Beit Chaverim

Beit Chaverim Hebrew School

A unique youth education program

Our Hebrew school meets one day per week, and explores Judaism in a loving environment, welcoming everyone regardless of affiliation or background. We are here to open doors to the beauty and excitement of all that Judaism has to offer. We want to make Judaism open, fun, and relevant to kids' lives—creating a space for questions and new experiences.

A good teacher makes all the difference

Our greatest resource at Beit Chaverim Hebrew School is our passionate and devoted teaching staff. Our teachers invest in our students, and those students cherish the relationships they have developed with them. Because we feel that Judaism should be fun and relevant to the lives of our students, we teach in small groups with lots of questioning, discussion, and debate. We generally do not use textbooks; our teachers bring their own energy and experience to each topic and model and explain Jewish ideas and traditions as they relate to the real world.

What exactly will my child be doing?

Your child will be having a great time with Jewish friends learning stuff that matters to them. Our youngest students (kindergarten and 1st grade) experience Torah stories and Jewish holidays come to life with songs, music, and arts and crafts. Our middle students (2nd and 3rd grade) learn Hebrew letters and pronunciation while learning about Jewish values through fun activities. Our oldest students (4th grade through 7th grade) develop their Hebrew proficiency through small group tutorials specially attuned to their abilities. They also have choices in selecting electives that matter to them. These courses create tangible learning goals with a beginning and end that help our older students gain mastery over Jewish issues and ideas.

Check out what we're offering for this semester

We have special programming to enliven the Hebrew school experience:

Fall 2006 courses: grades 3 through 7

A. CORE: Jewish Life Cycle

How do we as Jews commemorate the big moments of our lives. What are the ideas and values behind each of these ceremonies. Learn about Jewish events that signal the critical moments of your lives - so that when you go through them you'll know what they mean. Issues that will be discussed: birth, circumcision, simchat bat, redemption of the first born, bar and bat mitzvah, conversion, marriage, wedding, divorce, illness, death, mourning, shiva, and kaddish

B. JEWISH THOUGHT: Belief or Argument

What must a Jew believe - or must a Jew believe anything? How do our idea of God and the universe differ from the views of other religions. What do we do when we disagree with established Jewish teaching. Issues that will be discussed: belief in God, centrality of Torah, Maimonides' Thirteen Principles of Jewish Faith, disagreement for the sake of Heaven, loving our neighbor like ourselves, why the righteous sometimes suffer, concepts of good and evil, defining Jewish time

C. JEWISH HISTORY: Jewish History While Standing on One Foot or in a Nut Shell

We're going to zip through time getting an overview of the important Jewish events in history. History is critical for the Jewish people and we have an awful lot of it. Some of it is good and some of it is bad - but it is all very interesting. Topics covered: First Commonwealths, monarchy, Babylonian exile, persia, Second Commonwealth, Greece, Rome, the Jewish War, Diaspora—A People without a Land, Our Land is the Torah—New Jewish Identities, Mishna and Talmud, persecution, growth of Jewish communities in Europe and the Mediterranean, Spanish (and other) expulsions, emancipation, chassidism, Zionism, holocaust, the State of Israel.

D. JEWISH LIFE AND EXPERIENCE: Hands-on Judaism

Jews own lots of seemingly strange stuff. What is all that stuff for? Why have we preserved these items for so many years? How are they made? What do they symbolize? How do we use them? Why do we make them beautiful?  Objects that will be examined: teffilin, mezuzah, eruv, mikvah, kipah, head covering for women, tziztzit, talit, shofar, lulav and esrog, candlesticks, kittel, spice box, Torah scroll and the tzedakah box.

Our approach to the bar and bat mitzvah

A bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah is about more than a party at Beit Chaverim. We believe that each child's Jewish coming of age takes place in their own unique way so we tailor a bar or bat mitzvah to fit your child. An essential part of this process is the mutual aquaintance between your child and the rabbi. The Rabbi spends time meeting with each parent and each bnei mitzvah through out the year before the celebration to plot a course for what will be complete entry into Jewish life. Certain general elements of the bar or bat mitzvah can be expected—a prayer service in which the young person takes an active role, a carefully prepared presentation of a section of Torah, an opportunity for parents to deliver a blessing or message to their child, and a social action project in which our young people recognize the essential Jewish value of giving back to our wider human community and especially to those in need. And—while there is all this growth, learning, and giving to be done, a bar or bat mitzvah is still a great excuse to have fun with family and friends.

Registration

We are now accepting Hebrew school registrations for autumn 2006. To request an application, please email school@beitchaverim.com or call (203) 227-3333.