Education
Ashreinu School’s primary goal is to equip Messianic Jewish children ages 5-18 to be functional Jewish adults with the skills to fulfill their covenantal responsibilities and Gentile children within the Messianic Jewish community to live lives of dedicated partnership with the Jewish people and service to the Messiah. Hebrew literacy is a foundational right for any child who is part of the Jewish community, and we intend to make that right readily available.
Resources for Educators
Bar/Bar Mitzvah Training:
Bar/Bat mitzvah training is the culmination of Hebrew school that typically begins when the child enters first grade. Bar/Bat mitzvah candidates generally should be able to sound out Hebrew texts and should be familiar with the basics of Jewish tradition and practice. There may be times when accommodations need to be made for children who are new to the congregation and have not attended Hebrew School, but still want to receive bar/bat mitzvah training. The goal of this training is not only to prepare the candidate for the big day, but for the candidate to have a better understanding of his/her identity as a Messianic Jewish person. Therefore, the process is just as important as the end result. The Bar/Bat mitzvah training typically begins at age 12 and consists of four parts:
Torah and Haftarah with associated blessings. (Cantor or other instructor)
The first part of bar/bat mitzvah training involves the student learning to chant Torah, the Haftarah, and the blessings.
Torah and Haftarah training will take approximately one year to complete. Usually, the teacher works with the students about twice a week for 30 minutes to one hour depending on the student, with the student practicing what has been covered outside of instructional time. Less time in class may be more effective so that the students don't become overwhelmed. The exact structure of your program will depend on what works best at your synagogue. It is recommended to have the student attend class at a regularly scheduled time so that it becomes routine for them. If there are multiple students preparing in the same year, teaching the students how to chant the Torah and Haftarah, as well as instruction on Jewish history and culture can be taught in a group setting. When students are ready to learn their specific portions and develop their speeches, it is necessary to do this on a one-on-one basis.
Jewish Basics: Jewish History, Values, Traditions.
This is the cultural component of the training in which the candidate understands what it means to be Jewish with appropriate applications to life in Messiah.
The History of the Jewish People Volumes 1 and 2
Jewish Heroes Jewish Values
https://store.behrmanhouse.com/index.php/jewish-heroes-jewish-values.html
Jewish History and Heritage
https://store.behrmanhouse.com/index.php/building-jewish-identity-4-jewish-history-and-heritage.html
Mentoring: Understanding the Torah and Haftarah and Brit Chadasha portions, making applications to life. This includes writing the d’rash that will be presented at the service.
Mitzvah Project: involves the student volunteering and giving back to others. Parents help the student to find a mitzvah opportunity. the student writes a brief essay explaining the the project and its meaning and value.
Safety: Link to Volunteer Background Checks
Lay Cantor Training Series
Are you a volunteer cantor?
Worship leader? A lover of Jewish prayer, liturgy, and communal worship? Have you felt under-equipped for the role you play in your congregation?
We want to serve and strengthen you! Sign up to study with an accomplished Messianic Jewish rabbi, cantor, and liturgical innovator.
The goal of the UMJC Lay Cantor Training Series is to equip lay leaders with deeper knowledge of the background and history of traditional Jewish prayer, plus tools to lead their congregation in prayer with excellence and understanding.
Students will learn history, theory, tradition. Instructor will model and students will practice. Students will learn traditional melodies, modern melodies, and come up with their own. Students will make the prayers Yeshua-centered, with the instructors’ suggestions and their own creativity.
Details:
Class meets once a month via Zoom (live instruction) for 10 months on Sundays from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Eastern Time.
Students will receive a certificate from the UMJC Credentials Committee upon course completion.
All major prayers will be covered: history, reasons, how understand in light of New Covenant, how to sing (melodies: traditional, neo-traditional, modern, Hassidic, Sephardic, Mizrahi), customs, differences between nusachot, innovations, new ideas, theological ideas in prayers and sections, how to introduce to congregation, how to aid with comprehension (say in English first, teach key Hebrew words/phrases)
Cost: $275
*10% discount for Friends of the Union
Meet Your Instructor:
Aaron Allsbrook is the Senior Rabbi of Ohev Yisrael in Northern Virginia. He received Orthodox smicha from a yeshiva endorsed by the Chief Rabbinate's office of Israel. He lived for 4 years in Israel, where he earned an MFA in Opera from the Academy of Music and Dance at Hebrew University. He is passionate about worshipping our God and exalting the name of Yeshua as an authentic Jew in the power of his Spirit.