Take tots, their parents, pajamas, songs, pizza and Havdallah. Mix them all together. The result: Havdallah Pajama Party, a Shabbat program for young children and parents at San Francisco’s Congregation Sherith Israel.
Parents wishing to introduce religion to their children in a fun way can put pajamas on their kids and bring them in Saturday evening for Havdallah and dinner — and the young ones go home ready for bed. Havdallah Pajama Party only happens several times a year, but other programs like it, such as parent/baby playgroups, Tot Shabbat for families, parent-baby yoga and massage classes, Daddy Shabbat Breakfast for fathers and kids and holiday parties make for the kind of regularity that creates community, said Mimi Greisman, Sherith Israel’s early childhood educator.
Sherith Israel’s programs are open to non-members, and some attendees call the programs one-of-a-kind because of their creative themes.
At Sherith Israel, Greisman has implemented a “bash-a-rooney” for Purim and Passover, an annual concert and an annual retreat. She insists that these, along with other year-round activities and regular playgroups are the building blocks for community; people start to see familiar faces.
And in San Francisco, where so many young Jewish couples live without extended family nearby, building a strong Jewish community is just as important as it is difficult, especially for newcomers.
Greisman thinks that synagogues are the perfect vehicle to bring young couples back to Judaism, which many seek during parenthood (a rite of passage in itself).
“Some [couples] have actually stepped out of religious life totally and become very assimilated,” explained Gresiman. “And then all of a sudden they become parents and they say ‘wait a minute, we want our child to be Jewish.'”
Greisman thinks that parent/baby playgroups are particularly unique because they combine music, puppets, discussion and a Jewish theme. Even in the summer, they frequently have 18 babies show up, “a full house.”
Greisman believes that the congregation’s goal of using early childhood programs to help create community is working.
One parent, Lida Morgenstein, agrees. Morgenstein became a member of Sherith Israel along with her husband when the two first got engaged, and became especially active after attending parent/baby playgroups for several months with her first daughter, who is now 3.
“It’s kind of our home base. And especially in San Francisco where so many of us are here without our families nearby … it feels really good to have the stability of a community that you can count on.”
Another parent, Bryn Argov, said the early childhood programs and diverse members attracted her to the synagogue. Argov is not Jewish, but her husband is; they’ve been members of Sherith Israel for a few years, and are raising their children Jewish.
“I like it and I really believe in programs there,” she said.