SHABBATON 5770 - 2009-2010

A Program for Families to Celebrate and Learn Together on Shabbat

Jewish Identity

Jewish Identity Curriculum Overview and Schedule

Frequently Asked Questions

A Recipe for Shabbaton Success

Shabbatot Policies

Shabbaton Food Guidelines

Snack  Schedule

Havdalah Service

 

Jewish Identity Curriculum Overview

What does being Jewish, or being a member of a Jewish family, or raising Jewish children, mean to each of us?  This is the main question that we will explore this year, as we look at many different aspects of Jewish identity.  We will explore family history and ask, “How did we come to be the family that we are?”  We will also ask, “What are our Jewish aspirations?  Who do we want to be?”  To be clear, at Beth Am we treasure our diverse population of families.  We come to Beth Am and to Shabbaton with many different backgrounds.  This curriculum aims to honor our differences and give everyone a safe space in which to reflect on Jewish Identity.  It also aims to be fun!

Schedule

Please note that this schedule is subject to change and will be updated regularly. 

Frequently Asked Questions about Shabbaton:

Who participates in Shabbaton?

Beth Am families with children in grades pre-K to 5 can choose Shabbaton as an alternative to the Sunday Judaica program. New families are warmly welcome. Current participants are encouraged to continue. Parents and children participate each time Shabbaton meets. Families who enjoy and value spending time together, life-long Jewish learning and building strong friendships with other Beth Am families certainly will enjoy Shabbaton.

Is Shabbaton a part of Beit Midrash?

Yes. Beit Midrash is the new name of our youth education programs for children in Pre-K to 8^th grade. Beit Midrash encompasses Hebrew and Judaica learning for these age groups. Beit Midrash includes the following youth education programs: Hebrew, Haggiah, Shabbaton, Sunday and Tuesday Night Programs, and Tzavta: Family B’nai Mitzvah Enrichment.

When does Shabbaton meet?

Shabbaton meets Saturday afternoon from 3:30 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. usually three times each month. Regular attendance, punctuality and full participation by parents and children at each session are essential for the success of the program and to each family’s experience. Please consider the commitment carefully when registering for Shabbaton.

How can my family register?

Return your registration as soon as possible. Check the appropriate Shabbaton box(es) for each of your children that are in pre-k thru grade 5. Parents are automatically included! Let us know if you have younger children for whom we need to save a space in Shabbatots (see the next question).

What about siblings younger than 4 years old?

We encourage families to bring all family members to Shabbaton. Therefore, we offer Shabbatots for children under 4 years old. Shabbatots is a wonderful, supervised playtime program where babies and toddlers are cared for by teenagers who are carefully supervised by an adult.

What about siblings in 6^th grade or older?

For our 6^th grade students, we will be offering a section of 6^th grade Hebrew instruction. Students will be able to participate with their families in Havdalah and complete their weekly Hebrew instruction during the learning time of Shabbaton.

For our other middle school students, we invite them to help out in our Shabbatots program. Along with our Shabbatots coordinator, our teens help to supervise playtime for our children 4 years and under. The students can either be paid for this time or gain community service hours. This is a wonderful way to learn how to work with small children and continue to be a part of our Shabbaton program.

For our high school students, we invite them to be madrichim (teaching assistants) in our classes. We welcome and encourage students to be active members of our Shabbaton teaching team.

How is time spent at Shabbaton?

As a Jewish family education program, each session begins and ends with family togetherness time. We also learn in parallel, age appropriate groups. Here’s an example of a typical Shabbaton schedule:

3:30     Shira: Singing

3:45     Mishpachot: Learning together with other families in small groups

4:35     Hafsakah: Break and snack

4:45     Kitot: Adult-only and child-only classes.

Adults learn with members of our professional team while children are in grade-level classes.

5:45 Havdalah: Come back together as a community to separate Shabbat from the rest of the week.

Our Shabbaton program also includes potluck dinners following Shabbaton and other special events during the year including an extended-day retreat. Friends, classmates and family groups are encouraged to find tikkun olam activities that they can do together. In addition, each family participates in an on-going family project that they will share with their mishpachah class at some point during the year.

What will we learn in Shabbaton?

Families learn that spending time together with friends at Beth Am on Shabbat is FUN! Also, we learn to participate in Jewish music, prayer, culture and holidays. Shabbaton is a great way for families to feel more connected to and at home at Beth Am and to our larger Jewish community.

Please see the front of this page for the details of our curricular focus for 5768 (2007-2008).

Why do families choose Shabbaton?

