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The Beit Lameid

Introduction

We have an active and busy Beit Lameid (religion school), which is held at the synagogue on Shabbat mornings during term time, between the hours of 10.00 am and 12.30 pm.

Our approach is for the children to be happy and enjoy their morning, especially after they have spent all week at school.  So lessons are informal with the emphasis on fun.

There are a variety of activities, arts and crafts, cooking, sewing, drama and music.  Teachers who have achieved a CJE Foundation Certificate in Jewish Education teach all of our classes.  Pupils typically start coming from the age of four (see PALS for younger children) and progress through a curriculum of Hebrew and religious knowledge until they are fifteen.

On the third Shabbat of every month our students lead a service for the whole congregation to enjoy, we have found that this instils a confidence within the students in preparation for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

Most, if not all, of our students continue their studies to Kabbalat Torah (confirmation).  It is a credit to out Beit Lameid teachers that many young members return to the synagogue to teach and take leading roles in the Liberal Jewish Youth Movement (LJY Netzer) both nationally and internationally.

We run the following groups:

PALS – Play & Learning (4-7 YEAR OLDS)

PALS (Play at Learning Skills) is for our younger members to attend a once a month session, which is aimed at the age group four to seven and their parents.  The session runs from 10.00 am to 12.00 pm.

Our learning is centred on art and craft activities with the children (and parents) making their own Kiddush cup, challah cloth, candle sticks and kippot.  We also play games and learn new songs with the emphasis the whole morning being on having fun.

We meet on the third Shabbat of the month so the children also have an opportunity to see the older students leading the service.

Becoming Jewish Learners (8-11 year olds)

In this age group we move from learning the Aleph Bet to using Hebrew in the monthly Tikkun Services, and gaining confidence and knowledge of the major elements of the service so that they are confident and comfortable with both Hebrew and the service when they move to the Pre Bnei Mitzvah class.  We also explore Jewish History, ethics and morals through discussion, Drama, Dance, Music and Art. We also use modern multi- media in this class from DVDs to computers and our own recorded projects.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah (12-13 YEAR OLDS)


The pre-B’Nei Mitzvah class meets weekly on a Shabbat morning where each class member studies Hebrew together and with the teaching assistants who have already reached Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

The sessions focus primarily on the prayers from Siddur Lev Chadesh, and once a month, usually on the third Shabbat of the month, the students actively participate in the Tikkun services where they lead the community in the Shabbat morning service. This includes the students reading the English translations of both the Torah and Haftarah portions for the week.

In addition to this, each student receives one to one study with a teacher who facilitates their learning the Torah portion in Hebrew for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah, exploring additional texts and commentaries connected to the portion, and writing their Dvar Torah drawing upon the contents of the study programme.

Kabbalat Torah (13 – 15 Year Olds)


At BHPS, after a student has become bar/bat mitzvah, they come up – literally – up to the top of the Beit Lameid into the studio and youth space.

The room is full of art materials, bean bags and creative energy!  Each year, the students decide what they want to do for the year.  Usually this involves some projects that they want to do together and on their own.

The sessions are divided up into two: the first part, students participate in an organized activity, in the second they do their project.

KT teachers, Robin Bagon and Jess Wood and our Rabbi Elli, provide a programme of social and study opportunities so that students can learn more about their Jewish heritage and also learn life-skills and active citizenship.  So one week, we may look at Exodus, the next human rights; another week, ethical kachrat or bullying at school.

When students have been participating in the KT programme for two years, they take part in a special graduation ceremony and receive a Kabbalat Torah Certificate.

Teaching Assistants and Volunteer Mentors


Once the students have become Bar/Bat Mitzvah and they join our Kabbalat Torah class they also have the opportunity to become assistants or volunteer mentors for the other students at Beit Lameid.

Our post Bnei Mitzvah students may work as paid assistants for an hour and a half, helping the teachers in the classroom, both in the setting up of activities and also offering support to the students. Newly Bar/Bat Mitzvah students initially become volunteer mentors working one to one with students approaching their Bar/Bat Mitzvah. They are an invaluable asset to our Beit Lameid and remain fully involved with the other students until they graduate Kabbalat Torah.