The B'nai Mitzvah Journey at Nevei Kodesh: Crossing the River (CTR)
We have created an in-depth two-year B'nai Mitzvah program called "Crossing the River", a name inspired by Rabbi Burt Jacobson's curriculum. This two-year CTR program is designed for students ages 11 through 15.
We approach the B'nai Mitzvah learning as a process of discovery and transformation. Students are encouraged to explore their sense of themselves and their core values, as well as to deepen their Jewish knowledge and experience in all Four Worlds (Assiyah/physical; Yetzirah/emotional; Briyah/intellectual; Atzilut/spiritual).
Our program empowers Bar/Bet/Bat-Mitzvah students to voice what they want their 'Jewishness' to mean. We help them uncover how to authentically manifest traditions and spirituality in their lives.
We are here to serve as teachers and guides, as we accompany families through this new terrain. Sometimes we find calm waters, and other times things can get choppy, as we cross the river into adulthood.
Students of all genders, sexualities, and backgrounds are welcome to join us, regardless of where they are on their journey discovering Judaism.
Sundays at Nevei Kodesh: 2:30-5:00pm
We will be exploring and deepening our relationship to Torah and Mitzvot, as well as completing our learning about the Jewish Holiday Cycle, the Jewish Life Cycle, and an overview of Jewish History.
All grades join together on Sundays at the end of the school day for community tefillah (prayer) from 4:30pm to 5pm. Parents are encouraged to attend.
Tuesday Zoom Classes for 4th - 7th Grades: 4:30pm-6:00pm
In addition to Sundays on site at Nevei Kodesh, the 4th-7th graders come together online on Tuesday afternoons from 4:30pm to 6pm for additional enrichment. The students are assigned their Hebrew study groups according to their level of Hebrew knowledge.
The class begins with all grades together for community connection, followed by breakout rooms with their teachers for Hebrew literacy and comprehension, and then grade specific learning.
Tuesday Hebrew on Zoom is taught by Lael Har and Rabbi Diane Tiferet Lakein with a prayer class by Jay Schwartz.
Rabbi Diane Tiferet Lakein (she/her/hers)
I am delighted to be returning for my fourth year teaching in the Nevei Kodesh Religious School!
I became involved in Jewish Education when my older daughter (now 22 and a recent college graduate) was young and complained that she did not know any other Jewish children (she was one of only two Jewish children in her elementary school in Germany). Since then, I have been actively working to ensure that my own children and other children have ample opportunities to engage in a joyous Jewish learning and praying environment. My younger daughter recently celebrated her Bat-Mitzvah in the beautiful NK sanctuary.
I have worked as an educator in multiple congregations and hold a Masters in Jewish Education from Hebrew College. I also received rabbinic ordination from ALEPH, the Alliance for Jewish Renewal. I served as the Rabbi of Chawurah Gescher (Freiburg, Germany) and Migwan (Basel, Switzerland) prior to moving to Boulder from Europe in 2018. I serve as a member of the Spiritual Leadership Team and the CTR Team at Congregation Nevei Kodesh and enjoy teaching about Prayer, Lifecycle events, Torah, God and Jewish Renewal to both children and adults. I also freelance in Germany and the United States – with an emphasis on education, pastoral care and spiritual direction – and can be found online at RabbiWithin.org. Earlier in my life, I was a cultural anthropologist and lived extended periods of my life abroad in Sweden, Thailand, China and Germany.
Click here to read some B'nai Mitzvah Reflections for Parents.
* Questions about the program? Please email Rabbi Diane to rabbidiane@neveikodesh.org *
