The Jewish Federation of the North Shore (JFNS) will offer Ikkarim: Parenting through a Jewish Lens in Marblehead this fall. The course is designed to help parents of young children explore core values (ikkarim) that can strengthen family and parent-child relationships and will be taught by experienced Jewish educator, Margie Bogdanow, a licensed clinical social worker, co-founder of Parenting Resource Associates and a national youth specialist for the Union for Reform Judaism. Free babysitting will be available.
Funded by JFNS as well as a grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation (JJF), a California-based charitable organization devoted exclusively to supporting the education of Jewish youth, Ikkarim focuses on creating a warm space for parents to learn, connect and share with one another in a serious and meaningful way. Discussions will focus on how language helps to shape values, how to teach children balance between self-expression and community solidarity, how to foster parent-child relationships that encompass respect as well as love and intimacy, and how Jewish holidays and ritual celebrations enhance family life. Scholarships are available.
