Or L'Atid, which translates to "Light for the Future," is the new program of youth education and engagement at Congregation Or Zarua. Or L'Atid serves as an umbrella banner for all experiences for children and youth of all ages provided by the congregation.
Or L'Atid at Or Zarua seeks to nurture and develop caring, knowledgeable and involved Jewish youth by providing a wide range of opportunities for engaging in rich learning in a positive and warm environment. We firmly believe that there is nothing more central to living Jewishly than educating our children and passing on to them our treasured heritage. Through a varied curriculum that includes the study of Tanakh (Bible), Jewish history, culture and values, religious life and laws, prayer, skills for living Jewishly, Israel and Hebrew language, we seek to instill a lifelong intellectual, emotional and spiritual connection to Judaism.
We offer a modern K-12 Hebrew School - Hebrew School 2.0 - that combines engaging Jewish learning with science and arts, providing a unique interdisciplinary experience for our youth. Learners in grades six through twelve can participate in our Bnei Mitzvah Scholars Program, or Teens @OZ, both of which provide a slate of semester-based Judaic Studies courses that enable students to delve deep into our sacred texts and history. Those same learners can also participate in our two Arts and Action mini-courses, in which we use a variety of media to explore our Jewish identities while also embodying the value of tikkun olam, repairing the world, through our work.
Outside of the classroom, Or L'Atid provides opportunities for youth and families to learn and pray together in our extensive family programs and Shabbat services, all of which enable learners to pray in authentic, age-appropriate Shabbat services, while exploring Jewish song, values and texts with their peers.
Or L'Atid also allows youth to connect to one another through our vibrant and continuously growing Kadima (6-8 grade) and USY (9-12 grade) Youth Group chapters. These provide youth with opportunities to learn, pray and engage in hesed projects together, while enjoying time spent together.
For more information, please contact Sigal Hirsch, Director of Youth Education and Programming. By email or
Call at 212-452-2310, Ext. 15
IMPORTANT CLASSES AND UPCOMING EVENTS:
• Movie: "The Women's Balcony": Monday, August 14, at 8:00 pm
• In the Belly of a Big Fish - Learning with Rabbi Bolton: Wednesday, August 16, at 7:00 pm
• Annual T'shuvah Lecture by Rabbi Dr. Dov Weiss:
"Rabbinic Irreverence: Imagining a Repentant God": Sunday, September 24, at 6:00 pm
