Religious School

Yaffa Fuchs MA, Educational Director

Click Here to View Photo Album

INDEX:  (Scroll to view details)                                               

• Mission statement
• Program In Brief
• Special Programs
• Special Education
• Family Education
• Bar / Bat Mitzvah
• Religious School Curriculum
• Hebrew High School
• Current Month Beth El News
• Beth El Kids

Mission Statement
Beth El Religious School, which is affiliated with the Conservative movement, is a supplementary educational program for children from Gan (kindergarten) through Confirmation (grade 10). In a rich learning environment, that is dedicated to their moral and spiritual well being, students explore and develop a strong, positive Jewish identity grounded in the study of Torah, T’fillah (prayer) and Gemilut Hasadim (acts of kindness). Beth El Religious School, in partnership with its families, nurtures, motivates and inspires its students to pursue a life-long commitment to Jewish learning, the practice of Mitzvot, the continuity of Klal Yisrael (the Jewish people), and a deep attachment to the State of Israel.

Program In Brief

Mechina : (Preparatory)

Gan (Kindergarten) & Aleph (1st Grade) Sunday, 9—12

Children are introduced to the concept of community, Hebrew language skills through letter recognition, amass a classroom Hebrew vocabulary and enjoy learning about Jewish holidays, culture and Bible.

Bet (2nd Grade)- Sunday, 9-12 and Tuesday or Wednesday 4:15—6:15

Begin phonetic decoding skills, learn many prayers and blessings, explore being Jewish and continue their enrichment of Bible & holidays.

Mechina Graduation – a lovely, song filled ceremony in May celebrates the end of the children’s primary education.

Elementary:

Gimmel (3rd,) Daled (4th,) Hey (5th,) Vav (6th,) Sunday, 9-12 & Tuesday or Wednesday 4:15—6:15

In the course of the four years in the elementary department, our students learn the Shabbat morning service , Torah Service, and Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv (evening) Service, perfect their Hebrew reading, increase their Hebrew vocabulary, gain a deeper understanding of G-d, Bible, Jewish holidays and mitzvot and Israel.

Music – Music is an important component of the curriculum for both the Mechina and Elementary departments and is offered weekly. The children learn a variety of Hebrew, English and liturgical songs and nigunim or melodies that are related to Shabbat, the holidays, the siddur and Israel

Rites of Passage -Two important rites of passage occur at both beginning and end of the elementary years:

Chag HaSiddur and Consecration Service, a memorable ceremony taking place on a Shabbat morning in March of the Third Grade year, celebrates the milestone event of our children receiving their first siddur.

Chag HaSiyyum (Elementary Graduation), a beautiful ceremony celebrating the transition from Elementary to Hebrew High School

Special Programs

Project Lev

A special needs program for Developmentally challenged children ages 6-13, including Bar/Bat Mitzvah training. Sundays, 10 –12.

Accelerated Hebrew Program

A comprehensive program for students with advanced Hebrew language skills. Sunday, 9-12 and Tuesday, 4:15—6:15

Enhancements:

Sunday Chugim (Clubs) – a seven-week session where children can choose from a variety of fun-filled enrichment workshops such as Children’s Choir, Israeli Dancing, Hebrew Ulpan, Drama, Jewish Yoga, Teva (Nature) and many more during Hebrew School hours.

Special Education

Project Lev, A special needs program for Developmentally challenged children ages 6-13, including Bar/Bat Mitzvah training. Sundays, 10 –12.

Family Education

Family B’Yachad (together)Programs - A series of programs for children in K – 6^th and their parents which focus on the theme of the year. This year’s theme is Tefillah, prayer. Each grade would focus on a different prayer. In addition to the educational component, each of the programs will also have an artistic component to them. Families will be able to create heirloom type projects that revolve around the theme of the program.

Some of the highlights include:

o Shema is for Living – a 4^th Grade program that would revolve on the theme of the Shema Prayer. The project would be a mezuzah.

o Tzitzit: The Ties that Bind Them –a 6^th Grade program that would revolve around the prayer “Vayomer” and would entail either the making of a tzitzit.

o Shabbat in a Box – a Kindergarten program that would revolve around the prayers for Shabbat and would involve a project for Shabbat.

o Yad LaTorah – a 5^th Grade program dealing with the Torah Service and involving making a beautiful “Yad” for the Torah.

