Our Religious School
We look forward to having your child(ren) enroll in Temple B'nai Israel's Religious School Program for the 2023-2024 year. Our religious school is a source of pride and inspiration. Our Rabbi, Morim (teachers), Madrichim (Facilitators), and Nadavim (Volunteers) offer warmth, wisdom, and guidance to our students and families. We take seriously the commandment, "You shall teach them to your children."
Religious School begins when students enter Kindergarten and continue through 12th grade. Our Teen program is for 8th-12th graders and engages our teens beyond B'nei Mitzvah, through Confirmation, and until high school graduation. 8th-12th grade students may continue their involvement in Religious School by serving as madrichim (Paid Teaching Assistants) in our classrooms on Sunday mornings. We offer Family Programs throughout the year, including Holiday programs, Tot Shabbat and Sing-a-longs.
Schedule: Information on registration, fees, and the calendar will be posted in August.
Religious School Classes begin with a family open house under the Sukkah on Sunday, October 1, 2023.
- For K-7th grade, we begin at 10 a.m. with Hebrew, followed by a snack and short service in the sanctuary, and then Chugim (clubhouse).
- Primary grades (K through 3) meet weekly on Sunday mornings from 10 – 11:30 a.m. Grades 4 through 7 meet weekly on Sunday mornings from 10 –11:45 a.m.
- Grades 8 through 12 meet quarterly on Sundays (October 1, December 3, February 4, and April 7, Time TBA) and will combine community service and social programs.
- Confirmation classes will be held every other Tuesday evening, beginning with a pizza dinner. (For more information, Rabbi Hyman will contact Confirmation and B'nai Mitzvah students and families.)
K-7 Curriculum Overview
Main Topic Areas Covered:
- Torah and Texts
- Holidays
- History
- Prayer
- Middot-Jewish Values
- Israel
- Hebrew language: Prayer and Modern
- Mitzvot-Commandments
- Lifecycles
- Jewish culture and community
Hebrew
K-3rd Grades -Hebrew letters and vowels, and syllable decoding.
4th-7th Grades -Hebrew letters and vowels, short word decoding, and short prayer introduction.
Judaics
We apply experiential learning to Torah, history, and Jewish texts. We utilize art, music, cooking, and more to explore the stories and traditions of our people and how they apply to our modern lives. We emphasize Kehila (connection) to one another, our Jewish community, the greater world, and Israel. We perform g'milut chasidim (acts of loving kindness), celebrate holidays and lifecycles with an emphasis on Bnei Mitzvah, and share our culture.
Our multi-media experiential learning (Chugim) incorporates the following:
- Music: Strum and hum to Jewish Greatest Hits, from Shalom Rav to HaVaNaGila!
- Storytelling & Drama: Stories of our ancestors to modern day heroes; peformt a short skit on a current issue facing Jews today.
- Jewish Art Around the World: Create Jewish Art in the styles of artists and sculptors such as Marc Chagall, Yaacov Agam, Moses Ezekiel, and Hanoch Piven.
- Cooking Through the Diaspora: Discover and make Jewish recipes representing diverse Jewish communities worldwide.
- Sports, Health and Wellness: Yoga and Meditation incorporating Hebrew Texts. Fun and games like GaGa and our own Maccabiah Games!
Please contact Carolyn Amacher, Executive Director, at camacher@tbieaston.org with any questions or feedback. Todah Rabah!