ALMA

Our program serves children from three years old through 7th grade. Classes for pre-K through first grade meet on Saturday mornings from 10 am-12 pm. Children second grade and up meet on Saturday mornings from 10 am-12 pm as well as Thursday afternoons from 3:30 pm-5:30 pm. 

For more information.  To access the 2024-2025 ALMA calendar click here.

Questions? Contact Aram aram@cbinorthampton.org, Director of Youth and Family Education and Engagement. 

ALMA means 'world' in Aramaic and 'soul' in Ladino. At ALMA, we believe that Judaism matters, and that Jewish life and tradition have the potential to add profound meaning and richness to the lives of our students and families. We take a fresh approach to Jewish education. We engage our students' neshamot (souls) and empower our students to engage with Jewish tradition as a lens for awe, and as motivation and guidance for action in the world.

Our dynamic curriculum for students from pre-school through 7th grade engages students in an active exploration of Jewish life and tradition through learning about Jewish values, Jewish time, and Jewish customs. Our students learn songs and prayers, create ritual objects, and get their hands dirty on our chava (Abundance Farm). Our Ivrit (Hebrew) specialist works with ALMA students to develop fluent decoding and our Tefillah (prayer) specialist helps students build comfort with traditional and contemporary Jewish prayers and songs. 

We believe that our students must genuinely enjoy themselves in order to learn and develop a love of Jewish life and tradition. Our passionate staff work hard to create a culture that is joyful, in which our students and their families feel respected, engaged, and inspired.

ALMA is a diverse community. We are proud to have LGBTQIA, BIPOC, blended, and interfaith families. CBI Membership is not a prerequisite for participation in ALMA. 

The world is sustained solely through the breath of the children when they are learning in school alongside their teachers. Talmud, Shabbat 119b