Kehillah High
8th Grade
Wednesday evenings:
7:00 - 7:25 pm Dinner
7:25 - 8:10 pm Session A
8:10 - 8:15 pm Break
8:15 - 9:00 pm Session B
7:25 - 8:10 pm Session A
8:10 - 8:15 pm Break
8:15 - 9:00 pm Session B
Session A: 7:25 - 8:15 pm
8th graders will take all three classes by the end of the year.
OPTION 1:
So You Want To Be A Mensch - Katelyn Bleiweiss
What is a mensch? How are our decisions and actions in daily life rooted in Jewish values? We’ll answer these questions as we use Jewish ethics and culture to explore the traits of a mensch. Join us to create your own personal mensch code where you define the Jewish values that are meaningful and important to you.
OPTION 2:
Words to Action: Empowering You to Address Anti-Semitism – Lisa Stone
Would you know what to do if:
OPTION 3:
Israel Up Close: Stories, People, and Connection – Aviv Ben Tovim
Join Aviv, our community shaliach, for an inside look at Israel you won’t find in textbooks. Through stories, games, and conversations, you’ll explore Israeli culture, daily life, and the big questions facing Israel today. Together we’ll discover how Israel’s history, people, and traditions connect to our lives as Jewish teens in Houston. Come prepared to share your thoughts, ask questions, and experience Israel from a completely new perspective. (First and Third Trimesters)
So You Want To Be A Mensch - Katelyn Bleiweiss
What is a mensch? How are our decisions and actions in daily life rooted in Jewish values? We’ll answer these questions as we use Jewish ethics and culture to explore the traits of a mensch. Join us to create your own personal mensch code where you define the Jewish values that are meaningful and important to you.
OPTION 2:
Words to Action: Empowering You to Address Anti-Semitism – Lisa Stone
Would you know what to do if:
- You found swastikas on the door of your school?
- Someone gave you a “Heil Hitler” salute
- Someone accused you of killing Jesus?
OPTION 3:
Israel Up Close: Stories, People, and Connection – Aviv Ben Tovim
Join Aviv, our community shaliach, for an inside look at Israel you won’t find in textbooks. Through stories, games, and conversations, you’ll explore Israeli culture, daily life, and the big questions facing Israel today. Together we’ll discover how Israel’s history, people, and traditions connect to our lives as Jewish teens in Houston. Come prepared to share your thoughts, ask questions, and experience Israel from a completely new perspective. (First and Third Trimesters)
Session B: 8:15-9:00 pm
Below are the 8th & 9th grade elective options.
Israel Up Close: Stories, People, and Connection – Aviv Ben Tovim
Join Aviv, our community shaliach, for an inside look at Israel you won’t find in textbooks. Through stories, games, and conversations, you’ll explore Israeli culture, daily life, and the big questions facing Israel today. Together we’ll discover how Israel’s history, people, and traditions connect to our lives as Jewish teens in Houston. Come prepared to share your thoughts, ask questions, and experience Israel from a completely new perspective.
Mah Jongg – Suzie Daum
Dive into the captivating world of Mah Jongg, a Chinese tile game that has found a unique and enduring place within American Jewish culture. Led by experienced instructor Suzie Daum, this class goes beyond the basics, offering teens the chance to master tile recognition, strategic thinking, and the nuanced rules of the game. Explore the unexpected connection between Mah Jongg and Jewish tradition while learning the game.
Judaism & Pop Culture - Rabbi David Mendelson
If you love superheroes, Pixar movies, sci-fi/fantasy adventures, and more, this class explores how the films and TV shows we watch open the door to some of Judaism’s biggest ideas. Each week we’ll watch a short clip from Marvel and Star Wars to classic films and TV series. We will dive into themes like identity, responsibility, friendship, justice, teshuvah, empathy, and more. We will pair these moments with Jewish texts spanning thousands of years to see how Jewish wisdom shows up in modern storytelling. Expect engaging discussions and a fresh way to connect the stories shaping our world with the values that shape Jewish life.
Chutzpah Girls - Sarah Williams
In Chutzpah Girls, students learn what it means to show healthy chutzpah—confidence, resilience, and using your voice for good. Through Jewish stories, interactive discussions, and hands-on art and digital media projects, students gain skills to support their mental health and personal identity as young Jewish leaders.
Values In Action - Lisa Stone
Judaism provides a unique lens with which to engage in community service, offering a strong foundation to apply both traditional values and nuanced teachings in a relevant way to the world around us. As students, you have spent hours of classroom time studying values such as chesed, tzedakah, and tikkun olam. Throughout this trimester, you will roll up your sleeves and implement those values. This trimester, you will pool your talents and work together on a wide variety of community service projects. We’ll be able to perform some projects on-site, while others will have us venture into the greater Houston community. By trimester’s end, we will have served many of our neighbors in need while representing ourselves as Jews and individuals who make a difference in the world.
Join Aviv, our community shaliach, for an inside look at Israel you won’t find in textbooks. Through stories, games, and conversations, you’ll explore Israeli culture, daily life, and the big questions facing Israel today. Together we’ll discover how Israel’s history, people, and traditions connect to our lives as Jewish teens in Houston. Come prepared to share your thoughts, ask questions, and experience Israel from a completely new perspective.
Mah Jongg – Suzie Daum
Dive into the captivating world of Mah Jongg, a Chinese tile game that has found a unique and enduring place within American Jewish culture. Led by experienced instructor Suzie Daum, this class goes beyond the basics, offering teens the chance to master tile recognition, strategic thinking, and the nuanced rules of the game. Explore the unexpected connection between Mah Jongg and Jewish tradition while learning the game.
Judaism & Pop Culture - Rabbi David Mendelson
If you love superheroes, Pixar movies, sci-fi/fantasy adventures, and more, this class explores how the films and TV shows we watch open the door to some of Judaism’s biggest ideas. Each week we’ll watch a short clip from Marvel and Star Wars to classic films and TV series. We will dive into themes like identity, responsibility, friendship, justice, teshuvah, empathy, and more. We will pair these moments with Jewish texts spanning thousands of years to see how Jewish wisdom shows up in modern storytelling. Expect engaging discussions and a fresh way to connect the stories shaping our world with the values that shape Jewish life.
Chutzpah Girls - Sarah Williams
In Chutzpah Girls, students learn what it means to show healthy chutzpah—confidence, resilience, and using your voice for good. Through Jewish stories, interactive discussions, and hands-on art and digital media projects, students gain skills to support their mental health and personal identity as young Jewish leaders.
Values In Action - Lisa Stone
Judaism provides a unique lens with which to engage in community service, offering a strong foundation to apply both traditional values and nuanced teachings in a relevant way to the world around us. As students, you have spent hours of classroom time studying values such as chesed, tzedakah, and tikkun olam. Throughout this trimester, you will roll up your sleeves and implement those values. This trimester, you will pool your talents and work together on a wide variety of community service projects. We’ll be able to perform some projects on-site, while others will have us venture into the greater Houston community. By trimester’s end, we will have served many of our neighbors in need while representing ourselves as Jews and individuals who make a difference in the world.