Gateways provides a Jewish education to children who are not able to receive one in a typical classroom setting. The experienced multi-disciplinary team of educators and trained volunteers ensures that children with moderate to severe disabilities - such as autism spectrum disorder, hearing and visual impairment, developmental delay, cerebral palsy and genetic disorders - can have access to Jewish learning and participate in the Jewish community.

Gateways works with each child at his or her level, using methods that are appropriate for the child’s learning style and ability. Working in both group settings and one-on-one ensures the best educational experience for each child.

Classes are held in Newton, Massachusetts.

To see one example of how Gateways successfully uses technology in the classroom, see attached article below.

Gateways Sunday School Program

Children, ages 4 to 17, are welcomed into the world of Jewish customs, Hebrew, Shabbat and Jewish holidays. Through creative and multi-sensory teaching, each child learns and experiences the special nature of Jewish tradition. They make music, pray, do art projects, learn Hebrew, and cook, all in a supportive and creative environment. The theme-based curriculum's goal is to impart knowledge and to give the children a sense of belonging to the Jewish community. Classes are led by a special education teacher and a music therapist. An important part of the experience for each child is the individual support he or she receives from a trained teenage volunteer. The teen becomes a mentor, helping the child participate in the class.

See attachment below for calendar 2009-10.

Gateways Holiday Playgroup for Toddlers & Preschoolers

Offered five times a year, this monthly Sunday program is for 2, 3, and 4 year olds with disabilities and their parents. The children are introduced to Shabbat and Jewish holidays through music, movement, crafts, and multi-sensory activities.

Gateways B'nei Mitzvah Program

Gateways prepares children, ages 11-13, for their bar or bat mitzvah in an attentive environment that includes individual tutoring and group learning. Students learn Torah, prayers, synagogue skills, and the meaning of mitzvot (good deeds).

All students have a plan that addresses their individual needs and accommodates their unique learning profiles. Many students learn to read Hebrew through a specialized program that systematically introduces letter sounds using visual, auditory and kinesthetic cues. Once they master Hebrew reading, they learn to read their Torah portion and the prayers. Other students may use assistive technology, sign language or other accommodations to recite prayers.

The experienced special education team collaborates with families and synagogues to ensure a meaningful Bar or Bat Mitzvah experience for the child, family, friends, and synagogue community.The B’nei Mitzvah program brings together educators, therapists and graduate students studying Jewish special education who are committed to providing a quality preparatory experience for children with moderate to severe special needs. These tutors are devoted to their students, often staying with them through the two years of preparation. More than merely preparing these children with the skills needed to become bar- and bat-mitzvah, this effort provides a forum for spiritual development and a community of peers who share the same goal of attaining this all-important Jewish rite of passage.

Some twenty-one students have reached this milestone since the program began in 2004. Proficiency in Hebrew and reading from the Torah is a goal for many of the students. Using a unique methodology devised by Marion Green, an adjunct instructor at Hebrew College and the Gateways b’nei mitzvah academic supervisor, the students use a multi-sensory approach to accessing the Hebrew alphabet including visual supports, manipulatives, colors and sounds.

Visit News and Notes to read about some of our success stories.

Click link below for calendar 2009-10.

Marion Green Hebrew and Torah Reading Coordinator
Shanna Belenky Teacher
Rebecca Redner Teacher

B'nei Mitzvah Tutors

Rachel Chafetz
Vicki Friedman
Michele Gary
Jeff Remz
Judith Simons
Michael Weiner

Gateways Mitzvah Mensches Teen Program

Shanna Belenky Teacher
Rebecca Redner Teacher

Mitzvah Mensches is an inclusive youth group for Jewish teens with disabilities to connect in a supported and structured social environment.

Mitzvah Mensches: A Jewish Educational and Social Skills Program for Teens with Disabilities, integrates Jewish learning, social skills, Jewish rituals and practices for the home and synagogue, Jewish cultural arts, Tzedakah (charity and justice), and community building activities. Gateways offers this program to teens over the age of 13 to enable them to continue their Jewish education in the context of community-building activities, so necessary for adolescents with disabilities. Twice a month, the teens learn a specific mitzvot and complete a related thematic project. Our students have a wide range of disabilities including development delay, autism, Asperger’s Syndrome and other neurological and genetic disorders.

Mitzvah Mensches is designed to meet the needs of Jewish teens with special needs ages 13-17. The program is held on Wednesday evenings at the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center in Newton, from 6:15-7:45 PM, and utilizes the staff and art studios of the JCC Cultural Arts Department. Students are presented with creative opportunities, special activities, socializing, as well as exploring Jewish value activities. Two certified, experienced teachers and a program coordinator are on site for all classes. Volunteer teen aides provide social modeling and peer friendships.Click link below for Calendar 2009-10.

Gateways Teen Volunteer Program

One of the unique aspects of the Jewish Education Program are the young adults, aged 15 to 18, who volunteer each week to work one-on-one with our students. They may volunteer to work in our Sunday Program or in our Mitzvah Mensches Teen Program.

These teens come from throughout our community: from as close as Newton and as far away as New Hampshire, from public, private and Jewish day schools, from all levels of Jewish observance. This is a win-win situation for both the teens and their students - the student has a mentor and an advocate in class; the teen develops confidence, new skills, and a deeper understanding of a world beyond themselves.

We are fortunate to have forged an important bond with Hebrew College’s Prozdor Hebrew High School. For more than seven years, many of our volunteers have worked at Gateways with the wonderful support and cooperation of the Prozdor staff and faculty. Prozdor students may elect to take a training course in the 10th grade, volunteer in the 11th grade, and can continue in their senior year. Dozens of Prozdor graduates and their peers in other educational venues have been forever changed by their service to Gateways. We salute their valuable contribution to enhancing the lives of our students and their families.

Gateways Jewish Education Program Staff

Nancy Mager Jewish Education Program Coordinator

Melissa Danielli Teacher
Lisa Klinger Teacher
Shanna Belenky Teacher
Shaina Shusterman Teacher
Rebecca Redner Teacher
Miriam Greenbaum Music Therapist

Attachment	(click to download)
	Sunday Program calendar 2009-10.doc
	Thurs B'Nei Mitzvah calendar 2009-10.doc
	Tues Mitzvah Mensches calendar 2009-10.doc
	Jewish Advocate Gateways high tech storyteller Jan 14 2010.pdf