Bar / Bat Mitzvah
Headed by Hazzan, Alisa Pomerantz-Boro, our program affords our B’nai Mitzvah and their families opportunities to participate fully in a variety of programs that enhance their special day.

Project Mitzvah 13

The Mitzvah 13 Program, coordinated by Rabbi Jeffery Arnowitz and Hazzan Alisa Pomerantz-Boro, is a way to really fulfill the mitzvah part of your Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Our rabbis taught that, ”The world is sustained on three things: On Torah, On Worship and On Deeds of Kindness.” As a participant in Mitzvah 13, you will perform four mitzvot from each one of those categories. We have a whole booklet of ideas for mitzvot in each category. The thirteenth mitzvah will be reading from the Torah or chanting the Haftorah at your Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

At your Bar or Bat mitzvah, as you complete Project Mitzvah 13, Rabbi Arnowitz will make a special presentation of a certificate and a gift in recognition of your great accomplishment. This is a project that will make your bar mitzvah a more meaningful event and serve as a great introduction to just how fun and easy it is to do mitzvot.

Tallit and T’fillin on Sunday Morning

All B’nai Mitzvah candidates and their families will attend a six week session of tallit and tefillin Sunday mornings. Each session will include breakfast, a tutorial in putting on your tallit and tefillin during a brief service and an in-depth lesson in a subject that will help prepare you for the actual Bar/Bat Mitzvah day. Topics to be covered will include The Torah and the Haftorah – what are we reading anyway?, What do you mean son of a mitzvah?, Getting comfortable with the siddur and the service, maintaining a Jewish identity after the Bar/Bat Mitzvah and others. The dates and times of each six week session will be announced with the Hebrew School calendar

Bar/Bat Mitzvah and Beyond

The Bar/Bat Mitzvah and Beyond parent study program is a two part mini-course for parents in preparation for the big event. At the sessions we will discuss our philosophy of what Bar Mitzvah is all about, not just what takes place but why it is so significant in a young person’s life. Together we will share a spiritual vocabulary with which you can discuss important Jewish values with your child. We will also look at how to write a D’var Torah with your child. The D’var Torah is a chance for you and your child to study the Torah portion in English and then work together to write a short speech that explains the portion, to be delivered at his or her service. We will also look at Tzedakah ideas, acts of kindness and concern that can be included in your planning for the invitations, the service and the reception.

And…

While you’re studying with the Rabbi, your children will work on an important tzedakah project that will be both meaningful and fun.

Religious School Curriculum

Hebrew High School

NILI High School Leadership Institute (kN owledge, Identity, Leadership, Integrity) (7th—10th Grade) Directed by Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz

HHI (7th,) HHII (8th,) HHIII (9th,) and HHIV –Confirmation (10th) - Tuesday and Thursday 7—9 P.M.

Our innovative High School program is flexibly structured to meet the needs of adolescents and teens. Thursday is Rabbis’ Night: In addition to learning with our fine staff, every student will take a class with one of our esteemed Rabbis, Rabbi Aaron Krupnick and Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz. Tuesdays is fun, social and educational with eight week modular workshops such as: Kosher Cooking, Israeli Dancing, Kabbalah, Conversational Hebrew, Jewish Artisan, and many more.

Among the highlights of the NILI Program are:

NILI Program Retreat - A Shabbat Leadership Training retreat for HH II, III & IV

Leadership Seminar - a semester course for HH II & III focusing on what Judaism teaches us about leadership

TALIT - (Teens Are Leaders In Training) an internship program for Confirmation

CALM Program - (Community Action Leadership Mini-camp) - a three week session, after Passover, where students participate in community projects

Peer Leadership Council - student led government that will facilitate special programming, t’fillah and tzedakah projects

Confirmation Israel Experience: The last year of Hebrew High is highlighted by the trip of a lifetime. Two glorious weeks in Israel with their Rabbi and fellow synagogue graduating classes.

Beth El News---May, 2008