Jewish education is a community-wide endeavor, and attending Religious School is only one component of Jewish Education. Family involvement in planning, programs, service attendance, adult education classes and participation in community events are essential elements to an effective Jewish education. Judaism is a way of life that we want to help you instill in your children by strengthening it in yourselves. Each grade has a family program and a potluck dinner. Additionally, we have scheduled family programs for the first Sunday of Religious School, for Sukkah Decorating, social action day, Hanukkah and Passover.

Shabbat Family Dinners

On a Friday evening of most months during the school year, we invite all school families to share in the congregational service with prayer-leading by designated grades and a traditional Shabbat dinner. This is a time when grandparents and other extended family members can partake of the special feeling engendered by our family celebration of Shabbat. Shabbat songs and activities enliven these popular evenings. For each dinner, a specific grade level or levels is the designated “host”. The “host” children lead the service. Reservations are required. The dates for this year are Oct. 28 (6th & 7th), Jan. 27 (5th grade), Feb. 24 (4th grade), March 10 (JK-2nd), May 5 (3rd), May 12 (7th Grade Graduation). All dates are listed on the calendar, but may be subject to change.

Young Family Programs

Young families at Anshe Emet Synagogue have numerous opportunities to be involved. The First Friday Night Family Shabbat Services and Dinners are for families with children eight years and younger, although all ages are welcome. Friday night services led by Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg and Rabbi Donni Aaron are warm, light, and all can participate, especially in the family style dinner afterwards.

Shalom Shabbat services, led by Maxine Handelman, are offered on the second and fourth Saturday mornings (10:00 am -11:00 am) for families with children four years old and under. The Shachar service is also offered on the same mornings (11:00 am - 12:00 noon) as Shalom Shabbat, except this service is designed for those children who are ages four to eight years old. Our services include prayer, stories, singing and a snack of course!

Got Shabbat? is a joint program with the Florence Heller JCC and meets from 4:00 pm-5:30 pm one Saturday afternoon each month. It combines arts and crafts with gym time and music for an entertaining Shabbat experience. Young families also meet in the summer months to picnic and celebrate Havdallah together, early enough so the kids still get to bed on time!

If you would like more information on our Young Families programs, please contact Trudy Isbtiz Brodsky at (773) 868-5116.

The Gertrude & Louis Shapiro Braun Religious School Family Retreat

Every year, a growing number of our families drive to The Perlstein Resort Center at Camp Chi in Lake Delton, Wisconsin over the second weekend in November (November 11-13) to enjoy a community weekend of family indoor and outdoor activities. Every year has a theme. This year, the theme will be “Lech le Chai” a play on the parsha of the week, Lech Lecha. We will explore what it means to “take yourself to” as Abraham was commanded. There will be hayrides, campfires & s’mores, singing, games, bedtime stories, youth activities, movies, treasure hunts and much more. As one of our parents wrote last year…”We prayed, we laughed (A LOT), we learned, we relaxed and we came back to Chicago all the better! Words cannot adequately express the experience we had. We hope that all families will consider attending the Retreat, if not this year, at some point during your children’s religious school education.”