and a history of Zionism and modern
Israel, grades 9-10: Bible stories they
didn’t teach you in Hebrew School;
grades 11-12: Approaching Judaism into
the college years and young adulthood.
After core classes, students can choose
from electives such as yoga, cooking,
Talmud and Jewish impact on various
aspects of pop culture, from comic books
to music and sports.
A highlight of the year open to all
ATID students includes a Dec. 1-4 trip
to Whitwell, Tenn., the small rural
town whose schoolchildren started the
Paper Clips project as a result of study-
ing the Holocaust. The trip includes
social opportunities with Jewish teens
in Tennessee. Preparations for the trip
include pre- and post-lessons with Rabbi
Rachel Shere of Adat Shalom and Jodi
Gross, Adat Shalom’s director of adult
learning and youth engagement.
At the end of each quarter, the teen
advisory council will plan a small-scale
social outing, and the ticket to attending
for free is good attendance in class.
Registration is now open to all Jewish
teens in grades 8-12 regardless of
denominational affiliation. Scholarships
are available. For more information, go
to www.atidhs.org, or contact Melissa
Ser at mser@adatshalom.org, (248) 626-
2153.

*

Courtesy of Aish Detroit

the Israeli Declaration of Independence
or “Hatikvah.”
“ATID is a weekly place where Jewish
teens can come to learn how Judaism fits
into their lives after they become a bar or
bat mitzvah,” said Jacob Edelson, 17, of
Franklin, a member of the teen advisory
council who will be a senior at Groves
High School. An alumnus of Hillel Day
School, he is also regional president of
BBYO.
He said ATID is important because it
may be the only opportunity in a busy
week where Jewish teens can get togeth-
er with their Jewish peers and do some
formal learning.
“I think most kids after their bar or
bat mitzvah keep up with their Judaism
through family occasions and celebrating
Jewish holidays,” Edelson said. “But at
ATID, we get the chance to really explore
how Jewish teachings can help them in
wider social circles of life.
“ATID can also serve as a gateway
for staying connected to other Jewish
things like youth groups and volunteer-
ing in the Jewish community. And, most
importantly, we just get to hang out with
our Jewish friends.”
The evening starts with dinner and
a Havdalah service followed by a core
class. Here is the core curriculum for
grades 8-12: grade 8: American Jewry

Woods. “This new curriculum incorpo-
rates skills that kids are excited about
learning. It’s taking Judaism and fitting it
into their lives.”
White, an associate professor of
philosophy at Oakland University and
former director of OU’s Judaic studies
program, was part of the group that
put the new curriculum together. Her
two sons, Austin, 9, and Jordan, 7, both
attend Aish.
When they get older, they’ll be able to
participate in a program called Raising
the Bar for seventh- and eighth-graders,
which begins with an intensive project
where students make their own teffilin,
followed by monthly leadership lab
meetings. The meetings take place over
dinner while students visit with local

leaders to learn what it means to be part
of the Jewish community and how they
can make a difference.
“One of the things studies have shown
is that Jewish organizations have to make
Judaism work within the framework that
Jewish families are already working,” she
says. “This new curriculum is innovative
and exciting. I think the kids are going to
love it!”

*

Aish’s Sunday school program begins
Sept. 11 and runs through May 2017.
To register or for more information,
visit aishdetroit.com or call (248) 327-
3579.

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