Kids, Youth & Families / משפחות ילדים ונוער
Kitchen Playground
Ages 0 – 3
Families with babies & toddlers ages 0-3 who meet monthly for Shabbat
New Pre-K/TK Class
Ages 3 – 4
A once-a-month offering for families with toddlers 3-4 on Shabbat & holidays
Freedom School
Grades K-7
For families with kids in K–7 grade – this is your journey to a B Mitzvah
Freedom City
Grades 8-12
Workshops for teens in 8-12 grade to practice Jewish justice & torah
Kitchen Playground
מפגשים למשפחות
A community of families with babies
& toddlers ages 0-3 who meet monthly
Register for each gathering individually, up until the day before!
Yearly enrollment is not necessary.
Upcoming Programs
Click through for registration
Once a month, we gather on Shabbat mornings to nurture your child’s Jewish identity and build community through music, play, art (and coffee for you!). A joyful and relaxed space for the littlest ones—and their grown-ups.
What to expect
A musical service with rituals to introduce the kids to Shabbat core ideas and melodies
Crafts, games, snacks, and lots of ways to play with friends
And the icing on the cake – our wonderful teen Kitchen-ites will be on hand for childcare if you want to take a moment for a cup of coffee with the other parents
Family Kiddush with challah & juice
Schedule
9:30-10:30 – Open play and crafts with childcare
10:30-11:30 – A special Shabbat service for little ones
11:30-12:00 – Family Kiddush
If your kids haven’t melted yet, you’re invited to stay for kiddush lunch with the entire community around 12:30 PM.
Feel free to come and go at your family’s own pace!
For any questions about the program, please contact our Director of Family Education, Mor Shimonie at mor@thekitchensf.org.
*New*
Pre-K/TK Co-hort
A once a month offering for families with kids 4-5 not yet in kindergarten
Tuition Rates
Early Enrollment: By June 30
$900
Regular Enrollment: July 1 and later
$1,100
Dates
2025
Saturday, 9/6 Shabbat Morning
Tuesday, 9/23 Rosh Hashanah Morning
Thursday, 10/2 Yom Kippur Morning
Saturday, 10/11 Shabbat Sukkot Morning
Saturday, 11/15 Shabbat Morning
Friday, 12/19 Hanukkah Kabbalat Shabbat
2026
Saturday, 1/24 Shabbat Morning
Friday – Sunday, 2/6 – 2/8 Kitchen Retreat (Included in tuition)
Saturday, 3/14 Shabbat Morning
Saturday, 4/4 Passover Spring Festival
Saturday, 5/16 Shavuot Shabbat Morning
Our new cohort for 3 & 4-year-olds and their parents! We’ll gather once a month, for Shabbat or a holiday, and your family will join our school to explore Jewish life, joy, and community through hands-on activities, music, and celebration.
Example of what to expect on a Shabbat Morning gathering:
9:00 AM Opening circle with the entire Freedom School community
9:15 AM Family Learning time around Shabbat & upcoming holidays
10:15 AM Recess and snack with Freedom School friends
10:35 AM Join the community at service to feel the vibe!
10:45 AM Kids oriented musical Shabbat service & kiddush
11:30 AM Closing Circle & Goodbye – families are welcome to stay longer and join our community services and enjoy the community kiddush lunch at 12:30ish
For any questions about the program, please contact our Director of Family Education, Mor Shimonie at mor@thekitchensf.org.
Our programs are meant to be accessible to everyone – if you have any questions about financial aid, please write our Executive Director, Spencer Weiss at spencer@thekitchensf.org.
Freedom School / הוראה לילדים
Freedom School / הוראה לילדים
Welcome to Freedom School
Freedom School is The Kitchen’s one-stop shop for families to do Jewish together on Shabbat and holidays.
At The Kitchen, we believe it’s not who you are but what you do.
If you want to do Jewish, c’mon in.
Core Values
Why Shabbat?
Instead of learning about Judaism in a classroom on Sunday, we live Jewish life and learn together on the days when it actually happens. We know we can’t teach how to be part of a Jewish community, we can only experience it - So Shabbat is the core. Our Shabbat service is a classroom; it’s incorporated into the program so that we all live Jewish life together.
We Build Jewish Community
for the Entire Family
From birth to 12th grade, we have programs for everyone, including the parents. Everyone, regardless of background, is fully welcomed and encouraged to become part of our community.
We center our practice in diverse traditions
Our customs are egalitarian with a mix of Sephardi and Ashkenazi traditions. We’re building a culture where all Jewish backgrounds feel seen, heard, and celebrated.
