TEVA (טבע) TRAVELERS
Earth-based, Justice-driven, Nourishing Jewish Education for kids from Kindergarten through 6th Grade and their families
Philosophy:
Teva Travelers provides Jewish education for children of our membership and the adults who care for them. Experiences are designed to help students learn to connect their knowledge about Judaism with:
– their daily lives
– their family and community
– the natural world
– and world history
Approach:
– Our curriculum is designed to build familiarity with and connection to Jewish holidays, Hebrew as a language that connects Jewish people across time and place, Jewish values and ethics, Jewish approaches to mindfulness, and Jewish peoplehood, and a range of expressions of Jewish identity.
– We emphasize hands-on activities including storytelling and singing, games and artmaking.
– To foster community and Jewish identity, we consider Kehilat Sukkat Shalom holiday celebrations part of our curriculum.
– We strive to provide Instruction with student’s individual needs and interests in mind.
Mitzvah Projects:
Participants learn and engage with the Jewish concept of tikkun olam (mending the world) throughout the year. Past projects have taken place with Seeds of Caring, Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW), Local Matters, Wexner Heritage Village, and the Clintonville CRC. Our children have also lent their voices to gatherings including our own High Holiday observances, Ohio March for Our Lives and Columbus Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Teachers:
Parents have played a primary role in our family education programming since our founding. They plan lessons and activities following a schedule we provide, using shared resources and new materials they want to share. Their interests and skills play a key role in determining the programming we offer. For many of our parents, Teva Travelers IS their Jewish life and a great opportunity to reflect on and share their childhood traditions while gaining new knowledge and understandings.
No Jewish background is necessary, though we are grateful for those who have that expertise to share.
Local Jewish and music educator Joanie Calem has created musical experiences for Jewish families, pre-school programs, and adult audiences since 1983, both in the US and in Israel. Fluent in Hebrew and English, Joanie lived in Israel for 23 years. She joins our Teva Travelers once a month to lead traditional and original songs in Hebrew, Ladino, Yiddish, and English, woven together with stories, dances and games from the international Jewish family, incorporating movement, puppets, rhythm instruments and other surprises.
Learn more about Joanie at http://www.joaniecalem.com.
Jodi Kushins, Kehilat Sukkat Shalom Community Weaver, also lends support to this program. Born and raised in the New York metro area, Jodi spent many years deeply immersed in the Conservative movement, including a decade at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires as a camper and staff member. She is a lifelong learner and passionate student of all things involving Earth-based Judaism. Professionally, Jodi was an art teacher and professor of Art Education for over two decades stewards the land @ Over the Fence Urban Farm., which our Teva Travelers visit a few times each year.
Tuition and Fees:
Tuition for Teva Travelers students is included in Kehilat Sukkat Shalom family membership dues.
Registration:
To sign-up, please contact Jodi at jodi@sukkatshalomcolumbus.org
Teva Travelers is supported by a generous allocation from Jewish Columbus.
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