Ayeka Expands its Reach Beyond High Schools, to bring Soulful Education to Parents

Program Provides Tools to Address Parents’ Challenges Through the Context of Jewish Wisdom

Ayeka will be expanding its soulful Jewish education program beyond just high school students by launching its new Becoming a Soulful Parent initiative.

Becoming a Soulful Parent will offer multi-week courses to address parents’ real challenges, and will invite them to reflect on the kind of parents they are and who they want to become through the lens of Jewish wisdom. Sessions will center around questions like, “How can I trust my intuition as a parent more?,” “How can I appreciate the different parenting style of my partner?,” and “With all the ‘stuff to do’ as a parent, how can I simply enjoy ‘being’ with my children more?” Jewish text sources, reflective writing and spiritual chevruta are key methods that will help bring these conversations to life.

Unlike other programs, Becoming a Soulful Parent moves parents away from seeing children as a set of behaviors to be managed, toward appreciating who they are and what makes them unique. The course will be open to all parents, and can be used as a tool to reach out to interfaith couples. While deeply rooted in Jewish tradition, the course does not emphasize growing in Jewish ritual observance but focuses on the ways Jewish wisdom can offer deep insights into parents’ real questions. Becoming a Soulful Parent trainings will be launching regionally, bringing the Ayeka methodology of Soulful Education to parents and families in a more holistic approach to help communities search for a more meaningful Jewish approach to parenting.

Ayeka currently works with synagogues and day schools across North America to support educators and Jewish professionals in reframing their approach to Jewish education, using Jewish texts as the basis for personal reflection and deeper Jewish identity development. Pilot cities include Los Angeles, CA and Stamford, Connecticut with plans for future expansion to Boston, MA, Atlanta, GA, and Philadelphia, PA.

Becoming a Soulful Parent aims to partner with major Jewish organizations, and as part of our collaboration with the JCCA Sheva Center will be conducting a training this November in NYC for JCC professionals from across the country.

Funding for Becoming a Soulful Parent has been generously provided by the Beker Foundation.