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Leadership Blog

Embracing Our Kehillah Kedosha - Holy Community

Dear Adat Ari El Families,

Tonight we will gather together as one community to celebrate Shabbat Under the Stars.  There will be music, food, prayer, and dancing, but most importantly, there will be a Kehillah Kedosha, a holy community.  It's not the prayer that makes us a holy community, but the people in it.  When we introduce ourselves to someone new and invite them to sit down with us or we share some of the delicious food that we brought, that is what makes this kehillah holy.

In addition to this evening, we will have a number of opportunities in the coming months to embrace this beautiful community of ours in meaningful, fun, and spiritual ways:

Kol Nidrei & Yom Kippur

This Tuesday evening, the Jewish community will join together in praying Kol Nidrei (all vows).  Kol Nidrei serves as an introduction to Yom Kippur (day of atonement).  Kol Nidrei has a fascinating history as a legal ritual.  The Jewish people were often persecuted for being Jewish and forced to adopt a new religion.  The Kol Nidrei prayer serves as a legal ritual to annul the Jewish people of any vows that they have made.  Only after the Kol Nidrei prayer was recited were those Jewish people who had converted to other religions allowed to rejoin the Jewish faith.

While the need to annul ourselves of forced conversion is no longer as prevalent a threat, there are other aspects of our life from which we need to be separated. Whether it be behaving badly, fighting with friends or loved ones, or loosening our moral virtues, Kol Nidrei is a good warm up for us to enter Yom Kippur ready to say “we will be better”.

Shabbaton

In just SEVEN short weeks, we will meet at Camp Ramah in Ojai to spend the weekend reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones at the third annual Adat Ari El Day School Family Retreat!  It promises to be a really fun weekend with opportunities for adults to have some time to connect child free with other adults and the children to make some really great memories. We hope that you are able to join us, and if you have not signed up yet, please make sure that you do soon!

For those who are fasting, have an easy tzoom (fast).

G'Mar Chatimah Tova - May you be inscribed in the book of life!

Shabbat Shalom,

Eric

Inside The Classroom

Click below to view the classroom pages.

TK

Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

6th Grade

Outside The Classroom

Click here to sign up for enrichment.

In the Community

Register for our 3rd Annual Day School Family Shabbaton

We are excited to open registration for our 3rd Annual Day School Family Shabbaton at Camp Ramah - - Friday, November 2, 4:00 PM until Sunday, November 4 at 11:00 AM in Ojai. Last year was so much fun, and we are excited to build on our experience with all of our new and returning families. You can find the link to the registration page here.

Some highlights of our time together will include challah braiding, student-led Kabbalat Shabbat, creative Shabbat morning service with student Torah readers, an incredible ropes course experience (unless it rains, in which case we will have something else fun), hikes, yoga, Havdalah, campfire, FUN parent socials, and time to be together and build community.

We will have a Gan (nursery) for ECC age kids (2 and older), programming for TK & K, and programming for 1st-6th graders.  Depending on how many 7th grade and older kids we have, we will determine the best fit for them in this experience - either jr. counselors, or teen programming.  Please be advised that the Gan will be open at various times throughout the weekend (about 6 hours total) so that families will spend most of the weekend together.  Children in 2nd grade and older are encouraged to sleep in the bunks with counselors.  There will be evening Shmira (babysitting) in the lobby of buildings with kids sleeping in adult rooms. Adults have private rooms with bathrooms - motel style. Fee includes lodging, meals, and all activities.

Please note ways to get involved on the registration form-- we would love your help!

We are grateful to have generous sponsors again this year such that we can offer a discount of $250 per family to the first 30 families who register. A non-refundable deposit of $200 is due by Friday, October 5th in the office in order to confirm your reservation. The balance is due on Monday, October 22.  Please see registration form for full pricing information.

For more information or to register please visit the registration page.

Save-the-Dates

Tour de Summer Camp:

Did you go to Jewish summer camp? Did your time there shape who you are today? Join us to support sending thousands of kids to Jewish summer camp. Ride, spin or cheer with Shara and Team Adat Ari El for the Tour de Summer Camps. Register now for a day of "cycling, activities and laughter."

Click here to sign up: www.tourdesummercamps.org

IAC Sukkot Festival

Stop by the ADAT booth at the IAC's Sukkot Festival on Sunday, September 23!

From the Synagogue

Calendar

Mark your calendars for these important dates:

• September 17: Fall Enrichment begins
• September 18: Kol Nidre - 12:30pm dismissal - no aftercare available
• September 19: Yom Kippur - No School
• September 24 & 25: Sukkot - No School
• September 27: PJ's in the Sukkah - 5:00 - 7:00pm
• October 1: Sh'Mini Atzeret - No School
• October 2: Simchat Torah - Yom Limmud (School Open, Optional)

*click here to view the full calendar

Jewish Trivia question of the week

Each week, we'll pose a Jewish Trivia question of the week and will reveal the answer in the following week's newsletter!

Here's this week's question in honor of Yom Kippur:

What is the final prayer of Yom Kippur?

a. Neilah

b. Amidah

c. Kaddish

d. Hallel

ANSWER from last week's question:  What is the common greeting during Rosh Hashanah?

C - "For a good year!"