Better Together schedule is as follows
9/26, 10/24, 11/28, 12/19, 1/2, 2/6, 3/5, 4/9
MINI-MESTER 2
December 5th-February 27th
Mini-Mester 2 Schedule
12/5, 12/12, 12/19, 1/2, 1/9, 1/16, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27
Boston Trip (8th and 9th Grades)
We are shipping up to Boston from February 2nd – 4th! Join us for this awesome trip as we explore everything Boston has to offer including, a Duck Tour in the harbor, a Blue Man Group show, and the interactive Boston Tea Party Museum to see Colonial American history. We’ll explore both new and old Jewish roots of Boston along with some of the groundbreaking Jewish organizations in Boston too. The trip has four pre-trip classes to bond as a group and do some learning as well as two post-trip classes as a wrap up.
Boston Trip Dates: 2/2 – 2/4
Boston Trip Classes schedule
1/2, 1/9, 1/16, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13
10th Grade Confirmation
The Confirmation year is a hallmark of Temple Emanu-El. Confirmation is an opportunity for our 10th graders to study with our clergy, travel to Washington, DC for a four-day advocacy seminar, and then stand in front of our congregation in the Spring and become Confirmed! It is a year of deepening our connections to our tradition, to God, and to each other.
TEEn Band (8th – 12th Grades)
Attention Temple Emanu-El musicians! Are you ready to take your passion of music to new heights? Help us create our new Temple Emanu-El TEEn Band. We’ll explore all kinds of Jewish music, collaborate on a repertoire, practice, and play at a service (and maybe even more events)! Our Cantorial student Shirel Richman we’ll be our leader as we create beautiful music together.
ShalOMMMMMMMMMM (8th – 12th Grades)
Make time to breathe in kavanah (intention) and breathe out stress. This class will be a Jewish yoga, spirituality, and mindfulness class and will help us balance strength and flexibility, find our tikkun (wholeness), and nurture our sense of compassion. Comfortable clothes should be worn, and a mat should be brought for each class.
Better Together Fellowship (8th – 12th Grades)
(A year long program that meets one Tuesday a month and throughout the year). Better Together is an intergenerational partnership between our Teens and a local senior facility. We’ll be partnering with Lantern Hill in Berkeley Heights. The fellowship is designed to foster connections between the generations as we explore Jewish values, history, and stories. Together, Seniors and Teens will participate in conversations and activities that will deepen relationships and help deepen one another’s Jewish identity.
Challah for Hunger (11th & 12th Grades)
As a HaMakom community, we will gather to build connections through baking challah. Each week we’ll bake challah and then sell it to support a local organization combating hunger. We’ll study texts about the mitzvot of challah, learn about and advocate against hunger in our local area, and engage in philanthropy to support the work of local anti-hunger nonprofits in your neighborhood. This is a hands-on delicious class as we give back to our community and learn about how we can fight hunger in our area.
MINI-MESTER 3
March 5th-May 14th
Mini-Mester 3 Schedule
3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/9, 4/16, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14
TEEns Speak! (8th – 12th Grades)
Calling all writers, podcasters, and sermon writers! Participate in this unique class where you will have the opportunity to create and publish a newsletter, an article, a podcast, or a sermon for our temple community. Harness your writing skills and creativity to craft a compelling piece of work that shares Jewish teen voices and inspires and challenges our community.
Shark Tank – Temple Emanu-El Edition (8th – 12th Grades)
Do you have a creative idea? Learn about Jewish Entrepreneurship. Create a pitch. And get some funding to support your entrepreneurial spirit.
10th Grade Confirmation
The Confirmation year is a hallmark of Temple Emanu-El. Confirmation is an opportunity for our 10th graders to study with our clergy, travel to Washington, DC for a four-day advocacy seminar, and then stand in front of our congregation in the Spring and become Confirmed! It is a year of deepening our connections to our tradition, to God, and to each other.
Better Together Fellows (8th -12th Grade)
(A year long program that meets one Tuesday a month and throughout the year). Better Together is an intergenerational partnership between our Teens and a local senior facility. We’ll be partnering with Lantern Hill in Berkeley Heights. The fellowship is designed to foster connections between the generations as we explore Jewish values, history, and stories. Together, Seniors and Teens will participate in conversations and activities that will deepen relationships and help deepen one another’s Jewish identity.
11th and 12th Grade New Orleans Class Trip
We are going to New Orleans (NOLA) for a service trip from Thursday, April 18th – Sunday, April 21st. Come join us for this amazing opportunity for a hands-on volunteering experience while also getting a New Orleans experience. Our main project will be partnering with a local organization that takes foreclosed homes and renovates them for the community. When we aren’t getting our hands dirty we will be out enjoying classic New Orleans staples like beignets with hot chocolate at Café Du Monde and shopping in the French Market, cruising down the Mississippi River with jazz music and dinner, going on a ghost tour of historic New Orleans. The trip has four pre-trip classes to bond as a group and do some learning as well as two post-trip classes as a wrap up.
NOLA Trip Classes Schedule
3/19, 3/26, 4/9, 4/16, 4/30, 5/7