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Shorashim (Roots)

Learn what Shorashim is all about!

Beth Am Israel’s Shorashim (Roots) is offered for children in grades K-7 on Thursday afternoons. Shorashim (Roots) features fun, creative, child-centered experiences, including outdoor nature education in our Ya’ar (Woodlands) and an innovative curriculum rooted in Torah and Jewish values.  It is designed to connect your children to their Jewish identities, culture, and “roots,” and to engage them in living joyful, meaningful Jewish lives.

A Typical Day at Shorashim

Each day at Shorashim includes learning in our Ya’ar (woodlands), tefilah (prayer) with our clergy, Hebrew learning, and opportunities for hitbodedut (reflection in nature).

4:30: Arrival including snack + social time

4:45-5:15 Tefilah all together with Hazzan Harold, Cantor Jenn, and Rabbi David

5:15-6:30 Learning together with our class

A typical day might include…

  • Building shelters in the Ya’ar while the learning about the mishkan (tabernacle) in the Torah
  • Sharpening our listening skills through animal form games and applying them to the Shema
  • Whittling a yad to be used at our bnai mitzvah ceremony
  • Designing and leading a nature-based Hebrew game for another one of the classes
  • Being shomrei adamah, guardians of the earth, by picking up trash, weeding and planting, and tending to our Ya’ar
  • Using our Hebrew word of the day in conversation and learning new phrases in Hebrew through Movement
  • Returning to our “sit spot” each week to take a quiet moment to take in the sights and sounds of the Ya’ar
  • Reciting the different brachot (blessings) for objects we find in nature

6:30 Dismissal

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Our staff is made up of caring and dedicated Jewish educators in the Philadelphia area. All of our staff have undergone training to teach outdoors and communicate the Jewish values that we wish to impart to our students. Our madrichim (teen helpers) also play a critical role as teachers-in-training.

Our teachers attend a two-day training before the start of the school year, which includes relevant safety training and review of our safety procedures. Our staff communicates during class time through walkie talkies and cell phones. Our students engage in activities that allow them to push the limits of their own comfort zone without engaging in risky or dangerous behavior. All of our teachers are first aid trained and CPR certified.

Shorashim is an outdoor program, and it is critical to dress for the weather. Layers when it is cold, footwear that can get muddy, and long pants and socks for hiking. Rain gear such as a raincoat and rain boots are important on rainy days. In the event of severe weather- high winds, thunderstorms, flooding, freezing temperatures, or any other situation deemed unsafe for Shorashim to be held outside- we will be inside and make use of our indoor spaces.

Ticks do live in our woods. We have our students check themselves for ticks after class, and each teacher has a tick removal tool should one be found on a student. We will contact you if a tick is found and do our best to preserve the tick should you want to get it tested. We ask that you check for ticks each night when your child comes home as well. Wearing long pants, long socks, and long sleeves will help reduce the possibility of a tick bite.

  • Closed-toed shoes, waterproof for muddy days
  • Depending on the weather: rain coat, rain boots, winter coats, hats, mittens, winter boots
  • Medications, inhalers, epipens, etc. as needed
  • Students will be given a snack, a water bottle, and any supplies needed for the day.

Students will receive a light snack when they arrive at Shorashim, such as a piece of fruit, carrot sticks, graham crackers, and/or chips. If your child needs a more substantial snack, please send them with a nut-free kosher option. Gluten-free snacks are available for those who need them.

No, you do not have to be a BAI member to enroll in Shorashim/Roots. If you wish you to have a bnai mitzvah with us, you must be a member of Beth Am Israel by the time your child is in 4th grade.

Rabbi Aya Baron, our curriculum developer, and Cantor Jenn have written a curriculum cycle that repeats every three years. It covers these large themes:

Year 1: Brachot (Blessings), Melachot (Shabbat prep), Tefilot (Prayers)

Year 2: Middot (Values), Kehillah kedosha (Holy community)

Year 3: Torah, Aggadah (Stories), Avot/imahot (Ancestors)

The themes allow us to teach Jewish content through different lenses. For example, even though every year our students learn about and celebrate Sukkot, in year one we may place more of an emphasis on the blessings we recite when sitting in the sukkah and year two might focus more on the value of hachnasat orchim, welcoming guests.

Each week of Shorashim also touches on the following elements in the graphic below.

Contact Cantor Jenn at education@bethamisrael.org if you wish to learn more about the content covered in your child’s class.

At Shorashim, we use Onward Hebrew, which is a sound to print approach. Students learn the sounds and meanings of the words before they learn the letters and how to read. If you think about it, we learn English the same way, by speaking and associating words with actions and objects for the first five years before learning to read and write. There are four pillars to the Onward Hebrew approach. 

Our tuition allows us to hire the staff we need, pay our teachers fair wages, and supply our students with the materials necessary to flourish in our program. Hebrew tutoring is included in the cost of grades 3-7 tuition

Members:

  • K-2: $1,034
  • 3-7: $1,440

Non-members:

  • K-2: $1,134
  • 3-7: $15,40

There are multiple payment plan options included on the registration form, and cost should never be a barrier to participating in our program. Any families in need of financial assistance can contact Cantor Jenn Boyle.

Yes, financial assistance is available. Please contact Cantor Jenn Boyle for more information.

Not a problem! Please contact Cantor Jenn Boyle at 610-667-1651 or education@bethamisrael.org.

Stay up-to-date on what’s happening at Shorashim with Cantor Jenn’s Blog!