blogs/masa

Dear BHA Families,

We hope you are having a wonderful summer! 

Here are some updates from the educational programs at BHA:

Family-friendly Shabbat this Friday, July 12, at 5:30 PM. Please join us for a service for younger children at 5:30, followed by kiddush and a potluck at 6:00. Families with children who stay up later are welcome to join the larger BHA community for Friday night services at 7:00 PM, this Friday and every Friday throughout the summer.

BHA Community Picnic, Friday, August 9, 5:00 PM at Long Dock Park. This is another great opportunity to spend time with the BHA community over the summer! There will be activities for children, and everyone is welcome for a Shabbat service with a view of sunset over the Hudson!

The BHA Preschool still has space available! We are also enrolling younger children (two years old by December 1, 2019) on Mondays and Fridays.

Masa is hiring! We are hiring for several positions in Masa. If you know an excellent teacher who would like to join us on Sunday mornings or on Friday afternoons, please share the job posting with them . We hope to have teachers who will bring as much joy as last year’s teachers brought! (Wendy, Ellen, and Julia are all returning for the 2019-20 school year. Our other teachers have moved on to new phases of their lives, and will hopefully come back for visits!)

New Immunization policy beginning in September, 2019:
As you may be aware, New York State recently passed a law removing all non-medical exemptions to immunization for children attending schools, day cares, nursery schools, and camps. Click here for more information .

Following consultation with doctors and lawyers in our community, all of BHA’s formal educational programming (MASA and preschool) will comply with this mandate beginning September 2019, both because it is the law, and because of the Jewish values of preserving life (פיקוח נפש) and protecting the weakest in our community (ולפני עיוור לא תתן מכשול).

All BHA Preschool and Masa families are required to submit current immunization records showing that they are up-to-date according to the Department of Health guidelines within thirty days of beginning school. Table 2 in this document shows the catch-up schedule for children who have not yet received all age-appropriate immunizations. 
 
We understand that this policy change may be challenging for families who have chosen to follow a modified immunization schedule. We truly value all the children in our community, and we hope that you will be able to work with your child’s pediatrician to meet the immunization requirements. 

Please reach out to Ilana about the Preschool, or to Julia about Masa if you have any questions.

Wishing everyone a bright and joyful summer!

--Julia Gross Alexander and Ilana Friedman