Registration for Yachad 2024-25 is open! Classes fill up quickly so be sure to sign up soon.
Please note: to ensure a smooth transition into the 2024-25 year, Yachad has paused registration as of September 7. Students whose forms are received after this date will be welcomed into the program beginning Saturday, October 19.
Yachad is CBE’s signature K-12 Jewish and Hebrew education program. Through all stages of Yachad, our students cultivate a kehila kedosha, a holy community, by learning about Judaism through relevant, age appropriate, and interactive methods.
“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”
?אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי? וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי? וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתָי
– Rabbi Hillel, Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Parents) 1:14
Yachad, Hebrew for “together,” is CBE’s welcoming and inclusive after-school and weekend Jewish youth education program. Our pedagogical approach is deeply rooted in Jewish values, embracing a comprehensive narrative that illuminates the dynamic story of the Jewish people across time and space. We are dedicated to cultivating a rich tapestry that interweaves the stories of individuals and the collective, providing our students with a profound understanding of their heritage and a strong sense of their place within the broader narrative. A core element of situating our students in the Jewish lifestream is providing them with the Hebrew skills necessary to navigate our prayer book and worship services, empowering them to take part in community celebrations and helping them find their own meaning in these ancient expressions of our people’s sacred covenant.
Central to our program are the cherished values of community, diversity, joy, and justice, principles that resonate with the core tenets of Judaism. Through a curriculum that spans historical epochs and global landscapes, we empower our students to not only embrace their own identities but also to engage empathetically with the diverse world around them.
At Yachad, we create an inclusive environment that is open and accessible to learners and families of all backgrounds. We teach our learners to be rooted in Jewish history and values. Our educators curate experiences that guide our learners through spiritual, linguistic, cultural, ritual, and historical aspects of Judaism, empowering each learner to form their own unique relationship with our multivocal Jewish tradition. Our learners celebrate together, worship together, and seek out their own individual connection to Judaism in a supportive and joyful community.
| Kavod – Respect (for self, others, materials, learning, space, environment) | Kesher – Connecting (deeper sense of self, others, nature, God/Divine) | Achrayut – Responsibility |
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B’tzelem Elohim– Everyone made in the image of God |
Tzedek– Justice (social, monetary, professional, interpersonal) | Simcha– Happiness |
| Hakarat Hatov– Gratitude | Tikkun – Fixing, from the Jewish concept of Teshuva returning to our best selves | Chesed– Loving kindness |
Kindergarten through High School students are expected to regularly attend Shabbat morning services.
Shabbat is a time that allows us to build community, learn prayers, and become more comfortable in services. Gan Shabbat for families in K-2nd grade occurs just prior to Yachad class, on Saturday and is part of the Yachad learning and community experience. Sanctuary attendance for families in grades 3rd-6th occurs just prior to classes and is also part of the Yachad learning and community building experience. Attendance at Shabbat services is extremely important in the years leading up to a child’s B’nei Mitzvah. Students in 2nd – 8th grade who do not attend Yachad classes on Saturday are required to attend a minimum of seven Shabbat services throughout the year.
