Explore the meaning and fun behind our favorite holidays, practice Jewish values through hands-on activities, and spend quality time with your family through meaningful Jewish experiences. All are welcome!
Upcoming Dates: Thursdays, August 12 and August 26 • 11:00 am • Series: Free for Members • $36 Public
Let’s get ready for Shabbat! Connect and celebrate with community as we share music, creative prayer, movement, puppetry, and more. Guaranteed to nurture family bonds and build connections to Jewish life and values. Best for little ones ages 3 and under and their grownups. Capacity strictly limited. Registration requested and recommended. Please register here.
Shababa will be entirely outdoors and will require masks for all participants over age two. Social distancing will be maintained between families and food or beverages will not be available. Family members will not be permitted to attend programs if they are sick, have experienced symptoms of illness within 48 hours of the program date, or if any unvaccinated individuals were exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 10 days.
Sunday, August 22 • 10:30am – 12:00 pm • Free • PJCC Hamlin Garden
We’re welcoming families for a morning of rhythm, ruach (spirit), art, instrument making, and a whole lot of fun!
Join us as master drummer Craig Bravo Miller of Shamati Music leads a dynamic drum circle and instrument march. Connect with community, hear the shofar blast and say Shehekianu—the Jewish prayer expressing gratitude for a special moment in time.
Capacity for this program is strictly limited. Families will rotate through program activities in assigned groups to ensure adequate social distancing. Masks are required for all participants over age two.
Registration required; please register here.
For Older Children: Sundays, August 8 and September 26 • 4:30 – 5:30 pm (Sorry, Registration Closed)
For Families with Young Children (Ages 4 and Younger): In Person! Sundays, August 8 and September 26 • 5:15-6:00 pm
Sign Up Now
Looking to make new friends and do good in the world? Join our new Social Action Family Circle! Connect with other Jewish families and work on monthly mitzvah (good deed) projects. We will start each session with Havdalah to say goodbye to Shabbat and then we will work on family-friendly service projects to support our community and while learning and hanging out together (virtually). To start, all activities for older children requiring the group to meet will be done virtually. We ask that you are committed to this monthly group and attend all five sessions.
In-person program meetups for families with young children will be entirely outdoors and will require masks for all participants. We will maintain social distancing of 6 feet per family and will not have food or beverages available. Family members will not be permitted to attend programs if they were sick or were sick within 48 hours of the program date, or if any unvaccinated individuals were exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 10 days.
FAQs
What kind of projects will we do? Hands-on social action projects will be tailored to meet the interests and ages of children in each group. Projects may include baking challah for others, making sandwiches for family shelters, creating care packages for people in need, or beautifying natural spaces.
I’m not familiar with many Jewish rituals. Will my family feel included? Yes! The PJCC is an inclusive community that celebrates the strength of diversity. Jewish cultural and holiday activities will be a component of our programming. We believe that our celebration of the values of justice, repairing the world, and community are universal.
Will my family be in a group with children of similar ages? We understand that peer connections are important to families. We will do our best for children to be grouped together with others around the same age.
Mazel Tov to Jeni Clancy, our Jewish Family Programs and Engagement Manager, who received the 2020 Helen Diller Family Award for Excellence in Jewish Education for her work in Early Childhood! Jeni manages inspiring programs for families, including Shababa (a weekly Shabbat celebration for families with young ones), The Nest (a gathering place for parents of 0 to 3 year olds), and special family celebrations around the Jewish holidays. In these unique times, Jeni has translated her programming into the virtual realm, with online programs designed to inspire, engage, and connect families with each other, as well as Jewish practices and traditions.
We also congratulate the other award winners: Efrat Simhi-Aloni in the Day School category; Lisa Bialkin in the Congregational and Supplementary category; and Isaac Zones in the Jewish Communal and Experiential category.
