Education
Unlike many small Jewish communities which consist predominantly of the elderly, Chatham is fortunate to have a comparatively large number of young families among its members. The Synagogue keeps the issue of education under constant review. At present the following activities take place:
Bar/Batmitzvah Training
The Synagogue provides for all aspects of preparation for Bar/Batmitzvah for the children of our members, including regular one-to-one sessions to teach the skills of leyning and haftorah reading. A flexible approach is taken to the content of Bar/Batmitzvah ceremonies in order to accommodate any level of pre-existing religious knowledge and the differing talents of the individuals involved.
Bar/Batmitzvah ceremonies normally take place on Shabbat. Parents of young people interested in being Bar/Batmitzvah at Chatham are invited to make contact with the Synagogue at the earliest opportunity to discuss their needs.
Audio Resources
To coincide with the 2014 Arts Festival in the synagogue David Herling has recorded a series of six audio files of the writing of Bruno Schulz and seven stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer.
Learners’ services
In between our regular monthly Shabbat services, we occasionally hold informal services on Shabbat for anybody who would like to know more about what goes on in the synagogue with a view to participating more fully. No prior knowledge is assumed, and services last just over an hour including on occasions a study session or a discussion.
Please use the button below to contact David Herling for further information on education at Chatham by using our Contact Form and choosing the drop down option “Education”. Visitors are always welcome at our services and we are more than willing to discuss any questions you may have after the service.
Prayer Recordings
To help our members and friends who are studying the liturgy and forms of prayer, it is our intention to build up a series of recordings of different prayers, which can be accessed from this web page.
School visits
We are very much aware that the study of comparative religion is an important part of the school curriculum and we are always willing to arrange school visits to the synagogue. If you wish to arrange a school visit or any other type of educational visit, please contact Irina Fridman by using the button below.
We are encouged that students from a number of local scholls take part in our annual Holocaust Memorial Day event, which is held in the synagogue every third year. The above photo was taken at the 2015 event and includes one of 70 special commeorative candles designed by Sir Anish Kapoor.
Transliteration
To assist those unable to read Hebrew, we have developed translterated pages for soem of the most important prayers. These have provided a valuable resource for a number of our members and visitors