Young Family Shabbat Builds Connections

Saturday mornings are the perfect time to celebrate Shabbat with our little ones. Kids get up early. Like really early. With no preschool on the weekend, how do you burn off some of their infinite energy? Over the summer, playgrounds are a hotbed of sunburn and dehydration. Where is the oasis of good programming, good food, and good AC? Enter Young Family Shabbat (and leave your sunscreen and bug spray at home).

Our region is blessed with a plethora of Friday evening Tot Shabbat options. We love the culture of Tot-Shabbat-Hopping — where families get a taste of area synagogues’ offerings for families with young children. Of course, we think WHC’s Tot Shabbat tops the list — best food, best overall experience, and the area’s most engaging clergy — and we are excited to see many of our “regular” families when we resume in the fall at Temple and JBSC. Saturday mornings, though? It is a young child Shabbat wasteland… except at WHC!

Rabbi Eliana Fischel and Director of Lifelong Learning Stephanie Tankel have put Saturday Shabbat programming on the map for our community, and it is working. Since April, 10-20 families each month leave the heat of those playgrounds and enter the air-conditioned coolness of Ochsman Multipurpose Room at Temple.

Once inside, they are greeted by a holiday-themed activity, bagels, coffee, and a relaxing (insofar as any young family experience is “relaxing”) space for their family to just be. In preparation for Passover, we made matzah. To honor and celebrate Shavuot, we hand-rolled Torah scrolls out of pretzels, tortillas, and fruit roll-ups. We even made beeswax candles for Shabbat! When our activity is finished, we join for Shabbat songs and a story, then we empty the toy box so our children can play, climb, and be messy while parents spend time with one another. Through these experiences, families connect and have a meaningful and fun Shabbat. All done by 11:30 am, so everyone can get home for that long-awaited nap (rest is a priority on Shabbat, no?).

Interested or know someone who might be? Join us for Young Family Shabbat on September 21, from 10-11:30 am, ideal for children ages 0-5. Come discover a new way to experience Shabbat.

WHC’s Young Family Shabbat experience is proudly presented in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.

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