TBC Religious School

Contact:

Cantor Harriet Dunkerley, Spiritual Leader/Director of Education
Elisheva Gluck, Assistant Education Director/Youth & Communications Coordinator

**To report a COVID-19 exposure, please fill out the TBC Religious School COVID-19 Exposure Form!**

Please email our Assistant Education Director if you would like a copy of the 2024-2025 Religious School Registration Form!

2024-2025 Religious School Schedule:

• Education Report, November 30, 2022
• Education Report, May 30, 2023
• Education Report, November 30, 2023
• Education Report, May 30, 2024

TBC All-School T’filah

TBC Religious School Curriculum, 2024-2025/5785

Here at Temple B’nai Chaim, we strive to teach our children what it means to be the best Jews they can be. We welcome them as active members of our K’hillah K’doshah, our sacred community, through Jewish education and experiences. These experiences will shape our children’s Jewish identity and help guide them to become well-rounded, confident Jewish adults. At Temple B’nai Chaim, we work together to support our children as they learn and grow.

Jewish Studies

The Jewish Studies curriculum provides our students with the basic foundations of Judaism. In our youngest grades, our children learn about Jewish holidays, rituals, Bible Stories, how to be a mensch and the values, the Land of Israel and the values and concepts that guide the Jewish people to perform mitzvot. Throughout the grade-school years, they dive more deeply into Jewish holiday experiences, study Torah, Jewish Life Cycle, understanding their place within the Jewish Community, concepts of God, the history of American Jewry and  understanding Sacred Jewish texts. As they prepare to become Bar and Bat Mitzvah, they learn about the values embodied in Torah and other Jewish sacred texts, and come to understand how these values play a vital role in their own lives. With Confirmation class, we focus on strengthening Jewish identity through engaging social justice programming as we prepare our teens for the L’Taken Social Justice Seminar in Washington, DC. 

Hebrew

Temple B’nai Chaim provides a Hebrew-rich environment for all students through t’filah (prayer), the use of Hebrew words for objects we see and use daily and through Hebrew song. Formal Hebrew learning begins in Grade 4 and continues through Grade 7. Informal Hebrew opportunities are available to any post-B’nai Mitzvah student who wishes. (Speak to Cantor Harriet for more information.)

Our formal Hebrew curriculum focuses primarily on the prayers found in the Shabbat evening and morning services with a splash of Modern Hebrew words and phrases that are associated with holiday and festival celebrations. The Grade 4 curriculum emphasizes decoding skills, vocabulary acquisition, and basic grammar, along with introductory prayers. This continues in Grades 5-7 with an expanded prayer curriculum and greater emphasis on reading and comprehension. With consistent effort, our students are able to read Hebrew accurately, fluently, and with some comprehension. In their Sunday Jewish Studies program, our K-3 students are exposed to the alef-bet and Jewish heritage words. When they begin attending midweek Hebrew classes in Grade 4, they learn to recognize block letters and to write in Hebrew. Students in Grades 6 and 7 are introduced to Trope (Torah and Haftarah cantillation), which will help them better prepare for becoming Bar and Bat Mitzvah as Torah chanters, a valuable lifelong Jewish skill. 

For more information, please contact:

Cantor Harriet Dunkerley, Spiritual Leader/Director of Education

Elisheva Gluck, Assistant Education Director/Youth & Communications Coordinator

B’nai Mitzvah Program

Our B’nai Mitzvah program provides students and families with an encouraging, supportive, and deeply meaningful experience. It offers:

• a private coach assigned for B’nai Mitzvah preparation
• support for a significant mitzvah project
• an opportunity for the majority of our Saturday morning Shabbat service to be led by the Bar / Bat Mitzvah student

We strive to ensure that the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is understood to be a milestone, not the end point, on the path of a child’s Jewish education.

Post-B’nai Mitzvah Programming at TBC

Our Madrichim Program is an amazing opportunity for High School students to make a difference in the lives of our younger students by volunteering in their classes on Sunday mornings from 9:30am-11:30am. Teens meaningfully participate as volunteers, assisting teachers in the classroom and serving as role models and leaders for younger students. New Madrichim will also receive monthly training with Morah Ellie Gluck after Religious School hours to help build leadership skills both inside and outside the classroom.

Confirmation is the educational component to our dynamic and engaging Post-B’nai Mitzvah Program for students in grades 10-12! It is the perfect way for our teens to continue their commitment to Jewish life and Jewish education as they learn about topics that are relevant and important to them in today’s world. 

• Participation in Confirmation Class is encouraged for students in Grades 10-12.
• Teens in Grades 9-12 will have the opportunity to participate in various social events throughout the year as we work towards rebuilding our Temple B‘nai Chaim Youth (Senior Youth Group) presence both locally and regionally! 
• Confirmation Class Annual L’taken Seminars (Friday, 1/10/24-Monday, 1/22/24)
  • At the Bernard and Audre Rapoport L’Taken Social Justice Seminars, teens from across North America converge on Washington, DC for four days of advocacy and action.
  • You’ll discuss how the Reform Movement applies Jewish perspectives to mobilize around issues like reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, climate change, Israel, health care, and more. You’ll spend time meeting new people, exploring Washington, DC, and traveling to Capitol Hill to meet with Congress to advocate for the things YOU care about. Join us and make your voice heard!
  • Participants attend L’Taken as part of a congregational delegation or another Jewish communal group. 
  • For more information please visit https://rac.org/leadership-development/empowering-young-leaders/ltaken-social-justice-seminars

Holiday Celebrations and Family Education

The Religious School year includes many engaging, enjoyable and meaningful activities and celebrations, including:

• Special all-school holiday events, including Sukkot, Chanukah, Tu B’Shevat, Purim, Passover, Yom Ha’atzmaut and Maccabiah Color War!
• Monthly visits from Federation’s Israeli Emissary
• Family Education programming that allows parents and kids to learn together

Religious School Digital Media Gallery 2023-2024

To watch the Purim Spiel 5784 Music Video Reel, click here! To watch the Year-in-Review video, click here!

Religious School Photo Gallery 2022-2023