Fire Circle is closed, please stay tuned for more information to come in 2024.
100% OUTDOORS • MONTHLY • JEWISH CYCLES OF NATURE
Where Kids can be Kids, Have Fun, and Learn—OUTSIDE!
Program Details
Fire Circle is a program for ages 11-14 that weaves the stories and songs of Judaism and nature through fire building and ancient sacred skills. Our experienced Jewish educators guide the participants through forest and farm outdoor hands-on activities that build personal and community growth, self-awareness and self-confidence, and interconnectedness and responsibility to each other and the land.
Like a healthy fire, Fire Circle is the warmup to our Rite of Passage program. We integrate the rhythms of Jewish life and the Hebrew calendar with the cycles of nature and human development. Participants take part in Fire Circle until they are B’nai Mitzvot age. The Rite of Passage program will focus on the internal aspects of becoming B’nai Mitzvot and can serve concurrent to a B’nai Mitzvah or as a stand-alone experience. It will center on practices and experiences that connect all participants more deeply to themselves, Jewish identity, and the human and wild ecosystems in which they live.
Parents are invited to hang out in the Great Room at Hess House while their children participate in Fire Circle. There is internet, hot beverages, and a comfortable seating space. The program team will occasionally offer tours, crafts, and discussions during this time.
Dates and Pricing
Fire Circle is closed, please stay tuned for more information to come in 2024.
$250 per student ($36/session)
Teachers and Educators
Avihay Aharoni, Shaliach (Israeli Educator)
Avihay is our Shaliach, a Jewish educator from Israel. He was born and raised in Jerusalem.
He has traveled to many beautiful places in the world enjoying the connections between nature, Judaism, and Israel. Avihay believes that connections can be made through songs, stories, and music. He hopes to connect you to the land of Israel by exploring our roots at Pearlstone and Jewish texts.
Lior Gross
Lior Gross (they/them) is a lover of soil and all things outdoors.
They root their work as an educator in their Jewish wisdom and values. Lior finds joy in bringing awe, wonder, and delight to those they work with, because tending these critical connections with the self and the more-than-human world is a beautiful way to change the world for the better.
Jill Eisen
Jill Eisen, Director of Program Partnerships, loves to explore Jewish education with children, especially in engaging and hands-on activities.
Jill has her Masters in Jewish Education from Baltimore Hebrew University. She loves working at Pearlstone because it combines her love of learning and Jewish values. There is something so special about getting to know a tree, reading under it, meditating with it, nurturing it and watching it change from season to season.
Mira Menyuk
Mira Menyuk, Pearlstone Education Manager, has been working outdoors for the past decade learning and teaching Jewish farm and forest-based education to people of all ages.
She has been a year-round farmer, lead Jewish educator, wilderness therapy field guide and camp director. She is excited to be helping guide others with the knowledge she has and is always learning more from the others around her.
Please note that if your child is sick, have them stay home. After symptoms have abated and it is within the 5-day window, please have them wear a mask. Our educators will follow the same procedures.
Questions? Contact Avihay Aharony at aaharoni@pearlstonecenter.org