Youth Programs

Gitty Cohen grew up in Jerusalem, Israel, and studied in the Jewish Teachers Training college in Gateshead, England.
She loves teaching children and was privileged to teach for the past few years in England and Jerusalem.

Gitty is married to Yosef Chaim, and they have an adorable 3-year-old daughter, Rachel Shira.

She is very excited to join the Jacksonville community and to be running the youth programs. Gitty is looking forward to getting to know the parents and children of Etz Chaim.

Gitty believes that our children are our future, and we can connect them to the synagogue by giving them a positive and fun experience.

Provides a Learning rich environment for students in grades 5-7 on Tuesdays throughout the school year from 4:15- 5:15pm. The classes focus on building a strong knowledge base for our burgeoning young B’nei Mitzvah and doubles as an events coordinator-helping make the celebration and its many peripherals run as smoothly as possible. Rabbi A.Y. Cohen will teach this class.

This class meets regularly on Sunday mornings from 9:15-10:15 AM. Rabbi Mayer Rabinowitz will teach this class.

The vision of the Yom Rishon Enrichment Program at Etz Chaim Synagogue is to expose and educate the children of their heritage in a fun and engaging manner. Students will enjoy attending and find the learning both stimulating and rich with content. Every week the students will learn the upcoming week's Torah portion with a goal that they will be able to relate the story. The students will learn the storyline of the Torah portion with all the relevant mitzvot. The learning process will be with wit and humor to ensure that the children enjoy attending and participating in the program. Before the Holidays the students will study some of the mitzvot, customs, and practices of that particular holiday. The children will recognize the symbols and religious articles associated with each holiday and learn their significance. Don't miss out! Enroll your child today to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!

Torah and Pizza Join Rabbi A.Y. on Monday evenings from 7:15-8:15pm as we debate how Torah knowledge relates to contemporary issues. This brand new class is open to boys and girls in grades 8-12. Piping hot pizza and drinks will be served. This is a Judaic studies program designed to enrich the lives of today’s teens with authentic Torah education. The curriculum focuses on providing the students with the tools necessary to maintain a strong sense of jewish identity and with the practical know how of Jewish living. With strong emphasis placed on utilizing the limited time available to our high school students, every moment of class time is injected with genuine Torah content. Our goal is to provide our younger generation with the mindset and knowledge necessary to successfully cross the threshold of adolescence into adulthood with a sense of purpose that mirrors the legacy only they can carry on.

Rabbi A.Y. Cohen will teach this class.

 While the adults have their Seudah Shlishis in the social hall, the youth will join together and have their very own exclusive Seudah Shlishis. The program will feature stories, songs, and of course candy! This program is open to boys and girls grades 2 and up. The program starts after Mincha and concludes before Maariv.

 Youth Programs

Babysitting is a supervised free play program for boys and girls ages infant through 3 years old and is staffed by professional sitters.

Gan Shabbat is for boys and girls in nursery and Pre-K and is led by Sara Brown. The children are entertained with stories, games, songs, and organized activities.

Tot Shabbat is for boys and girls in 'K' and 1st grade. The children are entertained with stories and songs; they pray together and play together with organized activities led by our teenage group leaders Nechama Finkelstein & Carlie Rosenthal.

Junior Congregation now meets with distinct groups for boys and girls. The boys group is led by
Rabbi A.Y. Cohen and is for grades 2-3, and the girls group is led by Rachel Shyken and is for grades 2 through B'nei Mitzva. The children begin their morning with group morning prayers and continue with questions on the parsha, stories, and other activities.

Emtza is our newest group, and is for boys in grades 4 through B'nei Mitzva. The group is led by Joey Hamaoui. The boys begin their morning with group morning prayers and continue with discussions about the parsha and other activities.

NCSY Tefillah Workshop is a discussion based group dedicated to giving deeper insight into the Parsha and general hashkafa and is for boys and girls b'nei mitzvah through 12th grade. This group is currently studying Ethics of Our Fathers and is led by Joey Hamaoui. This group meets from 11: 15am-12:00pm.