Religious School

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Religious and Youth Community Program Description

Religious School
Policy Handbook

Beit Midrash

SHIR TIKVA’S PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
AND CURRICULUM

Talmud Torah: Becoming a Jew is a life-long process. Students begin this process by achieving competency in certain skill areas and by tangibly experiencing Judaism. Jewish education must provide encouragement, tools, and critical thinking skills to students so that they can direct their own future paths of Jewish learning.

Life as a Holy Endeavor: Traditions, texts, prayers, holidays and ideas must be made meaningful both in their own terms and in terms that correlate and give meaning to the realities of students’ lives.

Intellectual Openness: The prevailing atmosphere is one of warmth and acceptance of all questions students have regarding Judaism and their own Jewishness and encouragement to explore new thoughts and ideas.

Creating Caring Community: Judaism emphasizes the supreme importance of decent, caring interactions between people. This sub-text is included in all areas of study. Relationships with others, our world and with God are intimately embedded in the educational program. At Shir Tikva, we always care for each other and our surroundings.

Tikkun Olam: Acknowledging the necessity for Tikkun Olam (repair of the world) is part of the Jewish concern with justice. The world is not whole, and individuals cannot attain a full sense of spiritual peace, when there is not tzedek (justice). Young people are part of and help create, a community which strives toward ethical behavior, Jewish tradition and a sense of responsibility to the larger community.

Family learning: A child or young adult only learns what it means to be a Jew within the broader context of a family and a community. For this reason, parents should expect to participate in their child’s Jewish learning. Holiday enhancement workshops, adult study and family study, and holiday celebrations are all designed to enhance Jewish family learning. Homework assignments often require parental input, and teacher homework sheets encourage parent/child discussions.

Jewishness and Joy: Jewish life is one filled with the joy of music, celebration and connection. Teachers strive to create learning experiences that enable joyful participation and pride. Jewish music is part of each grade’s curriculum and holidays are celebrated within the school and synagogue. Parents are encouraged to deepen the connection between their children’s school learning and experiences and their family life.

To educate a child without educating and involving the parents and the entire family system can be compared to heating a house while leaving the windows open.

Mordecai Kaplan

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We dedicate ourselves to Talmud Torah, integrating formal and informal approaches to education. Clergy, educators, parents, children and individuals are partners in learning. We focus on the why of learning, program excellence, and the lifelong study of sacred texts and their contemporary application. We support and respect all levels of participation and encourage individuals to further their development as Jews at any point in life.