September 2019
Elul 5779
Dear Friends,
We look forward to celebrating Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with you and your family. At Tikvat Israel,
we welcome children of all ages to join us in the Social Hall for all services
. In addition, we also provide:
- Babysitting – during almost all service times
- A Family Service led by Sheri Brown for pre-school aged children (Rosh Hashanah Day 1 / Yom Kippur morning)
- Grades K-2 and Grades 3-7 programming (Separately on Rosh Hashanah Day 1 and Yom Kippur; jointly on Rosh Hashanah Day 2)
Please know that our youth programs are designed to provide an age-appropriate High Holiday experience of
t’fillah
(prayer), education, and fun. All of our activities are led by experienced adults with the aid of several teens. In order to ensure a meaningful experience, it is helpful for everyone – room leaders, staff, parents and children – to have a shared understand of the following expectations:
1. Youth programs are designed to help children understand and appreciate the meaning of the holiday. We have done our best to design activities that are engaging, fun, and interesting, but it is important that they know it is not just “play-time.”
2. Discuss the concept of
kavod
(respect). Explain specific examples of how your children can demonstrate respect: by quietly listening when leaders speak, by participating in reading, singing or other service elements, and by not engaging in distracting or disruptive activities. Similarly, your children and you should expect that they will always be treated with respect – the children are not “prisoners” in the youth programs. Children who want to return to the main service may do so by asking the leader in the room to have someone walk them back to their parents.
3. Due to security and other concerns, children may not wander the building without adult supervision. This is first and foremost a health and safety issue. If, God forbid, there should be any type of emergency, we need to be able to reunite children with their parents as quickly as possible.
We encourage parents (and grandparents) to sign up for our youth services, family services, and babysitting. By registering in advance, you help ensure that all programs will be properly staffed and that we will have sufficient snacks, etc. You can click the forms below to open up a PDF, or click
HERE
to go directly to an online form for family services and babysitting.
Finally, we want to take this opportunity to inform you that
Elissa Malter Schwartz
is now serving as our Interim Director of Youth and Educational Programs. Elissa, her husband Jason and their four children have been active members of Tikvat Israel for over 20 years. All four of their children are graduates of our ECC. Elissa has vast experience in USY and as a youth director, including 2 years as Tikvat Israel’s youth director. Lis agreed to fill this position while we continue our search for a more permanent candidate who will meet the high standards we expect of a candidate for this important position. Lis is serving as the point person for all the youth programming on the High Holidays, and you can reach her at
YouthEd@tikvatisrael.org
.
Wishing you and your family a Shanah tovah u’metukah – a sweet, happy and healthy new year.
Rabbi Marc D. Israel
Tikvat Israel Congregation
2200 Baltimore Rd
Rockville, MD 20851
(301) 762-7338 x115
(202) 669-6854 (mobile)
