Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing!

Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing! The program uses Jewish teachings and practices — in a five-year cycle of curricular materials — to give girls a place to feel safe, articulate their deepest concerns, consider the impact of gender on their daily lives, have fun, and be ‘real’ with their peers. Through discussion, arts & crafts, creative ritual, games, and drama, the girls and their leaders draw on Jewish values and a gender lens to explore the issues the girls care about most, such as body image, friendship, relationships, family, competition, and stress.

Shevet Achim: The Brotherhood

Moving Tradition’s new program for teen boys, Shevet Achim: The Brotherhood, grew out of three years of research. Seeing that boys were disconnecting from Jewish life after bar mitzvah, at a time when the guidance, friendship, and sense of purpose that Judaism could provide were most needed, we set out to re-imagine the transition from being a boy to being a young man. Teen boys who participate in Shevet Achim groups tell us that they enjoy spending time in a “guy space,” where they can explore what masculinity and being Jewish means to them. The boys report that the experience offers them a more “honest,” “relevant,” and “cool” way to participate in the Jewish community. The adult mentors who Moving Traditions has trained as group leaders tell us that in Shevet Achim the guys “decompress” from their stressful lives and that they balance clowning and horseplay with deep discussions of what Judaism has to say about the ethical challenges of their every day lives.

For more information on Rosh Hodesh or Shevet Achim, please contact Jessica Kretzer at jkretzer@cbisd.org or 858 900-2552