Once again, there will be a great deal of diverse programming at Temple Micah this year. Here is a brief summary of some of the offerings that Rabbi Toby Manewith and I will be involved with:

Kol Isha, Jewish study from a woman's perspective, will focus on the psalms. The group, which is open to men and women, will meet monthly on Sundays from 2 to 4:30 p.m.

The Adult B'nai Torah class that has been meeting with me for two years will continue to meet with Rabbi Manewith on Tuesday nights each week. The class will be open to the entire congregation and will study the five books of Moses and Shabbat prayer, exploring Torah portions, comparative liturgy and prayerbook vocabulary. Teddy Klaus will teach Haftarah trope to this class.

I will start a new Adult B'nai Torah class weekly for those who would like to learn to read Hebrew, understand our prayerbook and study and chant Torah. After two years of study, participants will be called to the Torah.

Another group will meet at noon on Thursdays to brush up on Hebrew reading skills and practice the prayers from our prayerbook.

Rabbi Manewith will begin a study group for members in their 20s and 30s once a month on Thursday nights. Also once a month on Thursday evenings, the New Member Group will meet with Rabbi Zemel and me to learn more about Temple Micah, prayer, liturgical music, Judaism and God.

It's a Girl Thing, which builds selfesteem and leadership skills through Jewish values, will be offered again - and open to more girls. This year, a new group will be forming for 6th- and 7th-grade girls, led by Rabbi Manewith; the group for 8th- and 9th-grade girls will continue to be led by Rosalind Wiseman.

The Jewish Parenting group will meet again on Thursdays once a month from 10:15 to11:30 a.m. This group is for parents of babies, young children and pre-teens. Discussions will center around how to raise Jewish children in today's world using Jewish values. Babysitting will be provided.

Tot Shabbat will continue once a month with a service from 5:30 to 6 p.m., followed by a potluck dinner and arts and crafts activities until 7 p.m. Our next Tot Shabbat service will be Aug. 19th.

Flyers and registration materials for each of these programs are in the temple lobby and will also be mailed to members. E-mail me with questions at hazzan@templemicah.org. Rabbi Manewith and I look forward to studying with you next year.