From babies to teenagers, there are services and activities at NLS to cater for all ages. Though Covid-19 has thrown a wrench into many a plan, we are still working hard to ensure that we provide educational and social experiences for our youth. We are also constantly thinking of new ideas to engage young people and their families, and we very much welcome your suggestions for enriching our children’s and teenagers’ Jewish lives.
New London at 0-5
Our very young New Londoners might find it more difficult to have enriching experiences in front of screens, and we are not able to have in-person services for them until restrictions lift. While we wait for their laughter and singing to fill our halls again, we have crafted (and are crafting) some pre-recorded services for parents and guardians to use at home.
For examples of these services, please see our Rosh Hashanah Children’s Service here and our Yom Kippur Children’s Service here starring Stav Meishar, Gabriella Spencer-Hope and the NLS clergy team.
New London Cheder (Reception – Year 7)
The NLS Cheder is running online! You can find more information on our cheder here
New London B’nei Mitzvah (Year 8)
Our B’nei Mitzvah class are busily preparing for their celebrations, learning with tutors, and singing their hearts out! Alongside their private learning, we offer two regular ‘gatherings’:
Online Learning: The Year 8 class learn online on Tuesday evenings with a member of the NLS clergy, exploring themes of Jewish adulthood.
Shabbat Sessions: We are also setting up special Shabbatot for the B’nei Mitzvah group to gather on Shabbat mornings for learning and to join with the services.
New London Teens
We have previously enjoyed the help of our teenagers in the Cheder as Madrichim and as leaders of children’s services on Shabbat mornings. We are looking to engage with our New London teenagers again and to find projects for them to spearhead.
Misc.
We welcome children 12+ to all of our services, as long as parents and guardians feel it is appropriate. While we wish we could run our children’s services again, we will need to wait until restrictions lift.
Until then, alongside our online offerings, we would like to point you to some other online resources.
PJ Library provide numerous written resources for families, and run regular online sessions which may be of interest.
BimBam https://www.bimbam.com/ have many digital resources. They specialise in creating videos for children explaining the Torah portion and other Jewish learning.
We hope to be able to welcome you and your families into our sanctuary soon.
