On Sunday, February 5th, our third through seventh grade students participated in the World Wide Wrap. Thank you to Ron Rutzky for organizing this for us. Rabbi Caplan, Rabbi Harari and Ron along with members of Am Echad worked with groups of Beit AmiChai students to teach them about Tefillin and how to put it on. Thank you to all who participated and helped make this a wonderful experience! Thanks also to Quynh Kirschner, Robin Latman, Joel Williams and Tracey Levy for preparing platters for the Tu B’Shevat Seders that our Sunday School classes had. We had our annual Havdalah service, pasta dinner and dessert auction on Saturday,February 25th at 6:15 p.m. at B’nai Yehuda Beth Sholom. This year our dessert auction will benefit both our own Beit AmiChai school and Leo Baeck school in Haifa Israel. We hope many of you will join us on Saturday,March 4th as our Hebrew School students lead the Saturday morning service. Services begin at 10:00 a.m. at Temple Anshe Sholom. We will also have the privilege of hearing Rabbi Gary Zola speak that morning. We will be celebrating Purim at Temple Anshe Sholom on Sunday morning March 12th with the students from both Munster Congregations. We will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a short Megillah reading, Purim shpiel and songs. Everyone is then invited to have food, fun and games in our carnival. We will end our morning at 12:30 p.m
We have some wonderful things happening in the month of February. Beit AmiChai will participate in the World-Wide Wrap on Sunday, February 5th. We participated last year and it was a great experience for our students to learn about tefillin and actually get to put it on. Thank you to Ron Rutzky for coordinating this and including Beit AmiChai.
Friday, February 10th is a Youth/Family Shabbat and it is also Shabbat Shira. Our Youth Choir will help lead us in song to make this a beautiful and joyful Shabbat! Services are at B’nai Yehuda Beth Sholom at 7:00 p.m.
That weekend is also special because it is Tu B’Shevat! Our classes will celebrate with Tu B’Shevat seders on February 12th; it is always a fun time! On that same day, we will also have many of our older students helping to make calls at the JUF phone-a- thon. The kids look forward to doing their part each year and they always do such a great job!
As we are wrapping up the first half of our school year, I want to thank all the people who have been volunteering their time and working so hard for Beit AmiChai. We just wrapped up a very successful latke sale. It was a success because of all the time and effort the amazing volunteers put into it. Our incredible Chef Sigy Rafalovitz guided the group of volunteers and we all learned a thing or two along the way! Tommie Gbur lent her expertise in putting this whole thing together and did all the shopping! Thank you to the most hard working kitchen team of Deb Feingold, Quynh Kirschner, Gaby Larsen, Robin Latman, Rick Bloomberg, Rabbi Harari, Jack Levitt, Laura Eisenwasser, Gayla and Joel Cahan, and Dan Greenberg. It was a pleasure to work with each and everyone of them! And of course thank you to Congregation Am Echad for allowing us to use their kitchen. I also want to extend my thanks to Art Moeckler for handling the financial end of this fundraiser. And a huge thank you needs to go out to the incredible room parents who always come and work so hard for our school’s holiday celebrations. They made a great Chanukah party for our kids! Our great group includes, Sigy Rafalovitz, Deb Feingold, Sarah Goldberg, Quynh Kirschner, Aliza Kaliski and Geoffrey Wool, Gaby Larsen, Elizabeth Waller, Laura Duda, Laura Mizrahi, Stacey Landsly, Robin Latman, Joel Williams and Nancy Mays. Finally I want to thank our 7th grade Sunday School teacher, Becky Moeckler for once again coordinating, shopping and delivering all the gifts for the Chanukah Mitzvah project. This project couldn’t happen without the all the hard work Becky puts into it! Mindy Miller
This year time seems to be moving at an especially fast speed! Can you believe that Chanukah is right around the corner! On Sunday, December 4, Beit AmiChai will have Sunday School and High School Havurah at BYBS. Times will be the same as always, 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. for Sunday School and 10:30-11:45 a.m. for High School Havurah. Our students will have a chance to shop at the BYBS Chanukah gift bazaar. On Sunday, December 11th we will be back at Temple Anshe Sholom and our students will have the opportunity to shop at the TAS Chanukah gift shop. We hope our parents will stop by each of the gift shops for all of your Chanukah shopping too! We will celebrate Chanukah at Sunday School on December 18th, thank you in advance to our Room Parents for helping that morning. And to Sigy Rafalovitz who will be making her amazing sufganiyot! On Friday, December 9th we will be having our Family/Youth Shabbat. Youth choir will sing and we will have a special ceremony presenting prayerbooks to our Hebrew School students. Services are at Temple Anshe Sholom at 7:00 p.m. There will be no Sunday School, Hebrew School or High School Havurah from December 25, 2016 – January 8, 2017.
This is is always such a wonderful and busy time of the year as we celebrate some of the most meaningful and joyous holidays. On September 25th our students had the opportunity to participate with Louisa Hext and the Forgiveness program. This was such a great way to enter into the high holiday period. Our Hebrew School students have been busy preparing for the Erev Sukkot and Simchat Torah services. They have been putting forth great effort and it really has showed in their ability to go up to the Bima and read their prayers so well and with such confidence. We look forward to some of our students and our youth choir participating in the Kristallnacht service on Friday, November 4th at 7:00 p.m. at BYBS.
New for 2016-2017 One-Weekday (Wednesday) Hebrew School
Now beginning its third year, the Beit AmiChai School of Jewish Education was the product of a joint effort by constituents representing the former United Religious School (comprised of members from Congregation Am Echad and B’Nai Yehuda Beth Sholom) and the Temple Anshe Sholom Religious School. Enrollment options are available for Sunday School (preschool through 7th grade), Hebrew School (3rd through 6th grade), and High School Havurah (8th through 12th grade). Classes meet at Temple Anshe Sholom (20820 S. Western Avenue, Olympia Fields IL).
Sunday School: 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Hebrew School: Wednesday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. High School Havurah: Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Our Principal, Mindy Miller, has nearly 25 years of experience as a teacher and/or administrator in Jewish education. Our faculty members likewise have many cumulative years of experience in Jewish education, and several are professional teachers. Student aides and enrichment teachers bring additional experience and perspective to the classroom. Our Sunday School curriculum builds upon itself from year to year, beginning with the basics of Shabbat and the Jewish holidays and progressing to teach units including Bible stories, the synagogue, G-D, the prophets, Israel and the Holocaust. The curriculum of Hebrew School not only provides a strong basis for preparation to become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah; it also works to instill a strong Jewish identity and a sense of our people’s rich history and diverse cultural traditions. At all age levels, the curriculum is enhanced with projects designed to teach lessons rich in Jewish traditions and morality. With committed study, our students will have the foundation to succeed in their studies and so much more.
Beginning in the fall of 2016, the Hebrew School Program will meet on one weekday (Wednesdays). Consistent attendance and family commitment will be a key to student success. Online home-based assignments will be utilized as a supplement to classroom instruction.
High School Havurah goes beyond Hebrew and Sunday School; it’s a prelude to adult education. The topics deal with applying Jewish concepts, ideas and values to daily life. Each year, the School has received several grants which have been utilized to bring Jewish enrichment programs to the south suburbs and to purchase innovative technology. Our teachers regularly attend workshops and enthusiastically share new information with our students and parents. Our music program provides instruction in songs of the Jewish festivals and holidays, and choir opportunities are available. Parent involvement is encouraged, and our hope is that the lessons learned in the classroom will inspire discussions in your home. All currently enrolled students and their families are affiliated with one of several local congregations though options also exist for enrollment up to one year without affiliation.