Comments from a few participants:

“We like being together as a family on Shabbat. We feel more connected to Beth Am because we got to know a group of families with children around the same age as ours. We also enjoy the opportunity for adult study.” -- Leanse Family

“We have a great time learning together; and our children see that we value Jewish education by participating as a family.” -- Crankshaw Family

“We feel Shabbaton provides an opportunity for family time where we can all do and learn together. Shabbaton creates a smaller more intimate setting in our large congregation. We enjoy Shabbaton immensely.” -- Kalb Family

"Shabbaton is really neat. It's great that you can learn about Judaism, combined with hanging out with your friends. The teachers are all really cool. And babysitting is the best! I get paid to hang out with a bunch of cool, funny, little kids, along with my other friends. I can't wait to start again next year."– Max Lloyd (7th grader)

Have more questions?

Please contact Rabbi Jennifer Clayman or (650) 493-4665.

Nine ways to help your family succeed at Shabbaton

by Rachel Tasch (mother of three)

1.  Let’s face it -- Saturday afternoon can be a brutal time for families with young children.  Between sports, birthday parties, naps and errands, trying to stay focused until 6 p.m. can be a recipe for disaster.  Our family has found some ways over the past few years to head off the meltdowns and generally get more out of our time at Shabbaton.  We’re sharing these suggestions, some of which may seem obvious or trivial, to help you find your own ways to succeed at Shabbaton.  Feel free to borrow, adapt or add to these in any way to suit your family.
    
2. Keep Saturday’s schedule light.  This may be a very difficult idea for us Bay Area parents to internalize, but it makes a huge difference.  We have turned down invitations to Saturday birthday parties.  We have mapped out sports schedules and decided together which conflicts would need to be resolved by missing the game.  I’m not saying we’ve never scheduled our babysitter to pick up the kids from Beth Am while we frantically changed into formal clothes in the restrooms.  Things come up, but we have found that the more craziness we can shift from Saturday to Sunday, the better we manage.
   
   
3. Leave home earlier than you think you need to.  Coming from Menlo Park, it takes about 25 minutes to get to Beth Am.  I used to start loading up my gang around 3:00 for the 3:30 start time.  This often led to cries of “I need a snack/drink/bathroom before we go,” or “I can’t find my shoes” etc.  We’d fallen into the classic trap of arriving stressed at an activity that was supposed to be rejuvenating.  I found that starting the “one-last-snack” at 2:30 allows us to reach Beth Am in plenty of time for Shirah, one of our favorite parts of the program.
   
   
4. Allow one-last-snack.  There’s nothing harder on my kids than trying to sit still when they’re hungry.  Since we usually eat dinner early during the week, waiting until after 6:00 p.m. to eat can cause trouble, even though there’s a snack provided during Shabbaton.  So we do eat a big snack before we leave home, and I try to bring snacks in the car for right after Havdalah, even if we’re going out for dinner afterwards.  In our family, Shabbat is a day where treats are plentiful.  It’s one way we encourage our kids to feel that Shabbat is different, special, and really fun.
   
   
5. Play Jewish songs on the way to Shabbaton.  I often play disc jockey and take requests, allowing each child to pick a song in turn.  One time they chose “Turn It” three times in a row!  In addition to Mah Tovu (featuring Rabbi Zweiback), we like Robbo and Craig Taubman – all these and more are available online.  The Jewish equivalent of itunes is www.oysongs.com.  Although we do listen to these songs during week, the kids know it’s part of our Shabbaton routine.
   
   
6. Let the kids pick where to go for dinner afterwards.  Each family member (parents included) has a turn to choose dinner.  The kids really look forward to their turn, and we abide by their choices.  Even if they choose fast food, it’s another way to make Shabbat special.
   
   
7. Invite another family to meet for dinner.  This is a great way for you to get to extend your shmoozing time and get to know other families, such as those in your Mishpachah group, in a casual setting.  Favorite family-friendly restaurants we’ve tried include Hobee’s and Marie Callendar’s.
   
   
8. Let Shabbaton ideas spill over into the week.  Although our Shabbaton routine is distinct from the rest of the week, we do look for ways to reinforce the content during the week.  Whether it’s spotting examples of things we studied, listening to Shabbaton songs, or introducing an upcoming topic at our Shabbat family dinner, I’ve found that the more I let these ideas seep into my life, the more opportunities there are to find them.  By the way, a great resource is the “Shabbat Family Table Talk” section of the Union for Reform Judaism website at http://urj.org/holidays/shabbat/intro/.
   
   
9. Keep a positive attitude.  My husband and I made a pact we call “Don’t diss Shabbaton!” acknowledging that, if we want our kids to have a positive experience at Shabbaton, we ourselves cannot complain about it.  Of course there are days when our preference would be a nice Shabbos afternoon nap.  But the benefit of our pact is worth it -- our kids have accepted that “going to Shabbaton is what our family does on Shabbat” and, believe it or not, we get almost no resistance from them. 
   
