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August 20, 2010
Downtown’s year-round fun
CityGan will provide Jewish programs for children aged two to six.
MICHELLE DODEK
The young Jewish population living in downtown Vancouver is finally taking off. Living in Yaletown is nothing new for singles and young couples, but now that some of these same people have children, there is a very young Jewish population living, playing and learning in the downtown core. Likewise, the community of Strathcona, just east of downtown and adjacent to Chinatown is one of the last “affordable” areas in Vancouver and has become a magnet for young families as well.
Chabad has been providing Jewish programming and Jewish education for singles, women, young adults and other adults who live and work downtown, and now it’s branching out into Jewish education for children. To respond to the growing Jewish presence, Chabad of Downtown has decided, five years after its establishment, to have a formal education program for two- to six-year-olds.
“We felt the need, as we noticed more and more families downtown. We feel a responsibility to give a Jewish education for little ones, in a fun way,” commented Rabbi Binyomin Bitton, who is organizing and running the program with his wife, Malky. Last year, the couple realized there was a critical mass of interested people with young children after hosting a Chanukah party.
“We weren’t sure if there would be a big enough crowd, so we started with one activity last year. There were 30 kids, from three to five years old, at our Chanukah party. Most of them do not go to Hebrew school. It was very emotional from a Jewish point of view to see them come together and learn about Chanukah and have fun at the same time,” said Bitton.
From the positive response last winter grew CityGan, a bimonthly program with four parts. The first element will be celebrations of many major holidays throughout the year, with a big program in the works for Rosh Hashanah. After the High Holidays, Challah Club will kick in, with activities about the celebration of Shabbat. Pottery Club will be scheduled for some Fridays as well, in order to learn about Shabbat at the same time as developing fine motor skills through the making of ritual objects. The final prong of the program will involve the entire family.
Ultimately, the Bittons would like to host all ages and generations, including parents and grandparents, for what they are calling Shabbat Tot. This will be a full Shabbat dinner celebration with all of the ritual observances, which will include time for kids to play and enjoy themselves while adults interact and form community, developing a warm family atmosphere for Shabbat with songs and fun.
Bitton hopes that having a year-round program planned will inspire families to provide their children with a Jewish education on a regular basis. He is realistic about participation, however.
“Ideally we would like people to register for the whole year ... but it will take time to for parents to discuss it with each other so we will be very flexible. People will be able to drop in and bring a friend,” he said.
The cost for the children’s programs for the year is $70; each Shabbat Tot dinner is $36 per family; and drop-in is $4 per child per class.
All of Chabad of Downtown’s programs are open to the entire community. For those seeking some more regularly scheduled Jewish education for children or just a casual chance to participate in Jewish celebration, CityGan will be there starting in September.
Call the Bittons at 778-688-1273 or visit chabadcitycentre.org for dates, time, registration information and location.
Michelle Dodek is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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