Serving Hudson County’s Progressive Jewish Community for Over 150 Years
Serving Hudson County’s Progressive Jewish Community for Over 150 Years
Judaica
K/1st Grade
Our youngest students enjoy a fun, active class gathering which includes stories, music, art, and Jewish values. The K-1st Grade explore the landscape of Jewish life, are introduced to the Alef-Bet, traditions and values, with activity-centered, hands-on multi-sensory approaches. The students will have Hebrew reading skills and Jewish values reinforced through oral repetition and games in the Hebrew Through Movement curriculum. We love seeing many of our Tot Shabbat children “graduate” and join us on Sunday mornings for their grade’s diverse and exciting play time when they turn 5.
2nd Grade
The second grade will also continue to build a strong foundation in Jewish values and Torah tradition through Biblical stories and characters with hands-on learning activities. Building on children’s natural wonder, we explore what it means to pray and connect to the Divine. We begin to introduce important Jewish values. We explore and introduce the holiday cycle and the people and the land of Israel. Hebrew reading skills are reinforced through oral repetition and games in the Hebrew through Movement curriculum and other art activities such as music and dance. Our second graders begin Hebrew reading skills including recognition of the sounds and names of the letters and vowels of the Alef Bet.
3rd Grade
In third grade a new dimension is added as students identify with the Jewish people as the People of the Book, bound by a common history, ideals, identity and future. The familial link that we all have with our first ancestors will be emphasized through an exploration of the stories from Genesis and Exodus. Celebration and deeper learning about holidays continue with stories and growing expertise in ritual.
4th Grade
Grade 4 expands the boundaries of Jewish community and peoplehood. Students will take a tour through the most significant milestones of Jewish life as they learn about Jewish life cycles, such as our birth rituals, b’nai mitzvah, weddings, and death. Students will also continue their discovery of the Land of Israel. Learning about the holidays will reach a deeper level as students and teachers discuss the history, origins and sacred texts of our celebrations.
5th Grade
In fifth grade students expand their understanding of Torah and Jewish text. Students will delve into Torah study, as they use various inquiry techniques to find personal meaning in the Torah. Students will add the oral tradition to their understanding of Jewish text study, as they investigate how Torah and the legends of midrash have been transmitted, debated and reinterpreted from generation to generation. Through the study of Torah, students will also learn about history, values, and holidays.
6th Grade
Sixth grade students will spend the year exploring the question, “What does it mean to be a Jew, and what are my obligations and responsibilities?” Students will spend some time studying Reform Judaism and gain an understanding of how we, as Reform Jews, approach Jewish life and ideas in diverse ways. A portion of the Grade 6 curriculum will focus upon our obligation to remember, as the students learn about the Holocaust.
7th Grade
One of the many Jewish values our seventh graders discuss and explore is Teshuva, a theme from High Holy Days which is relevant all the days of the year. The value of Teshuva asks us to “turn over a new leaf” and become better people through introspection and chesbon hanefesh, accounting of our personal souls. Rabbi Moritt leads the children in a deep dive into the Shema through archeology, text, spirit, history and ritual. This culminates with the students tying their own tzitzit (fringes) on the tallit (prayer shawl) they wear at their b’nai mitzvah ceremony. As they prepare to make the Torah their own, Rabbi Moritt leads our 7th graders in discussions of how Jewish ethics and values might impact real-world decisions the children will face in their teen and adult years. Cantor Breznick introduces the children to Torah trope, the musical system of punctuation and expression used when chanting sacred text.
Hebrew – By Ability
Goals
Hebrew is the language of our sacred texts, prayers and rituals, the state of Israel, and the shared vehicle for communication among all Jews.
The study of Hebrew engenders connections with Judaism and the Jewish community everywhere.
Through learning Hebrew at Temple Beth-El, students develop a Jewish cultural literacy which deepens their Jewish identity and helps contextualize Jewish values, history, and ritual.
Hebrew learning prepares our young people for active participation in Jewish life, from home holiday observances to milestones like B’nei Mitzvah to prayer spaces they will encounter throughout their adult lives.
Objectives
Hebrew Reading
Prayer Competency
Cultural Literacy
For the 2024 – 2025 (5785) School Year we are trying a new concept of “Hebrew By Ability” – mixed aged Hebrew classes, team taught by two faculty members, using two effective and contemporary curriculum. For the 45 minutes of weekly Hebrew instruction only, students in grades 3-6 will be classed by their Hebrew ability regardless of their age or grade. Students will be divided in classes by age/grade for the rest of the religious school day.
