Families are integrated into the life of SAJ, especially through holiday and milestone celebrations and our monthly Community Shir.

Community Shir (sing-a-long)

SAJ is a joyous community of New Yorkers and a Jewish home for all. There is no better manifestation of this than our monthly Community Shir when all our students, pre-K through teen assistants along with many of their parents, come into the sanctuary for a 25 minute sing-a-long of some of the greatest hits of Jewish music. We sing, dance, move our bodies and enjoy being all together as one community, ages 0-100!

Milestone Celebrations

We believe that Jewish learning is a journey that begins and never ends. We mark all the stages of life and learning in community including a Bruchim HaBa’im (Welcome) ritual and gift for all new students in the fall, a Siddur (prayerbook) ceremony for rising 4th graders, a Chumash (torah book) ceremony for 6th graders, gifts upon becoming b’nei mitzvah, an aliyah (honor to the torah) for our high school students after their trip with Rabbi Lauren.

Holidays

Whether it’s rocking out with the Family Service band on Rosh HaShanah, dancing with the Torah on Simchat Torah, Lighting a sea of menorahs on Hanukkah, bouncing in a bouncy castle or singing along to a spiel on Purim, SAJ families experience the joy of the year cycle.