Raising Jewish Children Pt. 1

Raising Jewish Children Pt.1

Shalom! I am Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg, Ezra-Habonim, Niles Township Jewish Congregation in Skokie Illinois. This video is about raising Jewish children, course is no for sure in Judaism, but you can do things to help increase the likelihood, you will have children that will care about Jewish life. First all it starts in the home, if you are serious Jew and when you have a serious Jewish home that does not mean serious and not fun. But, intensive and strong and committed you sure you will get the message. I mean the different between Friday night and having just TV and pizza, first is a Shabbat dinner table, candles, Khala. The mother lighting candles, the family standing there, the parents blessing the children, blessing each other, makes a huge difference in the love for families communicated through those rituals.

Have Coshure home or have homes if you are not keeping Coshure that, whatever dietary rules you do observe, you tell the kids, because of Kashrut. Have dinner together and talk to each other about Jewish items. Whenever you do something Jewish celebrate it. Go to Synagogue together. Live intensively Jewishly as a family and the children have a much better chance of living as Jews later. Second of all, outside of the family things have much less of influence, but still could be important. One is Jewish education. The Torah says Ishma prayer you should teach your children diligently. For most non-orthodox Jews it is in Hebrew school 1, 2, 3, 4 days a week that the kids are tired and of course. They have had a full day than rather be out playing and do you have supplementary school do their best to provide Jewish education. It is going to be supplemental to the home.

Even better if possible, if there is the day school near you and you can afford it. And, there is generous scholarship help available though still an expensive proposition but a wonderful idea. This Jewish parochial school whether it is the conservative movements sound chaptered school system or community day schools. There is just nothing like putting your kid in environment where they can study all day long. Both Jewish and secular studies, they do not sacrifice anything academically. The kids coming out of day schools do exceedingly well in high school and college. My little salmon chapter class the first one in Chicago 1970 had 14 students and 11 went married semi-finalists. So, it is obviously not about the curriculum, it is much as it is about the desire to learn of these schools not our topnotch in all phases. Besides formal education courses informal education and several ways to do it, one, and you get a great bank for your buck is youth group, be part of the synagogue community, send your kids to a Jewishly affiliated program the conservative movement is the United Synagogue for United Synagogue Youth, you ask why we call it, their formal main has their own program, the orthodox they have their own, the reconstruction’s have their own.

You should have your kids and urge them to participate in Jewish activities through their youth group. Third is Jewish summer camping. A very high percentage of these children who spend more than 2 weeks away do a summer camper Jewish, sadly most of them go to camp and have nothing to do with Judaism, although there are a lot of Jewish kids there, but there are many Jewish educational camps that are wonderful, I spent many summers at Camp Ramon Wisconsin. There are many camper miles around the country. They do have services everyday. They have a lot of Hebrew. They have classes, but the kids still have an amazing and wonderful time. They have topnotch sports of facilities and arts and craft and boating and everything else, it is an amazing experience meeting people from all over committed families. The reform movement has a camp by spent 2 summers that is all I am saying in Wisconsin. The reconstructions have opened up a new over night camped in the East. The orthodox have of camps. There is many Jewish camping opportunities, the JZZ’s have camps. Urge your child to go to Jewish summer camps. Send them make it possible.

And, of course trips Israel. It is amazing now, but there are free trips called birth right for 18 to 26 year old Jewish kids made possible by the generous support of Jewish Philanthropist in the state of Israel and the federation system. A 10 day trip that is transformative. Better yet there are other programs that are even longer un affiliated with various movements. My son spent a 4 month Rama program in Israel of other relatives that spent 6 months or a year there. Urge your child to spend the year in college there. The orthodox has been very successful in making you just a basic rider passage for the children who spend at least a year in Israel. And I spent a year for Biblical School, I hope my kids will spend time in Israel and of course those are all and there been many studies, would show that if you start visiting Israel earlier you will be visiting Israel more later and you will be demonstrated to correlate commitment than all across the board levels in Jewish life.

So, those are some of the basic ideas of course the most important part again is the home. The more originally Jewish home life you have without being too hard handed about it. Make it fun and interesting and loving and warm. And then, try and do your best to give your kids a quality Jewish education. Support their attending Jewish Youth group, Jewish summer camp and going to Israel. Many communities now in fact have saving program so you can start saving early for your child and then they can go to Israel later.

There is other ways to do it too. I got connected to Israel partly because my grandparents did not buy me presents. They bought me Israel bonds and my love for them was connected to the love of Israel and of course when I went to Biblical school, I sold my bond and bought my books and so I sit here surrounded by my books. Thinking of my grandparents in the state of Israel, so, there are many ways to have a passive effect because we want to produce Jewish children. As it says on the book of Proverbs when you train your child when there were young when you are old they will not depart from it. Shalom.


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