by Rabbi Moishe Kievman
Chabad Chayil

You bet it is! And if it’s every day right after school, it’s not just essential, it’s a no brainer! 

Happy children of South Florida have begun a new year of Hebrew School this past Monday. CHAP, as it’s known, is not just a once a week Talmud Torah. It’s an all encompassing daily after-school program geared towards Jewish children in public schools who have no formal Jewish education.

This supplementary program is designed for boys & girls ages 5-12, attending AWK8, American Heritage, BridgePrep, Charter, Country Dade, Nova, Pine Crest, Riviera, VABHOE and anyone looking for a daily after-school Hebrew School.

Any Jewish child is welcome to try the program out completely free with no cost and no obligation. There are no memberships, background Knowledge or affiliations required to enroll. After the holidays, regular classes will continue at super affordable pricing with an option for no cost at all to parents that need it! The program starts together with public schools and meets daily right after school. Classes are conveniently located in Highland Lakes, at Chabad Chayil across from Aventura Waterways K-8.

The curriculum Includes: Traditions, Holidays, Jewish History, Parsha, Jewish Art, Prayer & Judaic study with a primary focus on Hebrew Reading custom designed to teach each child at whichever level they may be. This program will offer a first taste of Jewish learning in a creative, joyful, hands-on and interesting way. We try to impart a sense of tradition using modern and innovative teaching techniques. This is a Hebrew School of the highest quality that kids can’t wait to go to!

An educational consulting company hired by Miami-Dade to rate all county after-school programs, has rated Chabad Chayil’s program one of the best. After spending two weeks observing and analyzing every aspect of Chabad’s program, Cynthia Serure, president of A Gift for the Soul, Inc. concluded that program was exemplary. “This program scored at the top on virtually all analytical criteria including quality of staff, student-teacher interaction, and curriculum,” said Serure. “It is a model program.”

According to all studies, Jewish education is a proven factor in ensuring Jewish involvement and continuity. We seek to ensure that every single child has access to a high-quality Jewish education. Chabad is the place to experience Jewish enrichment classes in a fun, yet meaningful way. It’s where parents feel comfortable and where kids don’t want to miss a day!

CHAP attracts children ages 5-13 from 7 different schools and is extremely popular in the area for homeschoolers as well. There is a waiting list for some classes and Chabad is working hard to build at their own location so they can expand accordingly. Construction is already on the way! See ChabadChayil.org/build for updates!
Transportation is provided for children coming from VABHOE (Virginia A. Boone Highland Oaks Elementary School) and Bridgeprep Academy in the Skylake section of Aventura’s North Miami Beach. As far as other schools, there are many parents getting together to carpool and if there’s enough children coming from one school, a van or bus can be arranged. 

The school welcomes every Jew, regardless of religious background or level of observance. This school does not require membership of any sort as a condition for enrollment.

Chabad Chayil’s mission is to promote and strengthen Jewish awareness, pride, and observance, by providing educational, cultural, and social activities to all Jewish individuals and families regardless of background or affiliation. One of our main programs is CHAP, whose mission is to provide affordable and effective Jewish education to children not enrolled in Jewish schools. Our goal is to enable parents to retain their jobs, confident that their children are safe & happy. CHAP keeps its students fit while instilling in them (and their families) a sense of warmth, pride and love for their heritage & Israel.

To register or learn about other afterschool activities (Leadership 4 Kids, Homework

Help, Bar Mitzvah Academy, JewQ International Competition, Once-a-week options, Tutoring or Camp), please contact the school director, Mrs. Layah Kievman at (305) 770-1919 or visit HebrewSchool.info

About the author:
Rabbi Kievman together with his wife are the ambassadors of The Rebbe to Highland Lakes, FL. They are the founders of CHAP – an afterschool program for Jewish children in Public Schools and direct Chabad Chayil. He’s the rabbi at The Family Shul and can be reached at (305) 770-1919 or rabbi@ChabadChayil.org, where you can also sign up for his weekly Torah Thought & Newsletter.