ANAFIM — A Community Teen Program

ANAFIM, the Hebrew word for branches, was chosen as the name of our community teen program to signify how our teens are rooted in their home communities, while branching out together to form a blossoming tree of life and learning. The program is led in partnership between Ohr Shalom and Temple Sinai, and is open to teens from all three Summit synagogues, joining together to bring teen learning to life! ANAFIM includes dinner, core classes, electives, and travel opportunities.

ANAFIM is designed to broaden teens’ Jewish community by connecting with Jewish teens beyond their home synagogue, and deepen their Jewish identities through dynamic Jewish learning and service and social opportunities.


Flexible Enrollment Options 
ANAFIM runs on a trimester system, which means that teens can choose to enroll in one, two, or all three terms. Each term features discrete curricula so that students can to complete an entire unit regardless of how they choose to enroll. This offers flexibility for teens with busy or complicated schedules.

Weekly programming takes place on Tuesday evenings from 6:00-8:00 p.m., starting with a communal dinner each week.

Fall term:  Sept 9–Dec 2
Winter term: Dec 9–Feb 24
Spring term: March 3–May 12

ANAFIM will meet at Ohr Shalom from Sep 9 through Jan 21.
Temple Sinai will host starting Jan 27 through the end of the year.

Click here to download this calendar in higher resolution.

Classes offered for the 5786 School Year

• Grades 8/9: Jewish cultures around the world; a Jewish lens on housing insecurity (connected with Tivnu travel experience); intergenerational gardening project and Jewish views on sustainability
   
• Grade 10*: 10th Grade students learn with the clergy and education directors from Ohr Shalom and Sinai to explore Jewish thought and identity, and increase religious and cultural awareness leading up to Confirmation.
   
• Grades 11/12:  comparative Judaism, Holocaust and antisemitism; world religions (and how they relate to Judaism); Jewish Adulthood: Moving into the “Real World”
   
• Electives: Electives change each trimester, and are chosen based on requests and interests expressed by our teens. Past electives have included: Spirituality and meditation, Israeli art and artists, Jewish children’s literature, Talmud study, Jewish feminism, Kashrut and cooking, tikkun olam projects, Israeli dancing, Jewish folklore, and more!

Gr 8-10 trip to Portland, OR to build houses with Tivnu
Feb 12-16*, 2025

This year's tikkun olam trip, for 8th-10th Grade students, will be focused on housing and food insecurity. In partnership with TIVNU, an Oregon-based non-profit organization, students will spend three days working together to help build tiny homes and contribute to urban farming for marginalized populations of Portland. This experience is packed with learning connected to Jewish ethics, social responsibility, and tikkun olam, while also making time for fun experiences that are unique to the Portland area!

To learn more about the TIVNU Portland experience, click here.

*Calendar note: We depart Thursday evening and return Monday morning, so participants will only miss school on Friday.

Gr 11-12: Jewish Philadelphia
Dec 12-14, 2025

This year's weekend trip for 11th- and 12th-graders will be in Philadelphia, where we will explore Jewish life in the city past and present, enjoy delicious food and cultural offerings, and experience Shabbat at a local university. It will be a relaxed and fun weekend (with no school missed)!

Stay tuned for more information.

Questions?  Please contact either of the following individuals:

Rabbi Shira Gluck, Associate Rabbi and Director of Congregational Learning, Temple Sinai
Meredith Lubin, Director of Education, Congregation Ohr Shalom

It is our belief that cost should never be a barrier to Jewish education and community. If you are in need of subsidies, please be in touch with either Meredith Lubin or Rabbi Gluck.