2020-2021 Registration Now Open
Information about our exciting changes and offerings for youth learning for the 2021-2022 year coming soon.
Preschool - 7th Grade Youth Learning Opportunities
In this very special and different year, we are excited to offer a whole new line of programming including both virtual and hybrid options. We also have a fun new line of family programming recognizing how much time families are spending together these days!
Hebrew Learning
Hebrew is part of all learning, no matter the age, at Har HaShem. Our youngest students experience prayer, become familiar with Hebrew vocabulary and and associate Hebrew with the joys of being Jewish. As students grow in our program, through their learning programs and attending of Shabbat services, they begin to know prayers by heart and develop a space in their heart for them. Their vocabulary of Hebrew words that are part of the lexicon of being Jewish continues to develop and they become more comfortable with Hebrew as an organic part of their experiences at Har HaShem.
Individualized Learning Program
(For 3rd-7th grade families enrolled in youth programming)
In our individualized Hebrew program, families take ownership over their child’s Hebrew journey, creating a learning plan in partnership with Har HaShem staff. In an initial meeting with the Director of Lifelong Learning, families discuss goals, the child’s learning style, and the role that they hope Hebrew and prayer will have in their child and family’s life. Families choose from four customizable Hebrew learning options. Once the option is selected, the Director of Lifelong Learning will help the family engage a m'amein (tutor/mentor) to work with each child. The more expansive the family goals, the more tutoring time will be needed. All options include Hebrew decoding (the process of reading Hebrew by sounding out letters and vowels through the Let’s Learn Hebrew Program), Saturday morning prayer preparation, and memorization of Torah and Haftarah portions. Families participating in the individualized program are also required to attend at least one worship service each month during the academic year.
8th Grade and High School
Information coming soon.
Israel Experiences
We encourage our high school students to have a significant Israel experience to help them explore their connection to the land and people of Israel. Some of the programs include: The Israel Study Tour, NFTY in Israel, and Chalutzim Baaretz, and NFTY-EIE. The Israel Study Tour (IST) is a five week program in Poland and Israel the summer following 11th grade. This program of the Colorado Agency for Jewish Education is for Denver and Boulder area teens. Students have the opportunity to do learning and build connections prior to their travel. NFTY in Israel is a similar program to IST, but connects teens to our national teen youth movement, NFTY. Chalutzim Baaretz is similar to the NFTY program but is Hebrew immersion program in which the students hear and speak Hebrew during the trip. NFTY-EIE is a semester-long program in Israel that enables high school students to immerse themselves in the richness of the land, culture, people, and history of Israel, all while earning high school credit.
Noah Andrew Cohen Scholarship
(May 11, 1982 – August 14, 2004)
There are people who enter this world with tremendous gifts. Some are bright, others compassionate; some search for meaning, others strive for success.
Noah Cohen, a student here at Congregation Har HaShem, embodied all of these qualities and more! Noah grew up here and was in Rabbi Deborah Bronstein’s Confirmation class where he appreciated the discussions, debates and the learning.
Noah was liked and respected by peers and adults. He was a successful student, an avid reader, and a positive role model. One of Noah’s teachers even thought of him as noble for his graciousness and generosity.
Like many teens, unfortunately, Noah began to face struggles. While he wanted to be a part of something meaningful, he also battled with depression and mental illness. In Confirmation class, he found a safe place to explore ideas, to seek out meaning, to be his authentic self.
When Noah was only 22 years old, he took his own life.
His parents, who love him, and his community, who remembers him fondly, established this scholarship fund to remember him and his gifts. One of those gifts was the value he placed in his search for meaning. We encourage our Confirmation students to apply for this scholarship by submitting entries that reflect their search for meaning. We remember Noah as a young man who was a seeker and we encourage our students to be seekers, too.
Scholarship Award Winners
Finalists: Sophie Frankel; Lucy Atwell (writing) and Lucy Atwell (art)