On September 13, 2008 we begin our Shabbat program. We will meet from 9:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. with Rabbi Nudell joining us for Junior Congregation on a regular basis. All classes will meet together for the Junior Congregation Service. The atmosphere on Shabbat is very special and different from the rest of the week. In this vein, we ask that all students dress appropriately for Shabbat. Kippot are the only acceptable head covering. Each trimester will last approximately 10 weeks. Please refer below for a description of the courses your child will be studying on Shabbat this year. If your child is absent due to attendance at a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, the absence will be excused providing we receive a written note from home. Trimester I Rena Yosevitz Carol Heyman Dorit Rechter Jeff Kaufman Week Torah Portion using Tell it like it is/Tough choices for Ulpan Defending the Faith in Jewish History Plays, Skits & discussion Teens Great debates Babaganewz Gimmel A Dalet B Gimmel B Dalet B Trimester II Dalet B Dalet A Gimmel A Gimmel B Trimester III Dalet A Gimmel B Dalet B Dalet A Parsha Ha Shuvah The weekly Torah portion will be discussed using a variety of methods such as plays, discussions, debates. Bababganewz Magazine will also be utilized. The class will learn about different mitzvot, Israel. Tell it like it is OR- Tough choices for today’s teens - Stories and discussions revolve about social and ethical issues. Issues such as: peer pressure and today’s teen temptations we’ll be explored, seeking possible solutions and support from traditions, Jewish perspectives, and one’s own sense of justice. Defending the Faith: The students will be introduced to a variety of great events in our history. They will be the judge, the jury ad the lawyers as they debate issues that effect us yesterday, today and tomorrow. Ulpan - So you've been going to Hebrew School for a number of years and you can't hold a conversation in Hebrew. This course will focus on giving the student a basic vocabulary stressing everyday language and expressions. It will also reinforce our exciting Ulpan Aleph and Bet programs taught during the week. Akiba Academy of Jewish Studies Akiba Academy Program The American Jewish Community in this modern day is unsure of its status and its future. It is concerned with major internal problems-assimilation, the rapid increase of intermarriage, the rising rate of divorce and broken homes, of drug addiction and alcoholism, and even its inability to reproduce itself. It is especially disturbed by the indifference, if not the alienation of its young people. We believe strongly that it is our responsibility to transmit to our youth a strong Jewish identity as well as provide for them an opportunity to search and inquire about the meaning of life and the relevance of Judaism. The classroom at Akiba Academy fosters an atmosphere of mutual respect for each other's viewpoint and encourages an open-mindedness to embrace new philosophies. Our program is varied and ever-changing. It is designed to meet the needs and interests of our young people. We hope that by the breadth and scope of this curriculum, we will be able to meet the awesome challenge with which Jewish education is confronted, for "Jewish education means Jewish survival." Eighth Grade: Israel This year we are offering a new course for the incoming Eighth Grade Class. The students will spend the year learning about Israel. Topics will include Sport’s figures, such as Tal Brody, the environment, community, the army, medicine, science and technology. The class will also learn about the establishment of the State of Israel, the Israeli Government, Masada, the role of the Holocaust. The students will work in groups, both large and small, debate one another and be exposed to the the excitement of Israel. Ninth Grade - The Jewish Experience A course aimed at giving the student an eclectic approach to broadening his learning and developing a greater awareness of the Jewish view on capital punishment, gambling, discrimination, tattooing, piercing and modesty. Roots Jewish Style "What the son wishes to forget, The Grandson wishes to remember" - Marcus Lee Hansen Learning one's personal history through the study of ancestry. We will discuss the origins of many Ashkenazic and Sephardic names. A Step-by-step guide to charting a family history and where to hunt for the information will be included. "Bio-Ethics" A timely and fascinating subject confronting the relationship between Jewish ethics and many contemporary problems, such as genetic diseases, abortion, Euthanasia, the limits of 'playing God" in genetic research, test-tube babies, cloning, and DNA research. Guest speakers will include both religious and medical authorities. Jewish Views of God How do we know that God exists? Does God intervene directly in the lives and affairs of humans? Does God inside us or somewhere in the heavens? Does God act according to or outside of nature's laws? These are among the questions considered in this course which attempts to explore some Jewish approaches to the understanding of God Jewish Assertiveness" A course developed to aid young people to deal effectively with missionary and cult movements. It will cover frequently used evangelical arguments for conversion, Jews for Jesus, the cults, and Unification Church. Students are taught both the Jewish intellectual background answers for their own knowledge as well as strategy answers to use when approached by conversionists. Included will be first hand accounts of former cult members, ploys used to entice students, a film, and a speaker who has had experience as a member of the movement. Why Judaism? - A Search for Meaning in Jewish Identity? This essential course raises the basic question one must ask if he would find meaning in Judaism. The student will be presented with the varied philosophies of Judaism, the attitudes of the sages to humanity, sin and salvation, family life, love and justice. We will confront the issues behind such questions as "Who Is a Jew?" and "Are Jews the Chosen People?" Holocaust: The Aftermath A course designed for the student who has completed our first year introduction to the Holocaust. We will examine the effects the Holocaust had upon the civilized world. To enhance our study and evaluation, we will read excerpts from Helen Epstein's insightful novel, Children of the Holocaust, and hear first person accounts from members of the "Second Generation." Why Do the Innocent Suffer? If God is all powerful, all knowing, merciful, and just, how can the Almighty permit a young child to die of cancer? How can religion be source of comfort when faith in God's power and justice falters just when we are most in need of spiritual help? These are among the questions raised in this course. We will use as resource material, Rabbi Harold Kushner's When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Elie Wiesel's Struggle With God, and My Sister Karen, the personal struggle of a young woman trying to find meaning in her sister's suicide Tenth Grade - Values & Traditions The Tenth Grade course is designed to give the student a varied approach to learning and develop a greater awareness of Judaic values and concepts. The curriculum are values oriented with main thrust centering around the Jewish family today. We will analyze changes and life styles among the Jewish family. The course will explore the extended and nuclear family, single parent families, living together without marriage, the chavurah and communal living. There are many other alternative family patterns that have emerged in recent years and they will also be discussed. Alvin Toffler's Future Shock will be read to compliment this unit. This course will deal with such issues as Interdating; Intermarriage; Assimilation; Sex Mores (Biblical and Contemporary); Marriage and Divorce, its customs and tradition; the Jewish mother - fact or fallacy; a comprehensive unit dealing with death and the Jewish way of mourning; and finally a forum to explore our feelings, strengths, weaknesses, and questions through Values Clarification Eleventh Grade - Today's Jew and His Religion In order to understand and appreciate others it is necessary to know oneself. This course will deal with the practical and ideological difference between Orthodoxy, Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionism. We will explore, question and have the opportunity to exchange ideas with clergy representing the various branches of Judaism Comparative Religions To compare means primarily to note the similarities of different things; by seeing what they have in common helps us see their unique qualities as well. This is not a course in contrasting religions, for we are not primarily concerned with what separates us from others. We hope to compare, and see our differences in the light of out similarities.
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