Justice is Core to Everything We Do
Jewish learning isn’t abstract — it’s a call to action. Our students understand Torah as a tool for justice, empathy, and equity. Through Justice/Proximity Days, we bring families close to the communities who need our support in San Francisco.
Building Community IRL
We meet approximately 3 times per month through the school year (September-June), with most sessions on Saturday mornings* from 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM. Our Hebrew learning program begins in 3rd grade and continues through 6th grade, on Tuesday afternoons.
Throughout the year we’ll also meet for:
2 Friday nights for Kabbalat Shabbat
2 Saturday afternoons for Havdalah
2 Sunday mornings for Justice/Proximity Days
6 Holidays – Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Simchat Torah, Hanukkah, Purim, Shavout
1 Kitchen Retreat in the Winter, Fri-Sun (Included in tuition with reduced family rate!)
+ 1 optional community-led camping trip for Freedom School at the end of the Summer
Typical Saturday morning schedule:
9:00 AM Opening Circle
9:15 AM Whole-Family / Grade-Cohort Learning/parents class
10:15 AM Recess & Snacks
10:30 AM Kids: Grade-Cohort Learning,
10:30 AM Adults: Schmooze + enjoy Torah service
11:15 AM Recess & snacks
11:30 AM Kids leading prayer (Yimloch!)
11:45 AM Electives!
12:15 AM Kiddush + Lunch (bagels, anyone?)
*A note on meeting on Saturdays - We know that the weekend is packed with other things other than tefillah, you might be one of those families that does both sports, dance, and birthday parties — that’s why we mix up our schedule.
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Weekly Hebrew on Zoom for 3rd – 6th grades, with an option for 7th graders to join. This is a focused 30min class, on Tuesday afternoons, with 4-6 students, focusing on decoding of letters, vowels, reading and learning key vocabulary of prayer and Torah. Cohorts will be sorted into the following groups:
Ulpan – students new to learning Hebrew
Novice – students who know some letters and vowels
Intermediate – students who are comfortable reading basic Hebrew
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Throughout the year, we’ll also hold justice/proximity days in our community. For Justice/service days, Freedom School collaborates closely with One City, Glide, and Rabbi Michael Lezak for on-the-ground projects that help us get proximate, learn, and collectively do more good in SF.
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Our students learn in two-year grade cohorts, each with one consistent teacher for Pre-K/TK, K/1, 2/3, 4/5, 6th, and 7th. We also have our Kitchen playground for the 0-3yo siblings!
Each grade’s curriculum centers Torah, T’fillah, Justice and Hebrew through immersive, student-driven learning. Our pedagogy centers student voice, choice, and curiosity.
And an opportunity to put learning into action – our Freedom School students mentor and lead younger kids in our school community too!
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Our parents class is a growth space for learning, sharing life experience and building our community
Receive the tools and support to build and strengthen a vibrant Jewish home.
No prior knowledge of a Jewish household is needed. For those with experience, this will deepen and enrich your journey even further.
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6th & 7th graders will step into responsibility and have roles within the school and community.
8th – 12th graders return as classroom assistants, community stewards, and role models for younger students.
Check out our full calendar here
Questions about Freedom School structure or enrollment?
Email our Executive Director, Spencer Weiss, at spencer@thekitchensf.org.
B Mitzvah Program
At The Kitchen, becoming B Mitzvah is more than a ceremony – it’s a family journey of learning, community, and Jewish growth. Freedom School is the route to B Mitzvah with us.
Families who are actively engaged before 6th grade are better prepared, more connected, and get the most out of the experience. Enrollment in Freedom School is required at the beginning of 5th grade, and encouraged earlier.
Our B Mitzvah approach is based fully around our Shabbat experience, with our kindergarteners starting to participate in services and Hebrew learning begins in 3rd grade.
In 6th grade, your child will start their journey, get their B Mitzvah date, Torah portion, and assigned tutor and clergy member.
In 7th grade, your family begins “Torah Love” – a special class with Rabbi Noa Kushner (hands-on learning with our founding Rabbi), and the cohort supports each other as each child is called to the Torah.
Grade by Grade
Each Grade-Cohort is built around an interconnected, spiraled curriculum, based in three areas of content: Torah, Mitzvot/Jewish Actions & T’fillah/Prayer, and Jewish Justice. Through immersive, experiential, and student-centered learning, our cohorts will emerge from Freedom School as skilled, thoughtful readers and interpreters of Torah stories and texts, comfortable and confident pray-ers who are “strong in the kahal". Once graduated from Freedom School, your young adults with be ethically minded with a sense of Jewish values that underlie their understandings of the world.
Each grade cohort has a two-year sequence called Aleph & Bet (except 6th & 7th grade) that has an overarching essential question and theme.
Click through to see what each grade cohort will achieve in their two-year sequence.
