Requirements:
This is the Adventure Rabbi Program, not the Slacker Rabbi Program. Bar and Bat Mitzvah
students must be in reasonable physical shape to participate
in this group. You do not have to be an incredible athlete,
but you shouldn't be a coach potato who hates hiking.
Bar
and Bat mitzvah students must meet these requirements
to be accepted to this program:
1. |
Be
able to hike uphill without stopping for 30 minutes. |
2. |
Enjoy
social situations with peers and be willing to work
with a group. Be willing to bring in any student
who feels left out. |
3. |
Students may make-up two classes by reading assigned chapters of Rabbi Korngold's books and writing about it. They may
not miss the orientation, the first hike or Deer Mt hike. After two classes,
missed classes are made up by private study with
the Rabbi at a cost of $125/hour. After three classes are missed, the students may be asked to move into the individual program, which costs $500 more, if the Rabbi feels the student no longer is part of the group. |
4. |
Be
ready to learn! (There are no Hebrew or Religious
school prerequisites for this class but you must
be ready to learn.) |
5. |
Complete
and email the rabbis two homework assignments a month. These must be sent as Word attachments or Googldocs. |
6. |
Parents must be willing to join our class Facebook group where the rabbi will post information. |
7. |
Complete the required Hebrew prayers, Torah verses and speeches before the ceremony. |
8. |
Students must have an interview with Rabbi Korngold before they are admitted to this program. |
Over a decade of experience has taught as that the following students will thrive in the Individual Program rather than this class:
- Students who don't want to do it
- Students who do not enjoy peer social settings
- Students who identify as Introverts
- Students who are on the Autism spectrum
- Students with Social Anxiety
- Competitive Athletes with inflexible schedules
An interview is required for admission.
Gear:
Bar and Bat Mitzvah students will need certain basic
outdoor gear for this class including: good hiking boots
(Really! They need hiking boots!), large day pack, rain
gear, warm layers, water bladder such as Platypus or
Camelback to go inside backpack, Yaktrax, snowshoes
(may be rented) and ski poles, hiking poles (optional).
Hebrew:
Students should be prepared for
a serious year of Hebrew study and able to commit time
to this aspect of the program. Most students meet with
their tutor once a week for a year and study daily. We recommend
that students who have no Hebrew background start with
a tutor as soon as possible, ideally two years before
their ceremony. This will make their workload more
manageable and less intense. In the Boulder
area, fees are generally $35-$55 an hour. Outside of
Boulder they are typically $50 - $85 an hour. Most of our students learn with Elaine Barenblat, our educator, either in small groups or in private lessons.
Torah:
Most of our students chant or read 6 verses of Torah.
But students with severe learning limitations have read
as little as three and very skilled readers have read
as many as 21 verses. You will
be reading from our backpacking Torah.
What
are the Hebrew requirements to get into the program?
Many of our students have no Hebrew background while
others have been attending Jewish Day School for years.
Either way, because the Hebrew portion is taught individually,
we can make it work and we will create a program that
is appropriately challenging.
Journal:
Bar and Bat Mitzvah students
will track their learning in journals and email the
journals to the rabbi. At the end of the course, these
journals will become the seeds that blossom into the
speeches the students give at their Bar and Bat Mitzvah
ceremonies, explaining the connections between their
learning, Judaism and nature.
Shabbat:
Our not so secret agenda is
to introduce the Bar and Bat Mitzvah students and their
families to Shabbat as meaningful part of life. Our
lives are so frenetic! One of the greatest gifts Judaism
has given us is the mandate to take a day off every
week. We hope that when the bat and bar mitzvah are in college and are
overwhelmed with life, they will look back at this year
and think, "Oh Shabbat. Maybe that can help."
To that end, my goal is to introduce them to a Shabbat
practice that fits into their lifestyle and can enhance
their lives.
Each
month for eight months the student will pick some type
of Shabbat observance to try out. They can
be traditional activities like lighting candles, baking
challah or going to synagogue but might also
be non-traditional activities like going skiing with
your family but not complaining, eating ice cream for
breakfast, or making dinner for you family. After four months, the students pick one Shabbat observance that worked for them and repeats it for four months. These experience are written up monthly and emailed to Rabbi Korngold.
Monthly Meetings:
Students who are not learning their Hebrew with our educator Elaine Barenblat, meet with her once a month (online or at our office) so that she can check in on their progress. These meetings are usually 15 minutes Toward the end of the year, she meets with each student 2-3 times to help them write their speeches These meetings are usually 30-60 minutes.
Adventure Bar & Bat Mitzvah Class:
Resources & Information |
Schedule & Description of Classes:
|
Requirements For Enrollment in Adventure Class
Click Here >>
|
Registration:
Adventure Bar & Bat Mitzvah Class Registration - Click Here >> |
Hebrew Tutors:
Click Here >> |
Learning Resources:
|
Ceremony Information:
|
After
reading through this information, if you feel an Adventure
Rabbi Bar and Bat mitzvah will be a good fit for your
family, please either:
Which
Program is Right for Your Bar
or Bat Mitzvah?
OPTION
1:
Individual Bar and Bat
Mitzvah Program
Option for Distance Learning and Destination
Ceremonies
(10 months, you pick the start date)
More
info click here>>
Ready
to register and sign click here>> |
OPTION
2:
Adventure Bar and Bat
Mitzvah Class, Boulder, Colorado
(10 months, August - May)
On
this page, read above
Ready to register and sign click here >>
|
OPTION
3:
Bar and Bat Yisrael, a
less intensive coming of age program without
Hebrew
Option for Distance Learning
(12 weeks)
More info
click here >>
Ready
to register and sign click here >>
|
OPTION
4:
Israel Bar or Bat Mitzvah
Ceremony
>Adventure
Rabbi bar or bat mitzvah training with Rabbi
Evon Yakar during monthly Skype meetings
or as part of the Adventure Class
>Individual Hebrew tutoring with your own
tutor
>Unforgettable unique bar or bat mitzvah
ceremony in Israel.
Locations
include the Robinson Arch at the Western Wall,
the Ancient Synagogue in Ein Gedi and atop Masada
More
info click here>>
|

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