GLJC has a good number of families with children of all ages. We welcome families where both or one parent, whether mother or father, is Jewish and treat everyone equally. Children in mixed families are recognised as Jewish if they are being raised as Jewish, whether they have a Jewish mother of a Jewish father. All children in our community are treated equally and can attend cheder and become Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

Cheder

We run a popular Cheder, offering informal Jewish education through fun and engaging activities for 3 to 13 year-olds. Please contact us for details of our cheder programme.

Hineinu (Youth Group)

In September 2011, we launched our new youth group, Hineinu! (Here we are!) for 13-17 year-olds. Hineinu is run by an experienced LJY Netzer youth leader. We meet once a month on a Sunday evening and will include topical discussion, Israeli film nights, leadership training, Tikkun Olam (social action) projects and more. Please contact us to find out more about Hineinu.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

We offer a year-long Bar/Bat Mitzvah programme for all children approaching the age of 13, it includes study days with our Rabbi and our Hebrew Teacher, self-guided study, a Tikkun Olam project and tutored learning of the Torah portion. Many families choose to hold the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremonies as joint events, which helps to make the day less stressful and more enjoyable for all. Please contact us to find out more about our Bar/Bat Mitzvah programme.

Festivals and Services

GLJC’s services and festivals are always open to and welcoming of families but many community events, especially for the Jewish festivals, are particularly geared towards families. We hold community parties for Chanukah and Purim, have a special family service on Yom Kippur afternoon and similar events for other festivals. You can see some great photographs from previous events in our Gallery.

To find out when our next family-friendly community event is taking place see our Events page.