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ALEPH
Essential Question
Who am I?Torah
Stories of Beresheet/creation, Adam & EveMitzvot & T’fillah
Shabbat ritual, Havdalah ritual, holiday symbols, prayers of the morning service (Psalm 136, Psalm 150)Justice
Values of kedusha/holiness, sakranut/curiosity, & emunah/faith; developing personal & communal creativityBET
Essential Question
Who are we?Torah
Stories of Noah & the flood, the Tower of Babel, & the Exodus from EgyptMitzvot & T’fillah
Shabbat & Passover rituals, connections between holidays & social relationships, prayers of the morning serviceJustice
Values of t’shuva/saying “sorry,” g’vurah/inner strength, & savlanut/resilience -
ALEPH
Essential Question
How do I interact with and appreciate the world?Torah
Stories of prayer, praise/gratitude, and petitioning/requesting in the TorahMitzvot & T’fillah
Prayers of Praise/Thanks and Petition/Asking as part of Shabbat Shacharit (focus on Shema + V’ahavta, l’El Baruch, Healing Prayers). Prayer stewardship: Greeting/Pass our siddurim/prayerbooksJustice
Values of bikkur cholim/visiting the sick, Shalom Bayit/Peace in the HomeBET
Essential Question
How do I honor previous generations?Torah
Stories of Abraham & Sarah, Rebekah & Isaac, Jacob, Rachel & LeahMitzvot & T’fillah
Petition, Praise, and Thanks as part of shabbat Shacharit, focus on Barechu, AvotJustice
Values of Kibud Av’V’Em/Honor Your Parents, Pesach as a holiday of honoring all, laws and customs of Tzedakah -
ALEPH
Essential Question
Why is it important to tell the story(ies) of the Jewish people?Torah
Stories of Creation, Leaving Egypt, Receiving TorahMitzvot & T’fillah
Marking Jewish time (rituals and practices); holidays of Zikaron/memory. Arc of a shacharit/morning service, with themes of Creation, Leaving Egypt, and Receiving Torah. Focus on prayers: Yotzer Or (Creation), Ahavah Rabbah (Receiving Torah), Mi Chamocha (Leaving Egypt). Prayer stewardship: KiddushJustice
Values of B’tzelem Elohim/In the Image of God, Brit/Framework for a Righteous Life, Zikaron/Memory, Cheirut/FreedomBET
Essential Question
What are Different Models of Jewish Leadership and Humility?Torah
Stories of Joseph, Moses & EstherMitzvot& T’fillah
Shabbat as a time for Menucha/Rest, Oneg/Delight + Shabbat Ritual (Kiddush and Challah). Leading prayers: Yotzer Or (Creation), Ahavah Rabbah (Receiving Torah), Mi Chamocha (Leaving Egypt). Prayer stewardship: KiddushJustice
Values of anavah/humility, g’vurah + gibor/inner strength and inner heroism -
Essential Questions
How do I develop as a leader and a teen/young adult in my community? What is a meaningful journey of growth into Jewish adulthood?Torah
Stories from Bamidbar and the formation of Israelite community; review of Torah and TanakhMitzvot & T’fillah
History of t’fillah through Jewish time; Torah Service liturgy, texts, ritual, and choreography. Prayer Stewardship: Torah Scroll careJustice
Middot & Mussar, Jewish ethical citizenship -
Essential Question
What does it mean to become a Jewish “young adult?”Torah
Close reading, drash, and midrash skillsMitzvot & T’fillah
Torah Service liturgy, texts, ritual, and choreography. Mitzvot of Jewish adulthood.Justice
Value of what our obligations to our city as a new Jewish adult?
School Tuition & Enrollment
Tuition
Early Enrollment: Until June 30
$800 per Pre-K/TK – 1x per month
$2,425 per K-2 student
$2,725 per 3-7 student*
Regular Enrollment: July 1 and later
$1,000 per Pre-K/TK – 1x per month
$2,750 per K-2 student
$3,050 per 3-7 student*
*Tuition reflects the extra day of learning for weekly Hebrew classes and The Kitchen Escape Member Retreat
For questions about financial aid, please contact our Executive Director, Spencer Weiss at spencer@thekitchensf.org.
Membership
Families enrolled in Freedom School (including the Pre-K/TK cohort) are expected to be Kitchen members as well. Our program is a part of our Kitchen community, including sessions over holidays with our large membership base.
Visit our membership page to learn about the different levels. If you have questions about membership, please reach out to our Executive Director, Spencer Weiss at spencer@thekitchensf.org.
