Pizza and prayers: Shabbat Shaboom brings youngest learners to Temple Sinai

Temple Sinai is ushering in Shabbat with a boom. This boom, specifically, is Shabbat Shaboom.

Shabbat Shaboom is the Cranston temple’s monthly program to teach Jewish youngsters and their families Shabbat customs and rituals in a fun, relaxed way.

According to Sinai’s Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser, the program was designed as a way for Jewish children, from babies through second graders, to become involved in the synagogue before they start religious school in third grade.

“We want to get our young Jewish families with Jewish children into the synagogue as early as possible so that even before they reach third grade, they feel a sense of belonging – that the Jewish practices are theirs,” Goldwasser  explains.

Activities include singing, dancing, arts and crafts, and storytelling by the rabbi and others. Dinner includes the blessings over candles, challah, grape juice, and, often, kid-friendly pizza. 

“Kids love lighting Shabbat candles and eating challah on Friday night. If you tell them it’s a tradition – a part of who they are – they feel really excited,” the rabbi says.  “A lot of parents don’t feel competent to give that experience [at home].”

According to Amber Caulkins, who plays a key role in coordinating Shabbat Shaboom, the program has been a learning experience for not only the kids, but often for their parents, too.

“The rabbi really does a great job of making kids feel welcome and that the synagogue is for them. Doing things like bringing out the Torah for kids to look at and ask questions about is really great. It also creates an environment where parents can learn and ask questions,” she says.

Goldwasser acknowledged that many parents also learn from Shabbat Shaboom and said it is particularly helpful for interfaith families, who are welcome and encouraged to attend with their children. Shabbat Shaboom is also a chance for parents to connect with other adults in the Jewish community. 

“The families hang around; the kids play together and the parents get to know each other. They chat …. It’s a nice time for people to connect to the Jewish community,” he says.

As Shabbat Shaboom approaches its one-year anniversary this fall, Goldwasser and Caulkins have some new ideas for the program.

“I think in the coming year we will continue to learn about what makes the program attractive to families and how we can evolve to meet those needs,” says  Caulkins, whose role includes providing feedback to Goldwasser about what families would like to see in Shabbat Shaboom.

Goldwasser says this fall they will experiment with new times for Shabbat Shaboom to accommodate families that cannot make the program’s usual 5 p.m. start time, and with incorporating more arts and crafts activities. Sinai has also partnered with the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island to ensure that PJ Library materials, such as CDs and books for children, are included in the program in its second year.

“There’s nothing deep about it – no lessons on how to do anything,” Goldwasser says, explaining that the program is meant to be an enjoyable entry path into practicing Judaism. “It’s more show than tell.”

To date, eight or nine families have participated in Shabbat Shaboom, Goldwasser says. Participation is open to all families with Jewish children, not just Sinai’s members. There is no admission fee.

The next Shabbat Shaboom will be on Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. Shabbat Shaboom will also meet on the High Holy Days with events for Rosh Hashanah on Monday, Oct. 3, at 2 p.m., and for Yom Kippur on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 2 p.m.

ARIEL BROTHMAN is a freelance writer who lives in Wrentham, Massachusetts.