Kindergarten and New Student Consecration

All new students are invited! Join us for consecration on Sunday, October 20.

Click here to register for Consecration
(*dinner registration is separate)

5:00pm Dinner – free but PLEASE sign up
6:00pm Festive Service

Followed by a celebration with donuts, cider, caramel apples, music, and dancing!

More information about Consecration and Simchat Torah:
At our Simchat Torah celebration, we unroll the whole Torah scroll and, in a special ceremony, welcome our new students (kindergarten and all new students) into their Jewish learning experience.

We can’t make it to dinner, can we just come to the service?
Of course! The dinner is delicious and fun, but don’t worry if you can’t make it, of course we want to have you at the service! Please click here to let us know. Plan to arrive early enough that your Consecrant can be in the Chapel at 5:45pm before the service.

What should my child wear?
We will give each of the Consecrants a special t-shirt to wear as they march into the sanctuary. Most of the kids just slip it on over their holiday clothes! We hope that both kids and adults will come to services in clothing that make them happy and comfortable.

What will happen at the service?
Parents will sit down in the congregation, and Consecrants will start in the Chapel, where they’ll meet their teachers. (Save your kids a seat!) The kids will get ready with their t-shirts while the service starts, and then they’ll march into the sanctuary and walk up to the bimah (at the front of the sanctuary). We’ll bless them and welcome them to our school, and then they’ll receive a small gift of a mini Torah to symbolize the lifetime of Jewish learning that is ahead of them! The service will be festive and full of music.

How long will the service be?
This lively and fun service is about an hour long. We unroll a Torah scroll all the way around the sanctuary, which is a really awesome experience, and we count down the “top ten moments” in the Torah. The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band adds a lot of fun to the service too.

What happens after the service?
There’s dancing with the klezmer band and the Torah. Everyone eats a delicious dessert (donuts and caramel apples) and we dance the night away. It’s a great, fun, exciting way to kick off the Jewish learning year, and it’s worth staying up a little bit late to celebrate!

Why should we come?
The Simchat Torah celebration and Consecration are a great way to create Jewish joy and memories with your family. It’s so incredibly wonderful that you’ve chosen to enroll your students in our religious learning programs, and we’re so glad to celebrate with you. We hope this is the beginning of many years of celebrations, learning, and Jewish joyfulness.

I have children who are new to the school who aren’t in kindergarten. What should they do?
We welcome our new students of ALL ages to our Consecration service. Those new students should also plan to meet in the Chapel at 5:45pm and we will give them a special t-shirt also. They’ll march in with the kindergarteners and all the other new students. We love to celebrate learning and start the experience off with a celebration at all of our learners’ ages. Please let us know that your student will participate by registering here.

I have some other questions, who should I ask?
Please feel free to call or email Rabbi Phyllis with any other questions – phylliss@amshalom.com or 847-835-4800.