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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/34159/full/34159/a-minyan-medley/ <br /><br /> <b>A minyan medley</b> <br /> Friday, January 18, 2008 | by stacey palevsky <br /><br /><p>Maria Lipkina opened a file folder and pulled out a photocopied page from Deuteronomy. She smoothed down the paper's edges and recited Chapter 1, Verse 39.<br /><br /> She then reached for two paintings, vivid and striking on stiff watercolor paper. One, of leaves; the other, diamonds. The paintings, she explained, are a visual representation of the Deuteronomy verse.<br /><br /> But she didn't create the prints in a typical art class.<br /><br /> She did it during tefillah, or prayer, at Jewish Community High School of the Bay in San Francisco.<br /><br /> Students begin each day at JCHS by painting, like Lipkina, or by setting up a mechitzah or unrolling a yoga mat — all of which fall under the school's tefillah offerings.<br /><br /> The high school offers students nine tefillah classes. For 30 minutes every morning, students gather to participate in some form of Jewish worship and reflection — which includes Torah, movies, canvas and, yes, even downward dog.<br /><br /> "It's important to start off the day in a spiritual way," said Lipkina, a senior who has taken six tefillah classes at JCHS, including traditional prayer. "It's a buffer between the morning at home and the school day."<br /><br /> Educators view the range of offerings as essential to nurturing a Jewish identity while accommodating the diverse student body.<br /><br /> "We recognize that as a community school, there is a wide spectrum of Jewish life," said Rabbi Mimi Weisel. "We're mirroring what's going on in the Jewish world and giving students the opportunity to explore their spiritual identity in a safe, guided environment."<br /><br /> Tefillah options include traditional minyans, a siddur-based liberal minyan, a learners minyan, an Israeli culture and history class, yoga and art-based minyans and a discussion-based reflective tefillah that borrows from the tradition of a chavurah.<br /><br /> Students aren't allowed to enroll in the more creative prayer sessions without first spending one academic quarter in a siddur-based tefillah. They must also demonstrate a firm understanding of Jewish liturgy by taking and passing a competency exam developed by staff.<br /><br /> "We want our students to walk into a synagogue anywhere in the world and have a sense of recognition, to feel at home, even if the melodies or prayer books are different," Weisel said.<br /><br /> Developing the content of each tefillah class has been a challenge, she said. The staff wrestles with the difference between traditional and more creative worship, always asking the question: When does the creative no longer become a reflective experience? <br /><br /> Weisel said there has been a "vibrant dialogue" about what is or is not acceptable for a tefillah class.<br /><br /> "No one has ever said we shouldn't have an alternative tefillah, but whether a class is siddur-based or not has been a conversation on our part as educators and teachers of Torah," he added.<br /><br /> Students are grateful for the opportunity to connect to prayer in ways that resonate with them.<br /><br /> Lee Newman, a sophomore, is enrolled in the chavurah tefillah. She said she doesn't like traditional prayer and "hates being shushed," but nonetheless is eager to find other ways to connect to Judaism.<br /><br /> "Chavurah is my prayer, but not for God," Newman said. "It's a totally different way to express my Judaism."<br /><br /> Kehillah Jewish Community High School in Palo Alto also offers a variety of tefillah classes, but because the student body is smaller and the school newer, there are fewer options, said Rabbi Hugh Seid-Valencia, a Jewish studies teacher at the school. He hopes to expand tefillah offerings as the school grows.<br /><br /> At Kehillah, students meet twice a week for tefillah, which includes Orthodox and Reform worship, as well as meditation and musical minyans with drums and guitar.<br /><br /> "Judaism can mean a variety of things to different people," said Tali Azenkot, a junior, who helps lead the singing minyan, which she likened to choir. "We have a wide range of observance at our school, and it's important to foster that environment so we can really be a community that accepts everyone no matter how someone practices Judaism."<br /><br /> JCHS' tefillah program was not an instant success. Educators had to work out the kinks and only last year settled on an effective formula.<br /><br /> Several years ago at JCHS, students could attend any morning tefillah on a whim. One morning they might do spiritual yoga, the next they might read from the Torah. Educators found that the lack of consistency resulted in the students not feeling a part of any one particular tefillah. <br /><br /> The school now requires students to stay with one tefillah group for an entire quarter. Students benefit from the steadiness and also know exactly where they're supposed to be each morning.<br /><br /> Igael Gurin-Malous, who teaches Talmud and Jewish thought at JCHS, partners with Jennifer Sturgill, the school's art teacher, to instruct students enrolled in the art tefillah. <br /><br /> Gurin-Malous said he has seen students who have never practiced art shock themselves when they find they're capable of creating something beautiful and meaningful.<br /><br /> "They take a piece of the liturgy and dive into it, really extrapolating what's meaningful for them," he said. "That's the skill. They're learning how to figure out 'What does this mean to me?'"</p>

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