JEMs (Jewish Education Matters) began as a grassroots effort by parents seeking to enrich their children’s Jewish experience. Learning and experiencing Judaism in a friendly, engaging and exciting manner were key objectives from the outset. In May 2011, Rabbi Yossi & Rivky Shuchat undertook to achieve this goal and launched JEMs after school care, a place where children would come after school to experience learning about their Jewish heritage and become familiar with reading Hebrew. The after school care aspect proved especially beneficial to working parents, who could now rest assured that their children were being cared for by a government-approved center which would also be culturally sensitive to the needs of the Jewish community
What began as once a week after school classes quickly grew into a friendly community. Everyone feels welcome to join together for Shabbat dinners and lunches, classes for parents, Friday night services, Jewish holiday celebrations, excursions and more. Through word of mouth, it did not take long for JEMs to develop into an important part of the fabric of Sydney’s Jewish institutions, housed in the school complex at Kesser Torah College. At the end of 2015 the weekly enrollments included 350 children at JEMs, 150 teen volunteers, 57 Bar / Bat Mitzvah boys and girls, with many others joining in the many activities throughout the year. Yet with all this growth, the JEMs community has maintained it’s personal and friendly feel. JEMs remains a place where each child is recognised as unique and special, and above all as an individual.
