Employment Opportunities: Youth & Family Education
About Kol HaLev
Kol HaLev is a vibrant Reconstructionist Jewish community on the east side of Cleveland with approximately 130 member households. Kol HaLev means “voice of the heart” in Hebrew, which reflects our commitment to radical welcoming and to embracing a diversity of life experiences and Jewish journeys while fostering connection, communication, and support among our members. Mindful of the vast and evolving landscape of “who is a Jew,” our growing, diverse, multi-generational community embraces and celebrates all who seek a spirited, collaborative environment in which to explore Judaism through prayer, study, song, fellowship, and social action, or tikkun olam
About our Educational Position(s)
Kol HaLev seeks an educator for a one-year renewable position to be a professional partner to Rabbi Steve and work closely with dedicated and passionate lay leaders to support and grow the role of learning in our community in distinctive age cohorts and across generations.This position provides an opportunity to teach in multiple settings: Hebrew, Retreats, and Holiday Celebrations.
While hiring one educator would be ideal, we are open to hiring different people for each area of responsibility if that is what’s required to meet the needs of our community. Employment will begin in August, 2023.
Responsibilities
- Teach Nesiya - Hebrew Program (about 5 hrs per week)
Prepare for and teach a 2-hour per week prayer and holiday-based Hebrew curriculum on Sunday mornings for children in 3rd-8th grade, with the support of teen madrichim. The educator will Employ a range of age-appropriate pedagogical approaches to teaching and behavior management to accommodate student needs. Core tasks:- Curriculum development: Construct lessons and select and/or create instructional materials aimed at helping students develop decoding mastery of core prayers from our congregational Shabbat services and prayers associated with holiday rituals such as Shabbat table blessings, and the main ritual components of Sukkot, Hanukkah, Purim, and Passover.
- Classroom instruction 2 hours a week – teach 5-10 children, 3rd-8th grade. Use multiple learning modalities like group discussion, games, supported individual practice, and lead tefillah.
- Weekly communication with families to build community and familiarizes parents with what students are learning.
- Implement Monthly Retreats: (about 5-6 hours per week)
Collaborate with Rabbi Steve and a team of lay leaders to organize and facilitate a monthly experiential mini-retreat (4 hours) for young and school-age children and their families at various times and locations. Core tasks:- Provide logistical and administrative support for the retreats, including preparing learning materials, researching and reserving locations, anticipating material needs, and acquiring supplies and location setup.
- Participate in the development of retreat curricula.
- Engage families and kids in conversations around curriculum ideas and plans for at-home holiday activities.
- Coordinate Intergenerational Holiday Programming and Family Shabbat Service: (5-8 hours a week)
Plan and produce, in coordination with Rabbi Steve, our widely-attended multi-access intergenerational celebrations for six Jewish holidays: Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Hanukkah, Tu B’Shevat, Purim, and Lag B’Omer.- Judaics and teaching experience: Help design the programming and activities for each holiday. Oversee logistics of each event
- Coordinate family-friendly Shabbat. Help launch a Shabbat morning service that is explicitly family- and kid-friendly once a month. Adapt the chapel to accommodate multiple ages. Bolster attendance by inviting families to the Family-Friendly Shabbat and coordinating child-care services for parents attending services.
- Outreach to families with young children to build community.
Qualifications
- Strong interpersonal skills working with colleagues and lay leaders
- Robust Judaic background with knowledge of the Hebrew language
- High level of organizational skills
The following skills and experiences are a plus
- Outdoor nature education
- Familiarity with the needs of neurodiverse students (those with ADHD, ASD, dysgraphia, dyslexia, and other learning disabilities)
- Event planning
The salary range for the individual positions is $40-50/hour based upon training, education and experience. For the person who can fill all three roles, this position is 15-20 hours a week, with a salary range of $25,000-$35,00. We offer flexible scheduling & a supportive, collaborative work environment. If you are qualified and interested in this exceptional opportunity, please send a cover letter and resume to presidents@kolhalev.net.
