Shalom! Hello! We're so thrilled that you have decided to have a b-mitzvah with us. How Our Program Works Each unit has videos, handouts and exercises to …
[Read more...] about Welcome to Your B’nai Mitzvah Learning Program
RVA's independent Jewish community
Jewish learning at home! Here is a curated selection of videos, podcasts, downloadable activities and more to help your child have quality Jewish screen time.
Interested in formal learning and b'nai mitzvah? Reach out to us.
Until then, have fun!
By kehillah
Shalom! Hello! We're so thrilled that you have decided to have a b-mitzvah with us. How Our Program Works Each unit has videos, handouts and exercises to …
[Read more...] about Welcome to Your B’nai Mitzvah Learning Program
By kehillah
Sure, you're Jewish. But what does that even mean? What is Judaism, anyway? Here are a few materials that can help answer that question. They are very …
By kehillah
Everyone has different beliefs about God. What has Judaism taught? What do you believe? And why do Jews not believe that Jesus is the messiah or God? Read …
By kehillah
You are becoming a bar (son) or bat (daughter) of the mitzvah. That's what bar and bat mitzvah mean! So what's a mitzvah? Some people think it means "good …
By kehillah
What are Jewish values? Sounds vague sometimes. We hope these materials will help. Review the different approaches to Jewish values …
By kehillah
The world is not perfect. In fact, Judaism teaches that the world is broken. We as human beings are responsible for repairing it. That is called tikkun olam, …
Raising children in different traditions can often be a challenge. These are a few of our favorite resources that can help you with raising Jewish children in a …
By kehillah
Shabbat is the Jewish day of rest or sabbath. Sometimes people think Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the holiest days of our calendar. But in fact, …
By kehillah
The Torah is the sacred religious text of the Jewish people. It’s sometimes called the Five Books of Moses. Sometimes its called the Hebrew Bible (more on that …
By kehillah
Neviim is the second part of the Hebrew Bible. It contains the words of prophets, but it also has a lot of Jewish history in it as well. There is so much to …
By kehillah
The third section of the Hebrew Bible is called ketuvim, writings. It is like a library of different Jewish stories. For now, we'll learn two of those …
By kehillah
The Talmud is the extra text of Judaism. While the Bible is our primary source of spiritual understanding, the Talmud acts as a guide to help us turn beliefs …
By kehillah
Kids have enough homework, so let's make Torah study fun! How do we do that? First, you need the right books. There are plenty of sites where you can buy …
[Read more...] about Just For Fun: Lead Your Parents In Torah Study
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Homework (Choose One)Choose a prayer to learn. Write a paragraph about its meaning and why it matters to you. Write your own prayer! Need inspiration? Visit …
By kehillah
For Jews, there are three prayer times: morning, afternoon and evening. Most prayer groups combine the afternoon and evening prayers into one. During the …
[Read more...] about The Weekday Prayers (Plus Tefillin and Tallit)
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Synagogue can mean any of the following: A building where people meet for Jewish religious services or educationA Jewish community, often lead by a cantor or …
By kehillah
Get with the giving! Tzedakah comes from the word tzedek which means "justice". Tzedakah and charity are not the same thing! Our friends Gabi and Rafi have a …
By kehillah
The Bible and the rabbis of the Talmud developed a system of Jewish eating called kashrut or kosher. Some people think that means that kosher food is blessed by …
By kehillah
You may have seen this funny thing attached to the door of your home or someone else's. This is a mezuzah. Well -- not really. See, the mezuzah is a scroll that …
By kehillah
Splish, splash, it's a Jewish bath! Mikvah is a ritual bath used in Judaism to represent transition, purity and holiness. Here are a few videos including one …
By kehillah
How do we recognize goodness? Hakarat hatov! This Jewish approach to mindfulness and gratitude is a terrific skillset you can build with your family. Start …
[Read more...] about Just For Fun: Hakarat Hatov (Jewish Gratitude)
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Jewish life is communal, meaning that it's about what we do together. That includes Jewish holidays and other celebrations. Let's learn about the Jewish …
By kehillah
Happy Jewish New Year! Rosh Hashanah is the "head" (beginning) of the Jewish year. Let's learn all about it. For an Orthodox perspective, please watch this …
By kehillah
Yom Kippur is a holiday, but not like Rosh Hashanah. It is the Jewish day of atonement. That means we reflect on our sins for the year, and ask for forgiveness. …
By kehillah
Sukkot is the festival of booths. It's a great holiday for people who love to make things and decorate. Please read this …
By kehillah
There are many holidays celebrated in Israel that are not on our diaspora (non-Israeli) Jewish calendar. Find out more by watching this play …
