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YOUTH & FAMILY EDUCATION:
THE SPINOZA* PROGRAM
A positive, enriching, Jewish cultural education with an emphasis on Humanistic values
Through Jewish music, customs, holidays, stories, Hebrew, and history our goal is help our children and their families acquire Jewish literacy, explore their Jewish identity, and create a personal pride that comes with a sense of belonging.
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Our program combines children's education with whole family education. Designed for -K-7th graders and their families, the Spinoza Program begins each Sunday (see schedule below) with whole family time for the first hour and continues with an hour of peer (grade-level) time with teacher-facilitators. (Please note that parent participation is highly encouraged, but optional.)
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We begin as families gather at 10am in our "Family Room" (social hall) for a bagel breakfast, followed by a song session around our tables, and culminating with a special all-family topic presentation with Rabbi Falick or a guest educator. At about 11am children gather with their peers under the direction of teacher-facilitators who present follow-up activities and discussions on the topic of the day. On most Sundays, parents are invited to follow-up learning with Rabbi Falick.
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Children may enroll in the program as early as kindergarten and continue through seventh grade. As they approach the age of thirteen they may prepare for a B'Mitzvah with regular tutoring by Rabbi Falick (in person and online ... for detailed information about the B'Mitzvah program click here).
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8th - 12th grade students can participate in our social justice-oriented teen program.
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Our program respects students with mixed identities and heritages.
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The Spinoza Program is a benefit of membership. We do not charge tuition beyond a small "nosh fee" for the breakfasts.
Our program is organized around weekly themed topics so no one is penalized for missing a Sunday and there's no need to "catch up!"
GIVE YOUR FAMILY
THE GIFT OF A HUMANISTIC
JEWISH EDUCATION!
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 248.477.1410 OR
*Baruch “Benedict” Spinoza (1632-1677) is considered by many to be the first modern Jew. During his short life, his fame as a philosopher would grow to worldwide proportions. However, Spinoza’s beginnings were in the modest Portuguese Jewish community of Amsterdam, made up of the descendants of Jewish refugees exiled from their homes.
Though raised to be a traditional Jewish scholar, as a young man Spinoza began to ask “dangerous” questions about Jewish teachings. He proposed that humans had written the Bible and that Jewish law and religion were created by people. Soon his community began to view his ideas as dangerous and they denounced him as a heretic. As a result, he was excommunicated, forced to leave behind everyone he knew and loved. Today the entire world remembers him as one of the most important rationalists and free-thinkers in human history. And that’s why we named our program after him!