Jewish Gateways Families: A Year in Review
- Jewish Gateways
- Nov 21
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 24
November 23, 2025 • 3 Kislev 5786
Growing Together is our inclusive family learning program focused on exploring Jewish values and traditions together! For families with children pre-K to 5th grade. For the 2024–25 school year, we explored the Jewish cyclical calendar and its deep connection to the agricultural and seasonal rhythms around us. Families did activities like tracing the phases of the moon, grinding wheat, and crushing olives and grapes to understand how Shabbat and the holidays are shaped by the natural world.
This school year, we’ve started a curriculum centered on becoming a mensch (MENSH, Yiddish for "good, kind, responsible person") through Jewish middot (mee-DOTE, Hebrew for "character traits").
Recently, we’ve explored values like Shalom Bayit (shah-LOM BYE-eet, Hebrew for "peaceful home") by studying the classic debate about how to hang a mezuzah (meh-zoo-ZAH, Hebrew for the scroll placed on Jewish doorways). Should it be vertical or horizontal? We then made our own mezuzot (plural for mezuzah) as we talked about building homes rooted in love and peace.
Most recently, we learned about Chaverut (khah-veh-ROOT, Hebrew for "friendship") by making friendship bracelets and studying the teachings from Pirkei Avot (peer-KAY ah-VOTE, a book of Rabbinic teachings on living an ethical life). This sparked thoughtful conversations about Jewish teachings on our responsibility to care for one another. We look forward to continuing the year together with our families!
Highlights:
We've had a 30% increase in new families joining our Growing Together community this year
We are already planning our 2026-27 curriculum, focused on core Torah stories!
Our personalized B-Mitzvah program meets each teen where they are, creating an experience rooted in tradition yet shaped by what matters most to them.
This year marked a major milestone: our first-ever cohort became b-mitzvah! Four families, some whose children have been with Jewish Gateways since 1st grade, reached this meaningful moment together.
Each teen spent two years studying, including a year studying Torah and Rabbinic texts one-on-one with Rabbi Steph. During this time they built skills, mastery, and a personal relationship with Jewish learning. Our program also included working with each teen to develop a custom project that reflects their unique interests and voice. This is what they worked on:
Milcah designed and led their family’s Passover seder
Noah coded a video game about the ten plagues
Lucia wrote a book of poetry inspired by Joseph’s story
Cate explored Jewish holidays and history through food, inventing new recipes along the way
Watching our teens step forward with depth and creativity to lead their b-mitzvah rituals was one of the highlights of our entire year. We celebrated their accomplishments with a joyful community celebration honoring their learning, growth, and leadership.
Highlights:
First-ever B-Mitzvah cohort successfully completed the 2-year program
Our second Cohort is underway!
A post–B-Mitzvah program is already in the works, with a focus on social justice and leadership
In its third year since the pandemic, our 2025-26 Nourish + Nurture program welcomed four new families to join our returning families. We also saw some families move up to join Growing Together. In our program, parents with infants and children through pre-K gather each month to explore the questions that shape early family life: What does it mean to be Jewish? What does it mean to build community? How do we raise a mensch? How do we cultivate gratitude?
Nourish + Nurture continues to offer a warm, grounded space for connection. Parents appreciate the chance to slow down, reflect on their family’s values, and build friendships that support them through the early years of parenting. With childcare provided, grownups get the breather they need to learn and connect.
Highlights:
New families joined, growing our supportive parent community
Monthly sessions explored values, ritual, gratitude, and environmental stewardship
Alongside our family programs, this year was filled with meaningful family-focused gatherings that brought our community together:
Family events and activities:
Summer Shabbat Pizza in the Park welcomed new and returning families into the community for Friday night pizza and fun
Summer craft boxes provided learning and connection during the Summer break
We held our first Reverse Tashlich, inviting families to join for hands-on environmental repair through a waterway clean up
Holidays:
Our family-friendly High Holiday services offered accessible and meaningful space for the holiest days of the year
We celebrated Tu Bishvat, Shavuot, and Sukkot with Urban Adamah, connecting to the earth and our local food systems
Alongside our friends at the Jewish Baby Network, we participated in a warm and welcoming Rosh Hashanah celebration
If you are interested in being a part of our family programs and activities, we invite you to connect directly with Rabbi Steph, our Family Learning Director rabbistephanie@jewishgateways.org
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