Interfaith Community for Jewish-Christian mixed marriage families in New York that celebrates the distinctiveness of both traditions, providing religious services and education for adults and children. It does not aim to blur the traditions or to discourage affiliation with church or synagogue.

Orange/Rockland/New Jersey:
Children's Programs

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CHILDREN'S CLASSES

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The Interfaith Community has developed a comprehensive curriculum to educate children in grades K-6 about both their traditions. Team-taught by Jewish and Christian educators, our classes aim to nurture continuity with each faith, but not to blur their differences or to indoctrinate. Instead, we hope to provide children with basic literacy in each, to foster respect for religion and the meaning it can bring to life, to inspire joy and delight in their religious heritages and practices, and to lay a foundation for their own religious journeys.

The following classes are offered in Orange/Rockland/Bergen in 2009-10:
Click here to see the full schedule.

Click here to register for classes.

Celebrating Our Songs (Pre K) This informal program offering designed for pre-Kindergarten children emphasizes song, dance, and playful exposure to two traditions with both children and parents.

Celebrating Our Traditions: Great Stories (K-1)
Great Stories provides a basic and interactive introduction to the major holidays of each tradition. Students will become accustomed with the Bible story associated with each holiday, from both the Christian scriptures and Hebrew Bible.

Celebrating Our Traditions: God and Me (2-3)
Focusing on each child’s developing relationship with God, God and Me encourages students to think about, question, and discover a closer relationship with God. Children will deepen their understanding of holiday traditions and the relationship with God behind those traditions.

Bible & Prayer: Sacred Spaces (4-5)
This course will introduce children to the importance of houses of worship and life cycle rituals in Judaism and Christianity. They will learn about the value of sanctifying key moments in life, in particular: birth, coming of age, and marriage. They will appreciate the way sacred spaces reinforce ritual and prayer and will also learn some key prayers that are common to regular services or special occaisions in both traditions.

Identity & Transition (6-8)
Focusing on history and culture, this course will introduce students to the development of their two traditions over the years. As they explore the developments of Jewish and Christian identity, they will also be developing their own identity, exploring what it means to have an engaged spirituality in either tradition.

Dates and times are subject to minor change, please continue to regularly consult website for additional changes.

Class Schedule

OCTOBER

OPENING FAMILY DAY: Celebrating Our Traditions/Sacred Spaces/Identity & Transition
Sunday, October 3, 2010, time: TBA

All classes: Lesson 1
Sunday, October 17

NOVEMBER

All classes: Lesson 2
Sunday, November 7

All classes: Lesson 3
Sunday, November 21

DECEMBER

All classes: Lesson 4
Sunday, December 5

JANUARY

All classes: Lesson 5
Sunday, January 9

All classes: Lesson 6
Sunday, January 23

FEBRUARY

All classes: Lesson 7
Sunday, February 6

All classes: Lesson 8
Sunday, February 13

MARCH

All classes: Lesson 9
Sunday, March 6

All classes: Lesson 10
Sunday, March 10

CLOSING FAMILY DAY: Celebrating Our Traditions/Sacred Spaces/Identity & Transition (4-6 pm)
Sunday, March 27

To reserve or more information, please call: 212-870-2544 or email ifcorangerock@optonline.net.