   NB: Speaking as a former Shabbaton lay leader, I can assure you that we know there’s always room for improvement (Rabbi Zweiback once told me “Family education is a tough gig.”).  Your job as participants is to let Rabbi Jennifer or the lay leaders know if you have concerns about something. Just be mindful of how you do it in front of your kids.
   
   
10. Model the behavior you want your family to embrace.  Like 90% of all parenting in my opinion, confronting your own issues and fixing your own behavior is the best way to achieve desired results in your children.  If you show your family that you enjoy coming to Shabbaton, if you show them how much you love learning and talking about what you’re studying, and if you show them that carving out a special place in your week for Shabbaton is meaningful to you, they’ll respond.  Then you’ll all succeed.

Shabbatots Childcare Policies and Procedures

 

Shabbatots is supervised play time for younger siblings of students enrolled in Shabbaton.  The children in Shabbatots are 4 years old and younger.  We are happy to have Natalya Martyushova and Nargiza Kalanov as our adult supervisors. They will plan age-appropriate activities and projects for the children, and they will be assisted by middle school-aged helpers.

The Shabbatots staff is responsible for:

• Supervising your child during Shabbaton
• Escorting your child to you for Havdalah

Parents are responsible for:

• Filling out appropriate paperwork, including an Emergency Form, for any child in Shabbatots
• Following our Check-In and Check-Out procedures
• Providing appropriate clothing (eg: closed-toe shoes, jacket or sweater, extra diapers…etc.)
• Informing the adult supervisors of any special instructions

Check-In and Check-Out procedures for Shabbatots are as follows:

• Shabbatots Drop-Off is in Room 2.
• Parents dropping children off for Shabbatots will sign their children in when you drop them off.  Please fill out the appropriate paperwork.  Make sure that we have an emergency form on file.
• At the end of Kitah (at 5:40), the children will be escorted by Natalya and Nargiza to room Bet, which is one of the Beit Kehillah classrooms. 
• Shabbatots parents will come to room Bet, sign their children out and take them to Havdalah.
• Parents and children will go to Havdalah together.
• Of course, if you would like to escort your own child to Havdalah you are welcome to do so, just be sure to leave Adult Study early, come up to Room 2, and sign your child out.

 Following these guidelines helps us to ensure the safety of all of our children, and we appreciate your cooperation.  Feel free to contact Rabbi Jennifer or any of the Lay Leaders with questions or concerns.

 

Shabbaton Food Guidelines

 

Part of our objective in sharing food is to build community and to encourage all congregants to feel comfortable. Therefore, please make all food "kosher-style," so meat and milk are not mixed in any single dish and are not served at the same table.  Pork and shellfish are not served at Beth Am.  A meat dish itself does not need to contain kosher meat as long as it does not contain pork, shellfish or dairy products.  However, some families do not eat non-kosher meats, so if you do select kosher meats, please label them so more people can enjoy what you bring.  Each dish should be labeled so that participants know whether it is vegetarian, dairy, or meat.  Thank you for helping everyone observe a level of kashrut that meets their needs.

 

VERY IMPORTANT: We have children in the program with nut allergies, so please do not bring children’s food that contains peanuts or tree nuts.

 

ADULT SNACK

The adult snack should include light finger food and drinks for approximately 90 people.  Don’t be intimidated by overachievers who bring what looks like a cruise buffet – 2 or 3 food options will be fine as long as quantities are adequate.  Classic options are cheese and crackers, pita and hummus, vegetables and dip, olives, chips, fresh fruit, or cookies.

 

Wine is allowed (encouraged by some), and this group can go through five or six bottles.  Non-alcoholic beverages are also appreciated – 3 or 4 two-liter bottles.      

 

Beth Am provides cups, small paper plates, and napkins – look for them in the kitchen by the Beit Kehillah.  There is also usually coffee and hot water for tea.

 

You can put the snack in the kitchen by the Beit Kehillah when you arrive.  You will need to leave Mishpachah around 4:25 to get the snack set up in time for the adults when they arrive at 4:35.  You will also need to clear away any leftover food and supplies between 5:30 and 5:40, then move the table(s) back against the wall in preparation for Havdalah at 5:45. 

 

CHILDREN’S SNACK

Again, no foods with peanuts or tree nuts.  Plan to provide snacks and beverages for 70 to 80 children.  This comes out to about four gallon-size containers of goldfish crackers, pretzels, or similar snacks, and three or so gallons of juice.  Both the beverage and the snack food are usually served in paper cups supplied by Beth Am.

 

You can drop the snack off at the tables in the breezeway near the Shabbatots room (Room 1).    Madrichim (teen helpers) will set up the snack before break.

 

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Congregation Beth Am
26790 Arastradero Rd
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
Phone: 650-493-4661
Email: Info@betham.org

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