Enrollment includes:
32 sessions a year
Snacks & supervised recess at every session
Kiddush lunch for the entire family on Saturday’s
Dedicated teacher and 1-2 student assistants per cohort
New for 2025-2026 school year – The Kitchen Retreat fee, a 2 night/3 day member retreat in the Redwoods, is included in your enrollment for your entire family with a reduced rate.
Freedom City / הוראה לנוער
We are a community of teens putting torah into action & making real change in San Francisco.
We are built on 3 pillars:
1.
Rooted
We start by building our own sense of the Torah that guides us, a sense of each of our unique identities, our privileges, as well as our insight as youth, and create a Freedom City community based on trust.
2.
Proximate
Then, we get proximate to injustice and learn how to be change-makers from those who are leading the fight. We work in partnership and solidarity with community organizations and marginalized groups.
Overview
What is Freedom City?
Freedom City is a community of teens putting Torah into action and making real change in San Francisco. We meet 3 times per month, primarily on weekday evenings from 5:30 - 7:00 PM. We’ll have occasional enriching workshops and social events on the weekends. A full calendar of dates will be provided prior to the start of the year.
Freedom City is led by Jaime McConachie, Rabbi in training.
Where
In addition to Kitchen holiday programs, we utilize our community homes & spaces for meetings.
Learn More
Our full calendar is available for participants upon registration. If you have questions now, email our Mor Shimonie, Director of Family Education at mor@thekitchensf.org.
3.
Action
Through organizing and mutual aid, we address the most pressing injustices that we see in our city and on our planet.
Freedom City Participant Requirements
→ You will be in 8th to 12th grade in Fall 2025
→ A desire to bring more justice & Torah into the world
→ Your family is a member of The Kitchen, more information here.
Tuition Pricing
$1350/participant
We are committed to ensuring that financial constraints are never a barrier to participation. Please be in touch with our Executive Director, Spencer Weiss, with any financial questions.
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Building Community IRL
Saturday Shabbat Mornings are the core of our program, here’s a little of what to expect to help your family do more Jewish, more meaningfully, more of the time:
Freedom School families assemble in-person on Shabbat (Saturday) mornings and holidays
Shabbat mornings will be filled with a mix of learning configurations: grade-cohort learning, all family learning, praying with the community, and celebrating B’nei Mitzvah of Freedom School students
Student experiences are rooted in grade-cohort bands (K/1, 2/3, 4/5, 6, and 7), around Torah, Mitzvot/Jewish Actions & T’fillah/Prayer, and Jewish Justice - all in a student-centered pedagogy. Your child’s voice, choices, and questions directs their learning
7th Grade students + parents learn Torah Love with Rabbi Noa Kushner, Hazzan Asher Levy & community educators
Parent Learning Circles: adult only space to schmooze, drink coffee, and pray
We’ll continue to experiment with space, method, modality, and format - in ways that keep us all safe
Typical Saturday AM Schedule:
9:00am Whole-Family / Grade-Cohort Learning
10:00am Kids: grade-cohort learning. Adults: praying
11:00am Torah service + grade-cohort time
11:30am Grade-cohort class time
12:30pm-ish Kiddush lunch (bagels, anyone?)
Holidays, Justice Days & Hebrew
Community Holiday Celebrations & Justice/Proximity Days
Throughout the year, we’ll also hold holiday celebrations and justice/proximity days in our community. For Justice/service days, Freedom School collaborates closely with One City, Glide, and Rabbi Michael Lezak for on-the-ground projects that help us get proximate, learn, and collectively bring more freedom into the world.
Weekly Hebrew on Zoom for 4th – 6th Grade only (7th opt-in)
A weekly half hour class Tuesday afternoons, with 4-6 students, focusing on decoding of letters, vowels, and reading key vocabulary of prayer and Torah.
Cohorts will be sorted into the following groups:
Ulpan – students new to learning Hebrew
Novice – students who know some letters and vowels
Intermediate – students who are comfortable reading basic Hebrew
Check out our full calendar here
Questions about Freedom School structure or enrollment? Email our Executive Director, Spencer Weiss, at spencer@thekitchensf.org.
Freedom School
Goals & Objectives
Feel.
Feel connected to other kids, parents, and families who do Jewish
Create.
Create a Jewish home and community that contextualizes and reinforces Jewish practice as an organic way to approach the world.
Understand.
Understand how the Torah influences personal lives and American justice movements, and inspire students to be socially responsible;
Be.
Be empowered to articulate their Jewish values in the context of justice work;
Know.
Know central Torah texts, home prayers and brachot (blessings), interpretive methods of understanding Torah; the Jewish calendar and life cycle events; the importances of Shabbat.
Engage.
Be able to engage in Jewish study, rituals, traditions, and justice work, as well as as confident pray-ers who are “strong in the kahal/ community.”