Grades Preschool-2:

The beginning of Religious Education is a time for building children’s Jewish identities and connection to Jewish holidays, values, culture and the Bible. It is important that children and their parents feel that Jewish tradition belongs to them. It is also an opportune time to tap into a child’s natural and open sense of spirituality. By presenting the curriculum in an interactive manner, the foundation is set for their subsequent Jewish education.

Preschool (ages 3-4): Intro To Being Jewish, Mitzvot, Hebrew, Chugim

Texts: Jewish and Me Series

  • Students will focus on the idea of identity – connection to Jewish practice and actions.
  • Students will explore what it means to be Jewish.
  • Students will learn about Shabbat and holidays.
  • Students will learn about Mitzvot through our “Jewish and Me: Doing Mitzvot” series.
  • Students will get to know our Synagogue and feel safe and comfortable in our sacred space.
  • Students will meet the Rabbis, Cantor and educators.
  • Students will start to learn Modern Hebrew through “Hebrew Through Movement.”
  • Students will start to learn prayers and music during music and services.
  • Students will take classes from a list of chugim (elective-style courses) that range in topics relating to Jewish life, tradition, and values. These chugim will broaden a student’s sense of what it means to be Jewish and allow students to further their social experience with their Jewish peers.

Kindergarten: Holidays, God, Mitzvot, Hebrew, Chugim

Texts: Let’s Celebrate, Let’s Discover God, Let’s Discover Kindness Series

  • Students will explore what it means to be Jewish.
  • Students will focus on the idea of identity – connection to Jewish practice and actions.
  • Students will learn about mitzvot (Commandments) and Jewish values.
  • Students will learn about Shabbat and holidays.
  • Students will learn about God.
  • Students will learn Modern Hebrew through “Hebrew Through Movement.”
  • Students will start to learn prayers and music during music and services.
  • Students will take classes from a list of chugim (elective-style courses) that range in topics relating to Jewish life, tradition, and values. These chugim will broaden a student’s sense of what it means to be Jewish and allow students to further their social experience with their Jewish peers.

1st Grade: Torah, Review of Holidays, Hebrew, Chugim

Texts: Teach me Torah Series and I Can Celebrate the Jewish Holidays

  • Students will be introduced to Torah/Torah stories.
  • Students will continue to learn about celebrations, symbols, and customs surrounding the Jewish holidays.
  • Students will learn about Jewish symbols and ritual objects.
  • Students will learn about practices both in the home and the synagogue.
  • Students will learn Modern Hebrew through Hebrew Through Movement.
  • Students will start to learn prayers and music during music and services.
  • Students will take classes from a list of chugim (elective-style courses) that range in topics relating to Jewish life, tradition, and values. These chugim will broaden a student’s sense of what it means to be Jewish and allow students to further their social experience with their Jewish peers.

2nd Grade: Cycle of the Jewish Year, Israel, Hebrew, Chugim

Text: Yisrael Sheli, The Great Holiday Scavenger Hunt

  • Students will learn about the Cycle of the Jewish year in conjunction with the calendar and holidays.
  • Students will learn about Israel as a special land and place for the Jewish people.
  • Students will learn Modern Hebrew through “Hebrew Through Movement.”
  • Students will start to learn prayers and music during music and services.
  • Students will take classes from a list of chugim (elective-style courses) that range in topics relating to Jewish life, tradition, and values. These chugim will broaden a student’s sense of what it means to be Jewish and allow students to further their social experience with their Jewish peers.

3rd Grade: Torah, Calendar, Hebrew, Chugim

Texts: The Explorer’s Bible, Volume 1: From Creation to Exodus and My Jewish Year

  • Students will closely examine Torah Stories, focusing on Genesis and Exodus.
  • Students will see a relationship between the Torah and their own lives.
  • Students will continue exploration of the Jewish calendar, exploring the structure of the lunar calendar.
  • Students will learn Modern Hebrew through “Hebrew Through Movement.”
  • Students will deepen their connection to prayer and music. They will increase their prayer fluency and reflect on their connection to God through worship.
  • Students will take classes from a list of chugim (elective-style courses) that range in topics relating to Jewish life, tradition, and values. These chugim will broaden a student’s sense of what it means to be Jewish and allow students to further their social experience with their Jewish peers.

4th Grade: Prophets and Kings, Jewish Holidays, Hebrew, Chugim

Texts: The Explorer’s Bible, Volume 2: From Sinai to the Nation of Israel and Jewish Holidays, Jewish Values

  • Students will further their exploration of sacred text by continuing to study significant bible stories beyond the books of the Torah. They will focus on stories of significant Prophets and Kings in the Tanach.
  • Students will see a relationship between Sacred Text and their own lives.
  • Students will revisit the Jewish holidays and examine the value and relevance of each.
  • Students will learn Modern Hebrew through “Hebrew Through Movement.”
  • Students will deepen their connection to prayer and music. They will increase their prayer fluency and reflect on their connection to God through worship.
  • Students will take classes from a list of chugim (elective-style courses) that range in topics relating to Jewish life, tradition, and values. These chugim will broaden a student’s sense of what it means to be Jewish and allow students to further their social experience with their Jewish peers.

