Contact:
Cantor Harriet Dunkerley, Spiritual Leader/Director of Education
Elisheva Gluck, Assistant Director of Education/Youth Coordinator
**To report a COVID-19 exposure, please fill out the TBC Religious School COVID-19 Exposure Form!**
2022-2023 School Year!
Religious School Schedule:
Wednesdays
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TBC All-School T’filah |
TBC Religious School Curriculum, 2022-2023/5783
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, and mitzvot. Throughout the grade-school years, they dive more deeply into Jewish holiday experiences, study Torah, Jewish Life Cycle, concepts of God, the history of the Jewish people, and the Land of Israel. 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, Hebrew song, and a program called “Hebrew Through Movement,” which incorporates conversational Hebrew using the whole body to learn, practice, and understand vocabulary. 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, as well as holiday and festival blessings. The Grade 4 curriculum emphasizes decoding skills, vocabulary acquisition, and basic grammar, along with introductory prayers. This continues in Grade 5 with an expanded prayer curriculum and greater emphasis on reading and comprehension. With consistent effort, our students will be 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 Director of Education/Youth 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.
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 experience a NFTY Kallah at URJ Camp Eisner in the Berkshires from January 27-January 29, 2023. Please visit the NFTY NAR website for more information.
- Confirmation Class Annual L’taken Seminars (Friday, 2/10/23-Monday, 2/13/23)
- 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/Simchat Torah, Hanukkah, Tu B’Shevat, Purim, Passover, and Yom Ha’atzmaut & Maccabiah Color War!
- Virtual visits with members of the Young Israeli Emissary program
- Family Education programming that allows parents and kids to learn together
| Religious School Photo Gallery |
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| Hanukkah Program 2021 | Passover Model Seder 2022 | K/1 Family Education Program | Yom Ha’atzmaut Program 2022 | Color War 2022 |