Welcome & Our Class Kehillah

Sit in a circle. Sing a name song so every child hears their own name said warmly, then let each child place their photo on the class kehillah tree.

Children wonder and discover; you facilitate more than you lecture.

• Who is in our class?
• What makes a place feel like it is yours?
• How do we take care of each other here?

Kehillah means community. For a three- or four-year-old, “Jewish” does not begin as information — it begins as a feeling: safe, known, and glad to be here. Nothing else this year matters as much as a child believing this room is theirs. This first session is not content, and it is not a warm-up for content. It is the foundation everything else is built on.

• Kehillah — community
• Shalom — hello, goodbye, and peace
• Chaver / chaverah — friend

“When is my grown-up coming back?”

They always come back. Let’s put your name right here so everyone knows this is your place, and we will watch for them together.

• Children can name several classmates.
• Children can point to something in the room that is theirs.
• Children begin to use the word kehillah for our class.

Some children separate easily and some do not. Both are ordinary, and neither needs fixing. Use photographs alongside names so children who cannot yet read can still find themselves in the room.

Folktale. Elijah’s Cup (Jewish folklore) — at every seder we leave a full cup and open the door, because a place is always kept for the guest who might come.

Changemaker. Debbie Friedman — wrote melodies simple enough that everyone in the room could sing, so nobody had to sit out.

I wonder what would help someone brand new feel like they belong here?

“We began building our class kehillah — our community. Ask your child who they sat beside today. Try at home: say shalom to one another at the door this week.”