By kehillah
Chanukkah, oh Chanukkah, come light the menorah! Chanukkah is the festival of lights, but more correctly it is the festival of dedication. What did we …
By kehillah
Get out your groggers and hamentaschen, it's time for Purim! While this holiday feels like Jewish Mardi Gras or Halloween because of the costumes we wear, Purim …
By kehillah
Read the article and watch the video on the Ethiopian family’s Passover seder from Shalom Sesame HomeworkMake your own Hagaddah using any of these …
By kehillah
Watch the videos on Shavuot here: http://www.reformjudaism.org/celebrate-shavuot-shalom-sesame Watch this video on Tisha …
[Read more...] about Holidays 9: Shavuot, Tisha B’Av, Tu B’Av, Tu B’Shevat
By kehillah
Did you know that there are Jewish comic book characters? First, let's learn the Hebrew word for heroes: gibborim. Here are a few of our favorites with …
By kehillah
Watch the videos for Jewish baby naming ceremonies and Jewish parenting on BimBam. Homework Talk with your parent/guardian about your baby naming, or a …
[Read more...] about Lifecycle Ceremonies 1: Birth, Naming/B’rit Milah/Birkat Hayim
By kehillah
Have you been to a bar or bat mitzvah before? Or is yours the first one? Be prepared to talk about this, as well as any questions you have about what to expect …
[Read more...] about Lifecycle Ceremonies 2: Bar/Bat Mitzvah
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Have you known someone who has passed away? How did you feel? How did you handle your feelings? If you have not known someone who died, do you have a friend or …
[Read more...] about Lifecycle Ceremonies 3: Death and Mourning
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There is no homework for this unit. …
By kehillah
Jewish music is not just Shabbat songs! Check out these great Jewish artists putting Judaism front-and-center in their music. Which of these videos …
By kehillah
Every Hebrew unit will have two or three different ways of learning the same concepts. Some people learn with songs. Some people learn by reading or writing. …
By kehillah
Hebrew vowels are a little annoying for some people. They are not their own letters, but instead are dots you'll see around letters. This can also be confusing …
By kehillah
Now it's time to learn those vowels! Here is your list of vowel sounds. Remember, we're only focused on the sounds, not the names. You're welcome to …
By kehillah
This section is all homework and practice. Refer back to previous units if you need to. Homework (please do all of these) Play the memory game found on …
[Read more...] about Hebrew 2: Vowels (Part III, the last one we promise)
By kehillah
Sometimes under a Hebrew word you'll find what looks like this: : Here is an example in a Hebrew word: This colon-looking thing is called a sheva. …
By kehillah
There are times when all the rules you just learned get thrown out the window. It will make it seem like Hebrew is impossible! Don't worry because... These …
By kehillah
For the purpose of our learning, writing in Hebrew is a skill for making flash cards and notes. We will skip learning the cursive style, but if you want to …
By kehillah
To learn Hebrew, we'll focus on your parshah, the Torah portion you are reading at your b'nai mitzvah. First, find your portion if you do not already know …
By kehillah
Here we have a list of the most common Hebrew words found in the Bible. Practice reading these along with your parshah. For a better learning experience (and to …
By kehillah
Forget the cornflakes! Israeli breakfast is healthy and delicious. The origins of the Israeli breakfast come from several cultures: the Mizrachi (Middle …
By kehillah
Different Jewish traditions have different things to say about how the Hebrew Bible (which is different from the Christian Bible) came to be. Here is what …
[Read more...] about History 1: What Is the Bible and Who Wrote It?
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We're going to take a different approach to the remainder of our Jewish history course. We are going to focus on memories. What are some memories you have? …
By kehillah
Israel can mean three things: a person named Israel in the Bible (also named Jacob, the last Jewish patriarch), the Jewish people (Am Yisrael) or the country …
By kehillah
There are seven basic Jewish religious movements or denominations. They are the Secular Humanistic, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Reform, Jewish Renewal, …
Jews came to America at different times and from around the world. Once in the United States, they enjoyed many freedoms they did not have in other …
[Read more...] about History 5: What Does Being a “Jewish American” Mean?
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The term antisemitism was coined only in the nineteenth century, but anti-Jewish hatred and Judeophobia (fear of Jews) date back to ancient times and have a …
[Read more...] about History 6: Why Do Some People Hate Jews?
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Mazal tov! If you have done all of the work in the previous units, then you are done with your online learning. We are so proud that you choose to do your …