5th Grade: Israel, Holidays, Hebrew, Trope, Chugim

Text: Experience Modern Israel

  • Students will study modern Israel – its significance, culture, people, geography, and ancient history.
  • Students will learn Hebrew through “Hebrew Through Movement.”
  • Students will deepen their connection to prayer and music. They will increase their prayer fluency and reflect on their connection to God through worship.
  • Students will begin their formal B’nai Mitzvah preparation by working on Hebrew decoding and learning Trope (which are the symbols used for teaching the melody when chanting from the Torah). These will continue over the next couple of years in preparation for B’nai Mitzvah.
  • Students will take classes from a list of chugim (elective-style courses) that range in topics relating to Jewish life, tradition, and values. These chugim will broaden a student’s sense of what it means to be Jewish and allow students to further their social experience with their Jewish peers.

6th Grade: Jewish Life Cycle, History of the Jewish People, Hebrew, B’nai Mitzvah Preparation, Trope, Chugim

Texts: The Time of Our Lives and The History of the Jewish People, Volume 1: Ancient Israel to 1880s America

  • Students will explore significant moments in the Jewish Life Cycle, including: birth, B’nai Mitzvah, confirmation, marriage, divorce, conversion, sickness, and death.
  • Students will learn Jewish History from Ancient Israel to 1880s America.
  • Students will deepen their connection to prayer and music. They will increase their prayer fluency and reflect on their connection to God through worship.
  • Students will dedicate time to learning B’nai Mitzvah prayers and participate in individual tutoring.
  • Students will continue the study of Trope, which are the symbols used for teaching the melody when chanting from the Torah. This will continue in preparation for B’nai Mitzvah.
  • Students will take classes from a list of chugim (elective-style courses) that range in topics relating to Jewish life, tradition, and values. These chugim will broaden a student’s sense of what it means to be Jewish and allow students to further their social experience with their Jewish peers.

7th Grade: American Jewish History in the Common Era, Social Responsibility, B’nai Mitzvah Preparation, Chugim

Text: Challenge and Change: History of the Jews in America (Books #1-3)

  • Students will study significant moments in American Jewish History and what it means for them to be an American Jew.
  • Students will learn and implement Jewish values
  • Students will explore responsibility to their peers, communities, and to the world in the context of becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, and will do so within the context of our Jewish Values.
  • Students will continue studies to becoming a B’nai Mitzvah by dedicating time to learning B’nai Mitzvah prayers and participating in individual tutoring.
  • Students will take classes from a list of chugim (elective-style courses) that range in topics relating to Jewish life, tradition, and values. These chugim will broaden a student’s sense of what it means to be Jewish and allow students to further their social experience with their Jewish peers.

8th Grade: The Holocaust, Anti-Semitism , Chugim

Texts: Holocaust: The Holocaust, the World, and the Jews, 1933-1945 and The History of Israel

  • Students will explore what events happened leading up to and during the Holocaust.
  • Students will ask how we, as a Jewish community, should act today in response to the Holocaust.
  • Students will study Anti-Semtism and how it relates to our society today.
  • Students will take classes from a list of chugim (elective-style courses) that range in topics relating to Jewish life, tradition, and values. These chugim will broaden a student’s sense of what it means to be Jewish and allow students to further their social experience with their Jewish peers.

9th Grade: Israel, Chugim Israel....It’s Complicated

  • Students will “study the Jewish historical connection to the land of Israel, and a portrait of today’s modern Israeli culture: Its innovation, its entertainment, its place in the world, its food. Learners will explore how Israel is both a uniquely Jewish place as well as home to a remarkable range of diverse people from all over the world.”
  • Students will learn about the complexities that Israel has to navigate. Students will gain a deep--and nuanced--understanding of the unique, multifaceted place that Israel is.
  • Students will take classes from a list of chugim (elective-style courses) that range in topics relating to Jewish life. This will broaden a student’s sense of what it means to be Jewish and allow students to further their social experience with their Jewish peers.

Confirmation

  • Confirmation at Bet Shalom is an incredible opportunity for our 10th graders to consider what it means to confirm a commitment to Jewish life, tradition, and community. The class is taught by our rabbis and will include deep and rich discussions around critical issues facing our life as Jews today. It is a time commitment that will have a lasting impact on your inner life and the person you are becoming.
  • Students will take classes from a list of chugim (elective-style courses) that range in topics relating to Jewish life, tradition, and values. These chugim will broaden a student’s sense of what it means to be Jewish and allow students to further their social experience with their Jewish peers.

Post Confirmation

  • Post-Confirmation is an opportunity for our juniors and seniors to continue to learn together in a sacred community. Students will study a wide range of material, ranging from current events to history and sacred literature. The class will be taught by a rotating group of teachers, including our clergy.
  • Students will take classes from a list of chugim (elective-style courses) that range in topics relating to Jewish life, tradition, and values. These chugim will broaden a student’s sense of what it means to be Jewish and allow students to further their social experience with their Jewish peers.