Beit Midrash: building and nourishing our youth

We’re sitting out on a friend’s terrace on Saturday afternoon, eight teens and five parents. There’s that Shabbat dreamy, relaxed feeling in the air, and the afternoon sun filters through vines on a trellis. The parent who is teaching has asked a question about the parshah and is running a discussion where the students are offering their thoughts. Parents pipe in occasionally with additions or questions.

Is this heaven or Jewish family camp? No, it’s a scene from the early years of Rhode Island’s Community Beit Midrash (CBM), a program started by Jewish community leaders Dr. Aliza Krieger and Rabbi Navah Levine.

As a parent of one of the original five families who sought, together, to provide ongoing Jewish education to our children after elementary school, I’ve had an inside perspective on this excellent program and have watched our child, Simon Kislak Brown benefit from it, as we have benefited from the community and learning ourselves.

The program was launched in 2020 and thrived, even during the height of the COVID pandemic, with a lot of outdoor programming and a flexible approach.

Says Krieger, who is president, “We want our kids to love Judaism.” The program seeks to convey the message “that learning is lifelong and doesn’t end at the Bar/Bat Mitzvah.” Krieger notes that CBM is not a program of any specific Jewish temple or synagogue, “although shuls are connected to us.” CBM is “rich and wonderful” and open to any preteens or teens, 6th through 12th grade. “The program can accommodate a wide range of ability.”

Rabbi Navah Levine, co-founder & vice president of CBM, adds that “we saw it both as an opportunity for teens to continue their learning and to build and nourish community…It applies both to the teens and the parents. It connects us – it gives us this great shabbat community that is open to all.”

CBM has grown from the initial group of five students in 6th and 7th grades to 19 students currently, going up to 12th grade. It offers weekday evening programming on a weekly basis at the Dwares Jewish Community Center, Shabbat learning at participants’ homes, and periodic special learning sessions with local rabbis and scholars on weekends. Wednesday learning includes dinner.

One thing that makes CBM special is that the students often guide the content. For example, during the high school program last year with Dr. Yitz Schleifer, the high schoolers learned, based on careful analysis of Jewish texts, personalities of different Biblical characters. The students chose the characters. In addition, they wanted to learn about Kabb,ah, so they spent a session focusing Jewish mysticism.

Yael Tesar, a high school senior, joined CBM when she was in 6th grade. “I’ve loved to see how it’s become a real community over time,” she says, adding, “I really like the group discussion aspect…it gets a lot of debates going. And the teachers we’ve had have been amazing.”

She adds: “It’s such a nice way to stay connected to Judaism, as someone who goes to a school where I’m one of the only Jewish students.”

Micah Babchuk, now in 8th grade, started in 6th grade. He complimented the teachers, who are “always amazing…they are really doing it because they want to,” and says that they work to “make it a good learning opportunity for everyone.”

Dinner was added to the Wednesday evening programming last year, and “the food’s great,” Babchuk says. Additionally, it was helpful being in the CBM program while preparing for his Bar Mitzvah. “It was one of my main resources when writing my D’var Torah…a lot of quotations from rabbis I got from Beit Midrash.”

Shabbat afternoons involve participating families hosting students in their homes for about an hour of informal learning. Teachers include host parents and community scholars. Students learn, have snacks, and then often play sports or socialize during the afternoon.

The Community Beit Midrash group of students and parents has grown since its inception and has room to grow and evolve even more. One new role is that of the parent liaison, who can do outreach to parents who might have questions or be interested in having their child(ren) join. CBM also recently added a staff person, Sophie Kieffer, a Brown undergraduate focusing on Jewish studies. It is a 501c(3) nonprofit with a Board of Directors.

Anna Cable, current parent liaison, explains that the open-style, more informal learning of CBM appeals to her. CBM is “for kids who are looking for a more hevruta-style, pluralistic community-based learning environment.” She continued, “I think that having Jewish learning in a more organic setting is appealing” as is the fact that it is “not tied to a particular synagogue or movement.” Her children are not yet old enough to participate, but she hopes to offer outreach to the Jewish Community Day School community where her children attend.

If you’d like more information about Community Beit Midrash, write to Dr. Aliza Krieger at cbmrhodeisland@gmail.com.

JOANNA BROWN is a doctor and writer living in Providence with her spouse and two children.