Makom 2027-2028 Interest Form

Thank you for your interest in Makom, our Jewish learning program at Nefesh. Below you will find some pertinent information regarding the program’s philosophy and schedule.

MAKOM

Makom is a dynamic Jewish education program for students in grades TK through B'nai Mitzvah, open to both Nefesh Kin and families in the larger community. The Hebrew word makom means “place” - inside and all around us, every place is alive with Jewish learning and growing. We open the door wide open for creative exploration of Torah, spirituality and prayer, and middot, our deepest values. We learn together in class, as part of the Shabbat service, and with family learning to bring into the week. As much as possible, we learn Judaism through doing Judaism, and we also do our best to have fun along the way.

Makom is designed to instill a love of Judaism through hands-on, experiential learning. Makom meets on Sundays from 10:00-12:30pm, and on select Saturdays (depending on the grade level) as part of Nefesh Service from 10:00am-Noon. We also offer a Family Jam service for families with children, ages 0 through 9 years old, on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month at 9:30am.

CURRICULUM

Middot/Judaic: Exploring and putting into practice Jewish values and characteristics through Jewish rituals, behaviors, traditions, and texts.
Hebrew: Learning the Hebrew Language to provide the skills to participate and lead Jewish prayer and study of Torah.
Shabbat: Provide access to enriching Jewish worship and experience Shabbat learning, spirit and community.
Festivals: Experiential learning for families to deepen joy, meaning ,and integration of Jewish holidays into the home.
T’filla: Create greater familiarity, understanding, and personal meaning of Jewish prayer liturgy used in Nefesh services.

NEFESH B’NAI MITZVAH

All B’nai Mitzvah students will need to have completed at least one year in the Makom program before moving into B’nai Mitzvah learning. This one year program has four distinct components:

Jewish Learning: Three times a month Jewish learning classes as a group to explore prayer, Torah, and the middot (Jewish soul values)
Preparation: Cohort meetings with Rabbi Susan or Rabbi Aaron (NOTE: parent attendance required), 1:1 coaching with clergy on d'var torah, and individual service tutoring sessions with one of our outstanding B’nai Mitzvah tutors
Tikkun Olam Project: Volunteer involvement in a cause or service project (minimum of 10 hours), or raising funds to support an organization you would like to support.
Nefesh Shabbat: Participation in Nefesh Shabbat services.

KINSHIP

Becoming Kin is not required for enrollment in Makom. We ask that all families become Kin at or before committing to a B’nai Mitzvah date for their students. At Nefesh, Kinship is a sliding scale - we invite you to learn more about how it works here.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at makom@nefeshla.org.

We warmly invite you to share this interest form with any friends who may be interested!

Thank you for your interest! Please fill out the information below.

How many students are you interested in enrolling in Makom?

Student Name

First NameMiddle NameLast Name

Student Birth Date

MonthDayYear

What grade will your student be entering in Fall 2027?

Second Student Name

First NameMiddle NameLast Name

Second Student Birth Date

MonthDayYear

What grade will your second student be entering in Fall 2027?

Third Student Name

First NameMiddle NameLast Name

Third Student Birth Date

MonthDayYear

What grade will your third student be entering in Fall 2027?

Primary Parent or Guardian Name

First NameLast Name

Primary Parent/Guardian E-mail

example@example.com

Secondary Parent/Guardian

First NameLast Name

Secondary Parent/Guardian E-mail

example@example.com

Zip Code

Is your family currently Nefesh Kin?

If you aren't currently Kin, would you be interested in learning more about Kinship?

Will this be your child(ren)'s first time in a Jewish learning program?

If they have previously attended a Jewish learning program, please tell us more here:

How did you learn about Nefesh and Makom?

Anything else you'd like to add?

Makom 2027-28 Interest Form

Thank you for your interest! Please fill out the information below.