The joint “Sunday School” is a partnership of Agudath Achim Congregation, Temple Beth Israel, and the Federation. The mission of the school is “To inspire, nurture, and support the educational growth of our Jewish children. The school seeks to establish a strong Jewish identity, a commitment to our heritage and connectiveness to the Jewish community.” It is administered by a committee composed of representatives of each congregation. Our Sunday School meets each Sunday during the academic calendar year with each Agudath Achim Congregation and Temple Beth Israel each hosting classes for a semester. The school also hosts a summer camp fair information session, our Purim Carnival, a Passover Seder, a Hanukkah party and other programs and activities related to the Jewish holiday calendar. Parents, the congregations and the Federation share the overall cost of operation. The Federation assumed the clerical and accounting functions of the Sunday School from 2005 until 2014.
Sunday School class featured in the Altoona Mirror with 2019 Passover celebration.
The Confirmation Class of our Community Sunday School recently attended a Panim el Panim seminar in Washington DC.
In Panim el Panim seminars and programs, teens learn from and become friends with a broad network of Jewish teens from around the country. Together they receive advocacy training, participate in service learning and have the opportunity to lobby their elected officials on Capitol Hill, putting what they have learned into action. All Panim el Panim seminars include interactive sessions in which students relate Jewish texts and values to the world around them. For twenty years, PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values has been empowering Jewish teens to a lifetime of activism, leadership and service. Now, as a division of BBYO, PANIM offers its high-quality content and experiences to significantly more Jewish institutions and teens. By providing relevant educational resources and curriculum, in depth immersive teen experiences and professional training for Jewish educators across North America the PANIM Institute of BBYO is creating a movement of young activists ready to take on the challenges facing society and the Jewish community. Read about their experiences at Panim el Panim here. Read IlissaZimmermans keynote address to our Confirmands.
Congratulations to Scott Cohen, Ariel Port, Ben Scheinberg, Joel Schocker, Caroline Pielmier, Jimmy Holiday and Howie Keenan on their Confirmation. They are pictured here with Hazzan Michael Horowitz and Rabbi Nicole Luna. Click here to read the keynote address of our Principal, Illisa Zimmerman. Click here to go to the photo gallery from Confirmation. News & Notes: |
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| Wedding Celebration Through the last year in Second and Third grade at Sunday School one student has been in charge of the class bear. We have named him Tyler Noah bear and tried to be sure he is learing how to be a good Jewish bear. We have celebrated his naming, his B'ear Mitzvah and on Sunday, May 3, 2009, Tyler Bear married Ursula Bruin. The Second and Third grade class of the Altoona Community Sunday School was present. (Shown holding the chuppah and waiting for the bride and groom are Samantha Biolofsky, Mandy Sky, Rabbi Bear, Sophira Morris, and Phoebe Simon.) |
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| Bear Mitzvah On Sunday, February 22,2009, Tyler Noah Bear was called to the "Bimah" for his b'ear Mitzvah. Tyler joined the class in September and has been studying with all the students in the second and third grade class. He was named by the class and has had one student assigned to help him study each week. At Tyler's b'ear Mitzvah he was presented with a fern-printed tallis, led the Sh'ma and led the singing of Ha Motzi. A short reception followed in the class room. (Pictured:Back row, Ben Sinder, Casey Rispoli, Mandy Sky, Mrs. Gordon, Tyler Bear, Samantha Bilofsky, Anna Sinder: Front row, Ava Kline, Sophira Morse, Rachel Krier, Phoebe Simon, and Felicia Devorris. |
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Congratulations to Ginger Glass, Fallon Morris, Carly Port, Sarah Lipitz, Ethan Knepp, Noah Scheinberg and Ian Bilofsky.