Everyone Knows Chai Mitzvah

By Michalee Merritt

I heard about Chai Mitzvah years ago. It took me some time to decide that I wanted to bring the idea to my synagogue and friends. It was the kind of program that interested me, and I liked the easy-to-use sourcebooks with supplemental materials. Questions for discussion were right there for us to use.

I started with a group of friends within the synagogue using Jewish Journeys. It is the first curriculum that Chai Mitzvah produced. We loved it! It brought us closer together as we shared things about our families and growing up Jewish. We did many of the other curricula together.

It brought us closer together as we shared…

I decided to bring Chai Mitzvah to the greater synagogue community because it is a great way for people to engage and get to know each other. Because Chai Mitzvah is designed for small groups, we ended up having several Chai Mitzvah groups within our synagogue community. 

We took a break… until someone came up to me and said, “I know about Chai Mitzvah, and I want to bring it back here to our synagogue.” We now have a Rosh Chodesh group, and it is going so well that they can’t wait for another year of Chai Mitzvah.

“The conversation is so rich and exciting, we can’t get through the whole sourcebook.”

“The participants have such amazing insights.”

“We look forward to meeting every month.”

I bet you have heard of Chai Mitzvah as well! It is never too late to bring Chai Mitzvah to your community! It is a game changer – you will see your community come together. 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out – Michalee Merritt