Although not every student has become a bar or bat mitzvah by the end of the 7th grade, in curricular terms, 7th grade marks the end of the pre-b'nei mitzvah education at Temple Sinai. For students in 8th through 12th grades, we offer the chance to continue to grow as Jews through our Kesher, Confirmation, and Bogrim programs.
Kesher
Kesher is a two-year program for students in grades 8 and 9.
Year 1
Students connect Judaism to the issues relevant in their own lives; explore how they are connected to the historical road map of Judaism; and consider what it means to make decisions in accord with Jewish values, tradition, culture, and practices.
Year 2
Students deepen their understanding of Judaism through a comparative look at other religions. Our study includes class visits to local Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Christian (Catholic and Protestant), and Islamic houses of worship. Next we explore comparative Judaism, focusing on the similarities and differences among the Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox branches. Finally, we delve into Jewish Ethical Values and Mitzvot.
Confirmation
During their Confirmation year, our 10th graders study as a class with Rabbi Till, culminating in the Confirmation service and ceremony held on the eve of Shavuot, the holiday celebrating the time of the giving of the Torah.
In this discussion-based program, students engage with a set of "hot topics," encouraging them to continue to ask questions and look at their daily lives through a Jewish lens; live out the value of tikkun olam by carrying out a social action project; and take a class trip to New York City, visiting Ellis Island and other major sites of Jewish history and culture.
Bogrim
If Confirmation marks the end of the formal education of Jewish youth at Temple Sinai, Bogrim offers our 11th and 12th graders the opportunity to continue "informally." For our youth who have come from multiple school districts and grown together as a community over several years, Bogrim offers the chance to continue those relationships. Taking place once per month, Bogrim sessions are discussions—of public issues, daily private lives, and the ways that Jewish identity and Jewish values intersect with both.
