Who's Who in Outreach : Cecile B. Jordan
As director for the Agency for Jewish Education in San
Diego, I work with the directo who is responsible for
our agency¹s program Pathways to Judaism. The program
involves 30 unaffiliated intermarried families each year
for 28 weeks of interactive learning experiences. Families
learn about major Jewish holidays, Jewish customs, Jewish
history and the place of Israel in our tradition. Our
teachers include community rabbis, cantors and educators.
Since this is a family-oriented program, sessions are
a mixture of classes both for specific age groups as well
as for the entire family. In addition to formal classes,
families meet for Shabbat dinners, Pesach seders, and
informal get-togethers on a sporadic basis.
One highlight of the program is our Shabbat backpacks.
These are backpacks that two participating families
take home each week. They are filled with various item
to provide the Shabbat experience, including: candlesticks,
wine, kiddush cup, challah, challah cover, prayers,
a diary, and a camera to capture the experience.
After the program formally ends, participants are
encouraged to join a havurah which is staffed by the
PTJ director. The activities enhance and extend the
formal classroom experience of the previous year. We
are proud of the achievements of this program. We are
also grateful to colleagues at JOI and in other communities
who have helped make it a success. I am looking forward
to engaging longitudinal research on the Pathways to
Judaism program during the coming year.
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