Havdalah Pool Party

Say “shalom” (goodbye) to Shabbat at our Havdalah Pool Party! Bring the whole family to our warm indoor pool and enjoy a special community swim time, ending the party with a small Havdalah ceremony led by Rabbi Megan.

Havdalah is a weekly Jewish ceremony which occurs on Saturday nights after Shabbat. The ceremony separates Shabbat (celebrated Friday night and until sundown Saturday) from the week ahead and features lighting a braided candle, wine, and a spice box, representing a sweet week.

Pool toys, floaties, pizza and snacks will be provided. Please bring your own towels and a change of dry clothes for each person swimming.

SJCC pool policy states that each child 6 and under requires an adult with them in the pool. This is not a drop-off event. All children who are not potty trained are required to wear a swim diaper if going in the pool. The SJCC swim test policy still applies. More information on the swim test policy is below.

Registration is per family unit. This event, and all other SJCC community events, is open to both SJCC members and guests of all faiths and backgrounds.

Stroum JCC Swim test rules:

• All Children 13 and under need to be tested.
• If they are not on the SJCC swim test list and don’t want to take it, they don’t have to. They can stay in the 2ft section without a life jacket or parent and will receive a red swim band. If they want to go outside the 2ft section, they need to put on a lifejacket or be within arm’s length of the parent.
• If families want to bring their own life jackets, they must be U.S. Coast Guard approved (liability) The SJCC provide life jackets from 20lbs-90lbs.
• To better prepare for a swim test, please note the expectations below:
  • Green Swim Test- swim the length of the pool (25 yards) without stopping (touching the wall/ground) swimming freestyle and breaststroke, showing that they can put their face in the water and then 30 seconds of treading. This allows them to swim in any area of the open swim area.
  • Yellow Swim Test- swim half of length of the pool (the lifeguard chair/line that is in the middle of the pool which is 12.5ft) without stopping (touching the wall/ground) swimming freestyle or breaststroke and showing they can put their face in the water and then a minimum of 20 seconds of treading.
    • If they pass this, they can be in the 2ft section up to the halfway line without a lifejacket. If they want to move into the deeper area they would need to put on a lifejacket or stay within arm’s length of a parent.
• Red Swim Band – no swim test or can’t pass the swim test, needs to stay in 2ft section or within arm’s length of a parent if they want to leave that area