Etz Chaim Department
This program is designed for students in Grades 8 through 12 and will meet on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30. The curriculum will consist of relevant topics that contain teachings of Jewish morals and values, debatable issues and text study. The classes are designed for discussion and are taught by our B’nai Tikvah staff and specialists from the Chicagoland area.
This year the 8th Grade program will focus on topics such as current events, ethics, politics, and social issues and how they relate to Judaism and Jewish life. The students will be able to have input into the curriculum.
The program for Grades 9 through 12 will be divided into two semesters of ten weeks each. For the first six weeks of each semester, students will be grouped by grade and will discuss topics such as Talmud, Anti-Semitism, Family Dynamics of Biblical Personalities, and other Jewish topics appealing to young adults. For the last four weeks of each semester, students will be able to choose from a list of “electives” and will participate jointly with students of all grades.
As part of the Etz Chaim program in the past, our students have had the unique opportunity to experience two Jewish communities outside the Chicagoland area. In 10th Grade, our students spent a weekend in New York City visiting several Synagogues, places of Jewish interest, and enjoying New York life. During Spring Break, our 12th Graders traveled to the Caribbean, visiting one of the oldest Synagogues in the Western Hemisphere, enjoying Puerto Rican Jewish hospitality, and basking in the tropical warmth.
Etz Chaim is looking for volunteers with expertise in informal education or Jewish/Israeli culture to donate their time for four weeks (an hour at a time) in the month of January or April. If interested please call Felicia Lev at the Synagogue office, 847/945-0470, or e-mail, flev@bnaitikvah.net
