Helping Your Children Connect with Jewish Life, Wherever You Live 

How do you help your children feel connected to their Jewish heritage when Jewish community isn’t a big part of your everyday life? 

Maybe you don’t live close to a large Jewish community. Maybe you’re looking for ways to bring more Jewish traditions into your home. Or maybe you simply want your children to meet other Jewish kids and have positive Jewish experiences of their own. 

There are many ways to begin. 

For Shalom Collective Young Families, connection can happen through stories, play, food, festivals and traditions experienced together. It can happen at a community event or around your own Shabbat table. 

And it can start wherever your family is right now. 

How can I help my children connect with their Jewish heritage? 

There isn’t one way to build a connection to Jewish life. 

For one family, it might begin with reading Jewish stories together. For another, it’s making something for the Shabbat table, celebrating a festival, meeting other Jewish families or giving their children the chance to experience Jewish traditions for themselves. 

Shalom Collective Young Families creates welcoming opportunities for families across NSW and the ACT to experience Jewish life together, whether you’re already connected to a local Jewish community or simply looking for somewhere to start. 

What if we don’t live near a large Jewish community? 

Living outside Sydney’s larger Jewish community hubs can mean there are fewer opportunities to meet other Jewish families and experience Jewish life together. 

That’s one reason Shalom Collective Young Families works with communities across NSW and the ACT to create more opportunities for families to connect. 

We’ve brought Young Families experiences to the Byron Shire and regularly create opportunities for families in Sydney’s Inner West and Sutherland Shire. 

We also return to Canberra, where our partnership with the ACT Jewish Community (ACTJC) shows what can grow when local families, community organisations and Shalom Collective work together. 

Building Jewish family connections in Canberra 

Throughout the year, ACTJC plays a vital role in keeping young Jewish families connected through playgroups, community events and opportunities to build lasting relationships. 

Central to these efforts is Amelia Watson, a dedicated parent volunteer whose advocacy, enthusiasm and ongoing communication help keep families informed about upcoming events and encourage them to participate in Jewish community life. 

Shalom Collective’s role is to work alongside ACTJC and local families, bringing additional Young Families programming and opportunities for connection to the community already being built locally. 

Shalom Collective Young Families recently returned to ACTJC for the third time for a weekend of family-focused programming. More than 120 people came together across the weekend. 

“It was inspiring to see more than 120 people come together across the weekend,” said Wendy Dolowitz, Director of Shalom Collective Young Families & PJ Library NSW & ACT. 

“The most rewarding part of the weekend isn’t just the activities, it’s watching families connect with one another, seeing friendships form, and creating spaces where Jewish life feels joyful, welcoming and shared. By partnering with the ACTJC, we’re helping to build a community where young families feel they belong, where traditions are experienced together, and where those connections continue long after the weekend has ended.” 

Connection doesn’t have to look the same for every family 

For some families, synagogue and an established Jewish community are already an important part of family life. For others, connection might begin somewhere else. 

It might be reading a Jewish story together. Making something for the Shabbat table. Celebrating a festival with other families. Or simply giving your children the chance to meet and play with other Jewish children. 

You don’t need to know everything or already feel deeply connected to take part. 

Shalom Collective Young Families creates welcoming opportunities for families to experience Jewish life together and find the kind of connection that feels right for them. 

The weekend in Canberra offered a glimpse of what that can look like. 

Helping young children experience Shabbat 

The weekend began with toddlers and preschoolers decorating their own Shabbat candlesticks, Kiddush cups and challah covers. 

The children weren’t simply learning about Shabbat. They were creating their very own Judaica that they could bring home and make part of their family’s own traditions. 

These personalised creations quickly took pride of place on many families’ Shabbat tables, becoming treasured reminders of the weekend and helping bring the joy of Shabbat into their homes. 

From there, families moved into the interactive Shabbat Light Story Walk, a large-scale storybook brought to life across a series of boards. 

Each board became a “page” for children to read and interact with, from touch-sensitive lights to moving sand art and cave art, all following the story of Creation and the very first Shabbat. 

Children finished by “lighting” oversized candles, “pouring” wine and “braiding” challah, and decorating a chalk-paint Shabbat table with their own designs. 

The group then came together for a Kabbalat Shabbat celebration to welcome in the day of rest. 

One Canberra parent shared: 

“Both my kids had a wonderful time at the events in Canberra. My 2-year-old especially loved the Shabbat story walk and my 5-year-old loved the craft!” 

Jewish stories and resources for families at home 

Connecting with Jewish life doesn’t only happen at community events. 

PJ Library books were available throughout the Canberra weekend, alongside the opportunity for families to sign up for free Jewish children’s books delivered straight to their door. 

Facilitated by Shalom Collective across NSW and the ACT, PJ Library gives families another way to bring Jewish stories into their homes and make them part of family life. 

For a family looking for somewhere simple to begin, a Jewish children’s book can be one way to start sharing stories, traditions and ideas together at home. 

Explore PJ Library and sign up → 

Taking Jewish traditions home 

On Saturday evening, families returned in their pyjamas for a joyful Havdalah celebration led by Rabbi Rube, marking the close of Shabbat with fire, spice and song. 

Each child made their own Havdalah set to take home, a small but lasting reminder that the ritual doesn’t need to end with the weekend, but can live on at home whenever families choose to mark it. 

Another parent reflected: 

“Wendy’s sessions were fantastic. Both my kids were really engaged, even my child who has a harder time joining in. Great opportunity to connect with other families as well.” 

The weekend wound down with a relaxed Stay and Play session on Sunday, giving parents space to build friendships while children played. 

It’s this rhythm of repeat visits, familiar faces and steadily deepening trust that can turn a single weekend into something families can build their ongoing Jewish life around. 

It’s a trust ACTJC has built over years, with Shalom Collective there to help extend it. 

The Canberra pop-up was supported by The JCA Millie Phillips Jewish Education Fund, whose generosity is helping make Jewish family life in Canberra stronger for years to come. 

Can Shalom Collective bring Young Families experiences to our community? 

We want more young Jewish families across NSW and the ACT to have opportunities to meet, connect and experience Jewish life together. 

That might look different from one community to the next. 

If you live somewhere with fewer opportunities for young Jewish families to connect, or you know there are families in your area looking for more ways to experience Jewish life together, we’d love to hear from you. 

Whether you’re already connected to a local Jewish community or you’re simply looking for somewhere to start, you’re welcome. 

Explore Shalom Collective Young Families and get in touch → 

And wherever you live in NSW or the ACT, families can also explore PJ Library for Jewish children’s books delivered to their home. 

Discover PJ Library