On Sunday, Oct. 11, Navasky Religious School of Congregation Beth El in Norwalk launched “Navasky Chants Its Way to Israel,” a year-long challenge designed to encourage students – “Navasky Explorers” – to master and chant as many Hebrew prayers as they can over the course of the school year. Through a grant from the Nevas family, Navasky developed the CyberSiddur website, which offers a learning tool to assist students with prayer mastery. For each line of prayer that a student masters, the Navasky Explorers advance two miles towards Israel, tracked on a large map posted in the school and on the synagogue website. Partnering with the Navasky Explorers is El Al Israel Airlines, which has provided incentive prizes that will be awarded to students as they reach personal milestones. The Saffan family, owners of the Shelton-based Sports Center of Connecticut, plan to host a special open house at the center for Navasky Explorers as a reward for reaching their goal of “landing in Israel” in spring 2016.

“The students and their parents are very enthusiastic about this exciting challenge as a different way to motivate students to master a key area of the religious school curriculum,” says Al Treidel, Navasky director. “This educational approach has the potential to be a game-changer, as it incorporates the kinds of elements used by many summer camps to generate enthusiasm and a common goal among campers.”

CAP: Navasky Explorers at the “Navasky Chants Its Way to Israel” kick-off event.