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Snacks All snacks must be Kosher and dairy. No meat is permitted. Fruits, veggies, juice packs and water are good choices. Please try to avoid sweets and messy snacks such as chips and popcorn. Children who arrive early during the week may bring a snack. Such snacks must be finished prior to class time, as no snacks are allowed during class. Snacks for primary grades on Sunday are at the discretion of the teacher. Options include a class schedule for snacks determined by the teacher or parents may send individual snacks. Kashrut Regulations for The Jewish CenterSince Biblical times, the Jewish People have always believed that Kashrut is an important value. The laws of Kashrut were first described in the Torah and then developed in Rabbinic texts. Throughout our history, we Jews have taken one of the most basic things we do as human beings and raised it to a level of sanctity. Just as we begin and end our meals with blessings to remind us that eating is a religious act so, too, we have certain standards of what food is acceptable and what is not acceptable. An equally important standard is that we want everyone to feel comfortable in our community, especially when it comes to eating in our Synagogue. Therefore, the Religious Affairs Committee, in consultation with Rabbi Feldman, has established these regulations for Kashrut at The Jewish Center. We have established these standards as a way of helping people understand the importance we give to Kashrut and we do so in a way that helps everyone feel comfortable with our standards. We also see this as an opportunity to educate members of our community about the laws of Kashrut and the meanings of the laws. We hope that many people will take advantage of the educational opportunities we will all have in the coming months toward that goal. Any questions about these standards should be directed to Rabbi Feldman. 1. Only meat products purchased from and delivered by one of our acceptable kosher caterers may be brought into the building. No other meat products may be brought into the kitchens, social hall, lobby or any other part of either building. This includes individual lunches for our students. 2. All products brought into The Jewish Center must carry a symbol of Kashrut supervision such as U or K. This applies to all dairy products, cake mixes, etc. Major supermarkets in our area have extensive kosher sections including the Kosher Experience at Shop Rite on Rt. 1. There are also many places to buy kosher baked goods including the ACME in East Brunswick. For more information about where such products can be bought, please contact The Jewish Center Main Office. 3. All fresh fruits and vegetables are acceptable in The Jewish Center. 4. Only kosher fish may be brought into the building. Acceptable fish includes tuna, salmon, flounder, lox and sole. 5. When a meal is being prepared in one of the two kitchens, please do not use the other kitchen unless absolutely necessary. It is much safer to do all work for a particular meal in the appropriate kitchen. 6. If you would like to bring baked goods into the building, we ask that you purchase these baked goods at an acceptable bakery. If they have been baked in someone's home, they should either be baked in a kosher oven or in disposable pans using disposable utensils. Please bring these utensils with you to serve them at The Jewish Center. Please do not use our utensils for these baked goods. These standards apply to the school building and the main building as well as all parts of the building including the kitchens, the social hall, the lobby, the libraries, offices and all classrooms. All matters of Kashrut at The Jewish Center, including questions, clarifications and other issues should be brought to Rabbi Feldman's attention. More information of Kashrut can be found in such books as Dresner's The Jewish Dietary Laws, or Levi and Kaplan's Guide for the Jewish Homemaker. Children’s Services and Attendance RequirementAll children are required to attend Shabbat Services. There is a Mini Minyan for children in Gan, Alef, and Bet (grades K-2) and Jr. Congregation for children in Gimmel - Heh (grades 3-5). These services are every Shabbat from 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Vav and Zayin students (grades 6-7) attend services in the Main Sanctuary. The Shabbat Service requirement is: Gan, Alef 3
times per year (Mini Minyan - Children’s
Library) Attendance will be taken and records kept. There are file boxes with an index card for each student located either in the Bet Midrash or in the Lobby near the door. Students should move their cards from the file box into the attendance box. Mini Minyan file boxes are in the student library. In addition, you can e-mail Ellen Pristach at ebpecteach@aol.com to record attendance. We encourage all students to come as often as they would like, but these minimum requirements must be met. Students who do not meet the minimum requirement will have the missing services added to the following year requirement. Service requirements for all grades must be completed prior to Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Students who attend 10 Services become “Minyanaires” and receive a special certificate. Youth GroupsChildren in grades 3-12 are encouraged to participate in The Jewish Center Youth Group programs that are affiliated with United Synagogue. Haverim
Grades 3 and 4 For more information, please contact our Youth Director, Sue Weiner, at 921-0100, extension 209. You can also e-mail sweiner@thejewishcenter.org. The Children's LibraryOur Library is an important resource for children both individually and with their classes. Relevant Jewish books are not always available in the community and our library provides a wonderful assortment for children of all ages. Our classes visit the Library on a regular basis and books are used for class work and projects as well as for individual reading. The Children's Library is located in the Sanctuary building and can be accessed through either the Parking Lot Lobby or through the Social Hall. The Library is open during school hours. Sunday, between sessions (10:30-11:00 a.m.), is a nice time to visit with your child. New books are purchased through the Religious School Library Fund. Donating a book is a wonderful way to commemorate a child's birthday or special occasion. The Adult Library is also available for older students and provides a wide range of books for reading and research. TzedakahTzedakah means more than just charity. It means justice. In the Religious School, we incorporate Tzedakah as part of our curriculum and encourage children to contribute to worthy causes. Children learn about community needs and worldwide concerns. Tzedakah is collected on Sunday mornings. Each class has a Tzedakah box and the money is then donated to various charitable organizations on a monthly basis. The recipient organization will be announced in the school newsletter each month. The Religious School and the Nursery School support a food drive for the Crisis Ministry in November (Thanksgiving) and for Jewish Family and Children’s Service in March (Purim). We will collect items for the needy, coordinated by the Social Concerns Committee. They may be left in a basket located outside the school office.
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