Reset and Refresh, the Shabbat-centered cohort program for mixed-heritage couples to explore Jewish identity and practice, is debuting a family version.

The first cohort of Reset and Refresh for young families, defined as having children ages 0-5, begins Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. The program’s five sessions, featuring three Sunday morning gatherings followed by a Friday night Shabbat dinner and a Havdalah experience Saturday evening, include materials and activities for both parents and their children to explore Jewish practice in a supportive small group environment.

“There was a desire of folks applying who already had children who wanted to have these intentional, deep conversations about what it was like for multi-heritage couples to have a Jewish presence in the home and how to build those traditions,” Jewish Federation of Greater Portland Director of Educational Initiatives and Associate Director of Community Relations Rachel Nelson said.

Reset and Refresh was originally developed by Rabbi Samuel Klein in Seattle and has been adopted by numerous communities nationwide. Portland has hosted two cohorts of the program for young couples without children. Federation Director of Jewish Life and Learning Dr. Yosef Rosen, who helped facilitate the second cohort, and Congregation Neveh Shalom Foundation School Director Candace Rothstein, are helping develop the Reset and Refresh program into a format that addresses the specific needs of young families – Portland is the first community to host a family-oriented version of the program.

“Having children raises a whole slew of new questions around navigating identity, spirituality and religious practice in the home, and if anything, it makes them even more acute,” Rosen said.

Rosen and Nelson are adapting the original Reset and Refresh materials, shortening the seven-session child-free program to five sessions, while Rothstein is developing materials for the children of those participating.

“Children learn best through sensory experiences,” Rothstein said. “Shabbat is perfect for that. Shabbat is all about the senses. You smell, you taste, you feel, you see things.”

Her session planning includes activities, including challah-making and candle-lighting, that are geared toward every age of participating child – the range of which beautifully mirrors the often mixed ages of siblings who experience Jewish holidays together in many families.

“It’s really special that there are different ages of children, who can bring different experiences to Shabbat,” Rothstein said.

The timing – both sessions in the day and dates within the year – are built to be family friendly.

“It’s at 9:30 AM on a Sunday morning, because that’s before nap time,” Nelson said of the main sessions. Additionally, “we intentionally chose the winter because Shabbat and Havdalah are earlier in the evening, before bedtime.”

Applications are now open for the inaugural cohort, which will be limited to 10 families. Rosen explained that participants will come away with the tools to develop their own Shabbat practices – as a family.

“Reset and Refresh is designed in such a way that it is super welcoming. A lot of it is about how we bring in Shabbat. Shabbat is something you bring in. It doesn’t just happen,” Rosen said, “especially when you’re a family.”

Beyond resources and conversations, participating families will be able to build connections with each other and with other families in similar spots navigating Jewish practice and identity.

“We’re going to have this cohort of young families who are from different backgrounds and who may not have any traditions around Jewish holidays or Shabbat. This is going to give them the opportunity to have a shared experience with their children, to build these traditions together,” Rothstein said. “I think it will create a lot of buy in for both the kids and the parents to keep these going even after Reset and Refresh is over.”

“This is the program I wish I had had when I first had kids,” Nelson added. “These are the conversations I am still having at home with my family and my kids. It’s practical, it’s useful, and we really look forward to it.”

Interested families can learn more and apply online at jewishportland.org/resetandrefreshfamily.