(Note: this class will not be offered in 2024)
The Mitzvah Class focuses on community – community service, the Jewish community, and building our own community. The class is taught by Rabbi Alan Shavit-Lonstein. It is modeled after our highly successful Adventure B’nai Mitzvah Class.
Our school year is filled with community service projects designed to cultivate our sense of responsibility to the world around us. We also explore our place in the Jewish community and strengthen our community-building skills as we build a cohesive and kind community of our own.
This class is ideal for the student who enjoys a social setting but prefers a less outdoor-oriented and strenuous model than our Adventure Class. We still do a lot outside, but it’s less intense!
Register today! We can’t wait to welcome you to our new class!
Schedule for 2023-2024:
Attend orientation and your choice of at least 8 others (for a total of 9). Actual activities may change based on COVID, students’ preferences, and agency schedules. Updates will be sent to participants once registered and shared here.
- Class February 10 (Saturday) 4:30-6:30 pm Service Leading Class: The Rabbi prepares parents and students for the logistics of our ceremonies. We will meet at Rabbi Jamie’s Apartment Complex in Boulder.
- Class 1 March 18, 4-6 pm (Saturday): Welcome, Orientation, and Community Building
Students and parents meet together, to learn about the class and each other at Rabbi Alan’s home. - Class 2 April 7-9 (Weekend)*: Passover Retreat with our Congregation (The student and 1 adult attend at member’s price. Other family members are welcome.) More>>
- Class 3: May 6 (Wednesday ): Mitzvah Service Project: Trailwork! We head out onto the trails in Boulder to help maintain the beautiful and well-used trail network. Bring your own gloves or use the ones we provide.
- Class 4 July 28: (Friday) 6 – 8:30 pm Blessing by our Congregation at our Flagstaff Service:
Students and their families will join our congregation for our Friday night service on Flagstaff. Students will be introduced to and blessed by the congregation. - Class 5 Aug 20: (Sunday) 10 -12 pm Mitzvah Service Project: JCC Farm and Goat Co-op Our group loves animals so we will put on our overalls and straw hats and head to the JCC Farm and Goat Co-op to lend a hand.
- Class 6 Sept 15-16: (Friday & Saturday*) Rosh Hashanah with our Congregation Join us for an uplifting and meaningful event. The Mitzvah class with join the Adventure class for a not-to-be-missed evening hike. (The student and 1 adult attend at the member’s price. Other family members are welcome.) More Info>>
- Class 7 Sept 24: (Sunday night) Yom Kippur with our Congregation Join the congregation for an inspiring service. (The student and 1 adult attend at the member’s price. Other family members are welcome.) More Info>>
- Class 8 October 7 (Saturday 10 – noon) Caring for the Wild in Nature. We will give back to the community, and help provide healing to wild animals by building nests for Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. This hands-on project will be augmented by an employee presentation of their work. Bring work gloves and clothes you can get dirty. All supplies provided. We will meet at Rabbi Alan’s home in Longmont.Please send an RSVP to let us know you will be able to attend and find the address on Bloomz.
- Class 9 November 9 (Thursday 4-5:30 pm) Community Food Share. Community Food Share is a food bank fighting hunger in Boulder and Broomfield Counties by providing access to fresh, nutritious food through our programs and local partners. In addition to a tour of this important facility, we will be joining in a volunteer project. Please send an RSVP to let us know you will be able to attend. We will meet at 650 S. Taylor Avenue Louisville, 80027.
- Class 10 December 9 (Saturday 10 – noon) Flatirons Terrace Retirement Home. Stories connect us with the past, and help ensure the future. We will be visiting residents and leaning their stories, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the Jewish value of respecting our elders. Please send an RSVP to let us know you will be able to attend. We will meet at: 930 28th St Boulder, 80303.
- Class 11 January 20 (Saturday 10 – noon) Hike and Trail Clean. Under the auspices of Clean Trails, we will be going on a hike and learning about our responsibility to take small actions that can have large impacts. And while we do, we will be picking up trash along the way. Dress ready to hike, and bring protection from the weather, along with water. See Bloomz for location, as we will be selecting a Boulder Trail closer to the date, based on conditions.
- Class 12 February 10 (Saturday, 1 – 4 pm) Service Leading Class. Parents Included! We will have a full service set up, and we will review and rehearse the service and answer questions on logistics. This event includes parents and applies to both the B’nai Mitzvah and B’nai Yisrael services. We will meet at the Community Room at Rabbi Jamie’s Condos. See Bloomz for the address.
Outdoor Elements:
For those who know and love us for our outdoor tilt, don’t despair! We do all these outdoor activities:
- Camping in Moab
- Camping outside Golden for Rosh Hashanah
- Trailwork
- August Outdoor Shabbat Service
- Some outdoor service projects
Hebrew:
In addition to this class, students who wish to become Bar or Bat Mitzvah need 12-18 months of Hebrew lessons, and Bar or Bat Yisrael students need 2 hours of Hebrew lessons. Hebrew is not included in the tuition. We have a group of talented Hebrew teachers ready to teach your teen online or in person. More>>
Tuition:
$3,600 (10% discount if the student and 1 adult are members of our congreagtion
Fee Includes
- 12 classes
- 30-minute orientation with the Rabbi, 4 private one-hour sessions with Rabbi Shavit-Lonstein to write your speeches (2), Plan your service, and rehearse your service.
- Member rate for the student and one adult to attend August Shabbat Service, Rosh Hashanah Retreat, Yom Kippur Evening Service, and Passover Retreat.
Hebrew is not included.
Ceremony Fee:
$3,600 for a private ceremony in Boulder, CO or on Zoom. (Additional fee if outside of Boulder)
About Rabbi Alan Shavit-Lonstein, Educator and Wedding Specialist, Boulder CO:
Rabbi Alan Shavit-Lonstein recently moved to Longmont, and is excited by the hiking, biking, and mountain air. He is a teacher who strives to make learning accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds and an officiant who works to build meaningful, authentic ceremonies.
He lived most recently in St Paul, MN, where he was the founding director of By The Rivers: A Multi-Faith Learning and Lifecycle Center; was a staff member at Hineni: A Center for Adult Jewish Learning and Contemplative Practices, and a member of the Interfaith Family Network.
For two years, he was rabbi of the Tri-City Jewish Center, in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. He was then the rabbi at Temple of Aaron, St. Paul, MN from 2002 to 2014.
Rabbi Alan currently works managing the Genius team at the Apple Store in the Twenty Ninth Street Mall, repairing relationships, iPhones, and computers.
He and his wife Rebecca are blessed with three children, Noa, Naveh, and Naomi.
