Gateways provides a Jewish education to children who are not able to receive one in a typical classroom setting. The experienced multi-disciplinary team of educators and trained volunteers ensures that children with moderate to severe disabilities - such as autism spectrum disorder, hearing and visual impairment, developmental delay, cerebral palsy and genetic disorders - can have access to a Jewish education and participate in the Jewish community. Gateways works with each child at his or her level, using methods that are appropriate for the child’s learning style and ability. Working in both group settings and one-on-one ensures the best educational experience for each child. Classes are held in Newton, Massachusetts.

Sunday Program

Students (aged 4-17) are welcomed into the world of Jewish customs, Hebrew, Shabbat and Jewish holidays. Through creative and multi-sensory teaching, each child learns and experiences the special nature of Jewish tradition. They make music, pray, do art projects, learn Hebrew, and cook, all in a supportive and creative environment. The theme-based curriculum's goal is to impart knowledge and to give the children a sense of belonging to the Jewish community. Classes are led by a special education teacher and a music therapist. An important part of the experience for each child is the individual support he or she receives from a trained teenage volunteer. The teen becomes a mentor, helping the child participate in the class.

Calendar for 2008-9 below.

Tots and Parents Program

Offered five times a year, the monthly Sunday Tots and Parents Program is for 2, 3, and 4 year olds with disabilities and their parents. The children are introduced to Shabbat and Jewish holidays through music, movement, crafts, and multi-sensory activities.

B'nei Mitzvah Program

Gateways prepares children, ages 11-13, for their bar or bat mitzvah in an attentive environment that includes individual tutoring and group learning. Students learn Torah, prayers, synagogue skills, and the meaning of mitzvot (good deeds).

All students have a plan that addresses their individual needs and accommodates their unique learning profiles. Many students learn to read Hebrew through a specialized program that systematically introduces letter sounds using visual, auditory and kinesthetic cues. Once they master Hebrew reading, they learn to read their Torah portion and the prayers. Other students may use assistive technology, sign language or other accommodations to recite prayers.

The experienced special education team collaborates with families and synagogues to ensure a meaningful Bar or Bat Mitzvah experience for the child, family, friends, and synagogue community.

The B’nei Mitzvah program is made possible through a collaboration with Hebrew College, which provides many of the tutors. Now in its fifth year, this program brings together educators, therapists and graduate students studying Jewish special education who are committed to providing a quality preparatory experience for children with moderate to severe special needs. More than merely preparing these children with the skills needed to become bar- and bat-mitzvah, this collaborative effort provides a forum for spiritual development and a community of peers who share the same goal of attaining this all-important Jewish rite of passage.

Students from the rabbinic and cantor-educator programs have been a strong group among the b’nei mitzvah tutors working with the children in the collaborative. Faculty assistance with this program has also come from a variety of departments including education, rabbinics and cantorial students.

Calendar for 2008-9 below.

B’nei Mitzvah Program Staff

Marion Green Academic Coordinator
Beverly Schwartz-Katsh Teacher and Coordinator

Tutors B'nei Mitzvah Class

Ruth Bricklin
Rachel Chafetz
Zelda Gamzu
Michelle Gary
Jesse Gag
Kayla Greenberg
Paula Korman
Jason Pressberg
Rebecca Redner
Gail Rubenson
Hannah Schon
Judith Simons
Linda Sue Sohn
Ruth Tepper
Erica Traub
Michael Weiner
Melody Wilensky

Teen Program

Mitzvah Mensches is targeted to teens over age 13 to enable them to continue their Jewish education in the context of social skills development and community-building activities, so necessary for adolescents with disabilities. Mitzvah Mensches: A Jewish Educational and Social Skills Program for Teens with Disabilities, integrates Jewish learning, social skills, Jewish rituals and practices for the home and synagogue, Jewish cultural arts, Tzedakah (charity and justice), and community building activities. The core of the curriculum is Jewish values and mitzvot (good deeds) which is taught and experienced through five domains: Jewish Learning, Social Skills, Jewish Cultural Arts, Tzedakah, and Jewish Practice. The students continue the study of Hebrew, synagogue skills, prayer, and Shabbat and holiday rituals and practices in a curriculum designed specifically for young teens. The program is held on Wednesday evenings at the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center in Newton in order to take full advantage of the collaborative efforts of the staff and art studio of the Cultural Arts Department.

Calendar for 2008-9 below.

Teen Volunteers

One of the unique aspects of the Jewish Education Program are the young adults, aged 15 to 18, who volunteer each week to work one-on-one with our students. They may volunteer to work in our Sunday Program or in our Wednesday Teen Program.

These teens come from throughout our community: from as close as Newton and as far away as New Hampshire, from public, private and Jewish day schools, from all levels of Jewish observance. This is a win-win situation for both the teens and their students - the student has a mentor and an advocate in class; the teen develops confidence, new skills, and a deeper understanding of a world beyond themselves.

We are fortunate to have forged an important bond with Hebrew College’s Prozdor Hebrew High School. For more than five years, many of our volunteers have worked at Gateways with the wonderful support and cooperation of the Prozdor staff and faculty. Prozdor students may elect to take a training course in the 10th grade, volunteer in the 11th grade, and can continue in their senior year. Dozens of Prozdor graduates and their peers in other educational venues have been forever changed by their service to Gateways. We salute their valuable contribution to enhancing the lives of our students and their families.

Jewish Education Program Staff

Nancy Mager Jewish Education Program Coordinator

Melissa Danielli Teacher
Lisa Klinger Teacher
Beverly Schwartz-Katsh Teacher
Shanna Belenky Teacher
Danielle Saly Teacher
Rebecca Redner Teacher
Shula WaldoksTeacher

Sivan Burkstein Expressive Movement Therapist
Miriam Greenbaum Music Therapist

Shani Fagen Administrative Support

Attachment	(click to download)
	Sunday Program calendar 2008-9.doc
	Wed Mitzvah Mensches calendar 2008-09.doc
	Thurs B'Nei Mitzvah calendar 2008-09.doc