Vision

Our name is our vision: 

FEAST - Family Education At Sinai Today

Family -     By including and involving families in the learning process, and bridging the youth education program to the adult congregation, we aim to nurture the larger Sinai Synagogue Family.

Education -    To be a Jew is to be committed to life-long study of Torah and Judaism. Our youth education program runs from birth through high school, and is staffed by parents and congregants because, “As you teach you learn.”

Sinai -     The future of Sinai Synagogue, and the Jewish people, is an engaged, educated community.

Today -     Hillel says, “ . . .If not now, when?" (Ethics of the Fathers, 1:1). Whether it be on Shabbat, at a FEAST Family Sunday, or during weekday Hebrew education, Sinai offers opportunities to learn TODAY.

Thank you to Cindy Tachman, former FEAST Director, for writing the original vision statement upon which this is based.

Mission

The mission of Family Education at Sinai Today (FEAST) is to provide religious educational programming for children from infancy to young adulthood. FEAST currently has two components: Shabbat educational programming called FEAST Shabbat and the Hebrew education program.  

Hebrew Education

Hebrew is the language of the Jewish people. Having a rudimentary understanding of our sacred language and an ability to read (or decode) the Hebrew characters with ease are essential to participating in Jewish life.  Sinai’s Hebrew education program is focused on creating and sustaining long-lasting ties to Jewish community and synagogue life.

Students come one day a week. Our Hebrew education program is based on the innovative Hebrew through Movement program. We begin by working with the students to develop auditory knowledge of Hebrew language, and move to decoding and reading afterwards, the way all children learn language.

6th grade students assist in leading the Torah service in preparation for Bat/Bar Mitzvah.  This furthers our community’s goal of creating future ritual leaders and helping our students appreciate that Hebrew studies are not solely to be able to “get through their Bar Mitzvah”.

FEAST Shabbat Curriculum Organization

Sinai Synagogue’s mission is organized around three core ideas: 

Beit Tefillah (Worship)

Beit Midrash (Learning)

Beit Knesset (Community). 

Based on this, the FEAST Shabbat educational programming is organized around:

Beit Tefillah  = Jewish Time: Shabbat and holidays

Beit Midrash = Jewish Text: TaNahK - Torah, Nevi’im

        (prophets),  Ketuvim (writings)

Beit Knesset = Jewish Community: middot, mitzvot, life cycle

FEAST Shabbat  promotes: Shabbat as the time for the Jewish community to gather together for prayer, study and fellowship; that coming to shul on Shabbat is a positive experience; and that learning about Judaism with ones’ peers is enjoyable and memorable. Our objective is for children to know the what, how and why of Jewish Time, Jewish Text, and Jewish Community.