Jewish Children’s Education
Canterbury Hebrew Congregation’s Jewish Children’s Education (JCE) meets roughly once a month. We learn about Jewish holidays, customs, and rituals, familiarising the participants with their Jewish heritage. We span multiple ages from 2 to 12, and provide the children an opportunity to interact and build friendships with other Jewish youth in the community. We’re always open to new families who are interested in joining. Please email CHC for more details.
Libraries
Beth-El has a large library of Jewish religious, cultural, and Hebrew-language books for readers of all ages, likely the largest on the South Island. The collection can be browsed at the synagogue and books can be checked out to take home. We also encourage families with younger children to sign up for Jewish books to be delivered directly to their homes through PJ Library.
Habonim Dror
Habonim Dror Aotearoa New Zealand is a Jewish youth organisation run by young adults for children from school years 3 – 13. We run programs around a variety of topics with the goal of providing a basic Jewish education for children. Habonim Dror NZ runs bi-annual camps during the July and January school holidays. These are the highlight of the Habonim year and members from all across the country come together for this social and educational experience.
Habonim Dror also runs a programme enabling our recent high school graduates to go to Israel for a ten month Shnat Hachshara leadership course. On this programme, participants further their Jewish education, meet other Jews from around the world, and receive leadership training to become quality leaders when they return to New Zealand.