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Home > Learning > Religious School > > B-Mitzvah Program: CTR Overview for 6th & 7th grades

Crossing the River (CTR) Learning Maps

B-Mitzvah Two Year Program • Crossing the River (CTR) 

The Journey: Crossing the River (CTR) Learning 

Together, we will be crossing the river into a new space, a new time and a new land over the next one to two years towards your child becoming a B-Mitzvah. Due to our times and the immense commitment to safety, we have created an online schedule of exciting learning. There are blocks of time when your child joins us for singing, studying, games and connection. There are other virtual classes for your child in your kitchen for cooking, online fieldtrips, parent information meetings and parent/student workshops.

For CTR 1 and 2 this year:

What is a POD Elective? A POD is a small group of students learning together. Building community is an essential part of the CTR B-Mitzvah year. It sustains us and connects us to creating safe spaces and helps our students stay Jewishly connected in our community. As the students learn in their PODs each trimester, the POD leaders will also be working to create a community amongst their POD group, helping establish friendships and deeper meaning through learning. As it is safe, POD leaders will be getting together with their small groups, following safety protocols for Covid-19, to connect as a community group to establish deeper friendships and bonds.


B-Mitzvah Team: Our team has been carefully selected with years of teaching experience in Religious School, Jewish organizations and Jewish Renewal. They are dedicated to CTR students, their families and the NK B-Mitzvah experience. We are also looking forward to connecting with madrichim as B-Mitzvah mentors for our CTR students.

Fieldtrips: This year, we will be offering online fieldtrips to services at other synagogues and organizations for students to learn and grow including social justice speakers/events.

 

CTR Weekly Schedule 

CTR 1st year • NK B-Mitzvah 

CTR 2nd year •

NK B-Mitzvah 

Parents Connect

Sundays 

10-10:45am • Torah Study 

10:50-11:10am • Songs + Prayers 

11:15-12pm • POD Elective  

10-10:45am • B-Mitzvah Learning 

10:50-11:10am • Songs + Prayers 

11:15-12pm • POD Elective  

10:30-11:30am

Parent Class, Shmooze or Ed Comm Meeting 

Tuesdays 

4:30-5pm • prayer connection 

5-5:30pm • prayer electives 

5:30-6pm • Hebrew study groups 

4:30-5pm • prayer connection 

5-6pm • Torah Study 

 

 

Thursdays 

4:30-5:30pm  

  • Parent/student learning topics
  • examples: Covid Coping, Current Social Justice issues, Jewish meditation, tying tzit-tzit workshop and more!

Optional: CTR 1 students who have schedule conflicts with our Tuesday Hebrew classes or just want more Hebrew can attend on Thursdays from 5:30-6:30pm 

4:30-5:30pm 

  • Parent/student learning topics
  • examples: Covid Coping, Current Social Justice issues, Jewish meditation, tying tzit-tzit workshop and more!

Optional: CTR 2  students who want extra Hebrew practice can join Thursdays from 5:30-6:30pm (no charge) 

5-5:30pm with Rabbi Diane or  Brooke discussing B-Mitzvah Questions, Parenting Teens and Our Autonomous Journeys as Parents

 

CTR Sundays 

 

1st Trimester

10-10:45am

2nd Trimester

3rd Trimester 

CTR 1 •

Torah Study 

Focus: The Mitzvah of Study 

  • Why do we study Torah?
  • Order/books of the Torah 
  • Weekly parasha study 

Focus: Torah and Mitzvot 

  • Tallit, Tefillin + Tzitzit 
  • Weekly parasha study 
  • Identifying mitzvot in each study 

Focus: Torah, Talmud + Midrash 

  • Weekly parasha study
  • Identifying middot in the parashiyot and study 

CTR 2 •

B-Mitzvah Topics 

• Death + Afterlife in Judaism 

• What are the Four Worlds?

• Jewish by Choice 

• Birth, Bris and Naming  

• What is my personal Jewish brand? 

• The Magic and Reason for the Mikveh (virtual Mikveh fieldtrip) 

 

 

• Cultural + Historical Israel 

• Branches of Judaism

• Shabbat to Havdalah  

 

CTR Sunday: 10:45 - 11:10am – Songs + Prayers 

  • Discovering kavannot (meanings) for prayers in the B-Mitzvah service
  • Understanding the Four Worlds in connection to the service 
  • Reading and learning tunes for the B-Mitzvah service 
  • Community connection + creating sacred space 

 

CTR Sunday POD Electives 

1st Trimester options  

11:15-12pm 

2nd Trimester options 

11:15-12pm 

3rd Trimester options

11:15-12pm 

Our People 

Briyah: Speaking Truth to Power: Learning from the Hebrew Prophets (Rabbi Diane) 

Yetzirah: Jewish History and Thinking through Self Portraits (Lael)  

Briyah: Stories of Our Matriarchs and Patriarchs: What They Teach Us about Our Lives  (Rabbi Diane) 

Our Space

Atzilut: Food Justice + Sustainability through Jewish Cooking (Lael and Tamar) 

Atzilut: God-Wrestling: Jewish Views through the Ages (Rabbi Diane) 

Atzilut: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism through Art (Lael) 

Our Place in Time 

Assiyah: Heroes Who Help Shape Our Jewish Story (Hez)  

Assiyah: Judaism and Civil Rights (Hez) 

Assiyah: Siddur, Pop Music and My Connection (Ari) 

 

Click here for the full information packet including our calendar

Thu, June 24 2021 14 Tammuz 5781