Religious School

Upcoming Events

About our Religious School

A quality and engaging Jewish education is the cornerstone of an individual’s connection with the Jewish community. More than just providing students with facts and figures about Judaism, we look to instill a love of Judaism in each child. By helping each student find ways in which Judaism can bring holiness into their lives, we provide our students with more than just a connection with our immediate community. We provide each and every child with a connection to a tradition that has lasted for millennia and, most importantly, a connection with the Divine.

Curriculum

The Religious School curriculum provides students with a quality, holistic Reform Jewish education. We strive to enrich each child’s Jewish experience and knowledge so as to strengthen their understanding of God, identification with the Jewish people, involvement with the synagogue and Jewish community, and inspire lifelong Jewish learning.

Judaics Studies

Our Judaic Studies curriculum will provide our learners in each grade with key foundational Jewish cultural literacy in the following areas: Torah/sacred text, God, lifecycle, Israel, holidays, middot (Jewish values), mitzvot, and, where age appropriate, Jewish history. Study in our Religious School begins in K4 and continues through Kabbalat Torah (10th grade). The completion of each grade is a step toward understanding Judaism and living comfortably as a Jew in the modern world. 

K4 - My Jewish Self: Students get an introduction to Judaism, covering the basics of the holidays, assorted bible stories, and how we can connect with God.

K5 - My Jewish Home: Students explore the Judaism that immediately surrounds them in their home. Holiday learning focuses on how holidays are celebrated in the home. Other learning includes mitzvot (commandments) that can be performed at home and what Jewish things students might find in their homes.

1st Grade - My Jewish Community: Students explore Judaism in the local community - our synagogue. Holiday learning focuses on synagogue celebrations. Other learning includes exploring the synagogue itself and what Judaism teaches about how we treat others in our community.

2nd Grade - Origins of Our People: The year focuses on bible stories that are the foundation of Judaism and the lessons we can learn from these stories. Students will also have a foundational review of holidays that reflect the learning done in the three previous years.

3rd Grade - Israel: Biblical Land and Modern State: Building off learning in 2nd Grade, students explore Israel as both the location of biblical stories and a modern state. Students also get an appreciation of Israel as a land where Hebrew is a living language and not just the language of prayer.

4th Grade - Prophetic Values: Biblical prophets taught values that are still relevant to our lives today. Students gain an understanding of how these ancient messages infuse Judaism into our daily lives.

5th Grade - Cycles of Jewish Living: Students gain an understanding of the two cycles that guide Jewish living - holidays and life cycle celebrations. Holiday learning focuses on why we celebrate the holidays throughout the year. Life cycle learning exposes students to how Judaism brings holiness into various moments throughout our life.

6th Grade - Jewish American Experience: The Jewish American Experience influences our lives each and every day. Students gain an understanding of how Jews have played a part in American history and we infuse ways in which our congregation has been part of the local Jewish American experience.

7th Grade - Owning Our Judaism: As students prepare to become Jewish spiritual adults, we provide a series of units that help students explore the variety of Jewish tradition. Units of study include comparative Judaism, prayer, sacred texts, and Holocaust.

Hebrew

Students begin learning Hebrew from the moment the enter our program. Through 2nd grade, students are exposed to the sounds of Hebrew through various activities. Formal Hebrew education begins in 3rd grade and continues through 6th grade.

K4-2nd Grade Hebrew Learning

Hebrew Through Movement – Each Sunday, students will participate in Hebrew through Movement activities. Hebrew through Movement is a language acquisition strategy (Total Physical Response) in which learners start to get used to the sounds of Hebrew and begin to comprehend Hebrew by hearing and responding to Hebrew directions. ​​​​

T'filah (Worship) – For a part of each day, learners will join the clergy and our Director of Lifelong Learning for a genuine prayer experience because tefillah is learned by doing. Our k4-2nd graders tefillah experience is through song, movement, and meditation. Our 3rd - seventh graders use the siddur. Together we will experience the morning service on Sundays and the afternoon or evening service on Wednesdays, depending on the time of the year. We will also have a question of the day focused on the prayer of the month that the learners will discuss in chevruta, with a partner, and then with the entire group. 

Jewish Life Vocabulary (JLV) – A collection of Hebrew words or phrases that increases one’s connections to Jewish people, traditions, culture, and life. You probably use many of these words without thinking about them, such as mazal tov and siddur. We have formalized our JLV curriculum, intentionally choosing which words to focus on in each grade, in t'filah, etc. 

3rd-6th Grade Hebrew Learning

Our formal Hebrew program focuses on helping students feel confident and capable in worship. While we are intentional about the order in which students will learn prayers, we are not simply preparing students for a b'nai mitzvah service. Rather, we help the students find ways in which worship can bring holiness into their lives and live an active Jewish life through Hebrew, our lashon ha-kodesh (holy language). 

Once learners get the foundation of learning the Hebrew alphabet, they will continue utilizing the Mitkadem curriculum. Mitkadem is an individualized, self-paced Hebrew prayer learning, for learners of different learning styles and abilities. The benefits include: 

Lets each learner engage with the material at their own level and pace.

Motivated and knowledgeable learners can proceed quickly through the material.

Learners can pick up where they left off. No need for them to feel left behind or make self-conscious comparisons to their peers.

Diminished behavior problems because learners are occupied at their own level.

Learners cannot “fall through the cracks,” because of constant monitoring and regular assessments.

Post B'nai Mitzvah

8th & 9th Grade: Our 8th and 9th Grade students have the opportunity to guide their learning through selection of topics that will make-up their learning. Based in Jewish values, students will explore Jewish traditions and how Judaism intersects with their lives through active, engaging learning.

Kabbalat Torah (10th Grade): Kabbalat Torah means “receiving Torah.” Our tenth graders meet weekly with Rabbi Barolsky to discuss philosophy, current events, Jewish values, and prepare to lead our annual Kabbalat Torah service on Shavuot in which they take responsibility and ownership over their own religious practice in a more mature way. 

Madrichim Program: Students in 8th-12th grade are encouraged to give back to the Religious School by becoming madrichim. These teen assistants help our school in various ways both inside and outside the classroom. They also serve as role models for our younger students. Teens in 8th-10th grade are expected to role model lifelong Jewish learning by continuing their own Jewish education.

Schedule

Inclusive Learning

At Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun, we believe that every person is created B'tzelem Elohim, (in the image of God) and therefore each person is unique. Therefore, we are committed to accommodating the learning needs of every person in our educational programs. Our teachers receive training and assistance in adapting lessons for all learning styles. We are excited to be partnering with the Coalition for Jewish Learning of Milwaukee and providing our learners and their families with a Kesher coordinator. The coordinator will help the learner, their family, and the teachers best meet the needs of each learner as well as provide differentiated curriculum. Please contact our Director of Lifelong Learning to discuss your child’s special needs.

Need more information?

For more information, please contact Miles Roger, Director of Lifelong Learning via email or call (414) 228-7545.