Temple Israel Religious School


kidsSundays 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon
September through May
Pre-school through Teen classes

The Post Bar and Bat Mitzvah class meets bi-weekly from 11 a.m. until the afternoon mitzvah project concludes.

  • All classroom teachers are state certified
  • Average class size
  • 10 students
  • An hour of Hebrew is part of Sunday curriculum in grades 2 - 6
  • The arts-and-crafts specialist and the music specialist tailor activities to classroom topics
  • Teens are mentored as teaching aides


Exceptional Hands-On Approach

  • Students plant a BARLEY FIELD to give meaning to the prayers for rain, to bring to life the story of Ruth, to make visible biblical metaphors and the mitzvot concerning gleaning, and to enable students to actually COUNT THE OMER in the spring.
  • Our CERAMICS KILN means that our students make menorahs, seder plates, yads and holiday items worth keeping for a lifetime.
  • We link our MUSEUM OF ARCHEOLOGICAL JUDAICA with the children's study of the ancient world by having the students imitate archeologists by excavating prepared sites to find, date and reassemble fragmented items found there.
  • WI-FI in the classrooms makes it possible for students to make “posters” that use movies and music, to skype with other distant Jews in real time, to map the routes of Moses and of Jewish immigration, with vivid images and sound.
  • Our new FIBER ARTS program will let the children use looms to create usable Judaica and to inspire respect for and curiosity about our multi-skilled ancestors.
  • Bar and bat mitzvah students learn to sight read trope using a KEYBOARD. Rather than imitating sounds from a tape, students see and feel as well as hearing the relationships among notes. We empower them rather than ask them to imitate us.


Grade-by-Grade Curriculum of Temple Israel

kidsThe PRE-SCHOOL focuses on FUN IN SHUL with crafts and cooking, songs and games.

K-1 students learn that we are MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD as we are respectful, joyous and creative while learning about holidays and beginner's Hebrew vocabulary.

GRADE 2 focuses on SYNAGOGUE AND ISRAEL, touring our and other synagogues, making miniature Torahs and ornaments. They learn about Israeli customs and recipes as well as history and geography

GRADES 3 through 6 study JEWISH HISTORY.
3--as GOD'S PARTNERS we learn Torah.
4--as those who SPEAK OUT FOR FAIRNESS, we learn about Prophets and Writings.
5--KEEPING OUR IDEALS AS WE ADAPT OUR RITUALS, we study the Age of the Rabbis
6--We study the European Diaspora with a focus on the Jewish attributes of MUTUAL SUPPORT, LOVE OF LEARNING, WORK ETHIC, AND CELEBRATION.

7th grade spends time with the Rabbi studying JEWISH AMERICAN HISTORY through dramatizations. The rest of their time is dedicated to LIFE CYCLE, and ETHICAL CHOICES.

The Post Bar and Bat Mitzvah Class meets alternate weeks with an 11 a.m. discussion and nosh, then an excursion into the community to do good work.

The goal throughout the years is to empower our young people as Jews to meet the challenges of the modern world, enjoying their heritage and knowing that their lives have a holy purpose.