What is a Reconstructionist Hebrew School experience?
Congregation Agudas Achim infuses the values of Reconstructionist Judaism into all aspects of the Hebrew School. We place a high value on community as a source of strength and resilience in a challenging time. We aim to create a multi-generational community of Jewish learners, worshippers, and do-ers who share a desire to deepen our understanding of Jewish tradition and apply it creatively to serve the spiritual needs of our children and families, and to work collectively to build a world of justice and peace.
Why is this important?
Many of our students attend school in which Jews are a tiny fraction of the population. At Congregation Agudas Achim, they can explore and express what it means to be Jewish with other Jewish children and adults. They form friendships with other Jewish kids. This communal experience helps each child build a strong and positive Jewish identity and become a confident Jewish adult who will carry on the work of “tikkun olam” – repair of the world.
How do we put these ideas into practice?
Year-long theme: Each year the Education Committee, Rabbi, and School Principal choose a theme that guides the teaching and service projects for students, parents, and the wider congregation. For school year 5783, our theme is “Sparking Light Together.”
CAA Hebrew School is a family affair! Parents join us on Sunday mornings to begin the day with morning prayers. Hebrew School families help out in a local soup kitchen at least once each year and also join community members in monthly Shabbat B’Yachad (Shabbat Together) programs.
B’tzelem Elohim (in the image of the Divine): We believe that each person is a reflection of the Divine, and we celebrate the diversity within our collective — interfaith households, LGBTQ people, people of color, as well as our varied social and economic backgrounds. We nurture each individual’s path to forming a meaningful Jewish identity. We encourage each child to find his/her/their unique way of being a Jew.
“Doing Jewish” is fun! Being Jewish is so much more than religious practice—it encompasses the rich heritage of Jewish culture from all over the world. We explore and celebrate many facets of Jewish life through games, art, music, dance, storytelling and drama, making and sharing meals, and holiday festivities.
If you would like more information, you are encouraged to contact the school committee chair.
Kitah Gan: Ages 3-5
Our youngest students (ages 3 to 5) meet one Sunday per month. The curriculum for this age group focuses on Jewish life. Students learn about their Jewish names, as well as the events of the Jewish year, food, holidays, Jewish values, and Torah stories through hands-on activities, including music, games, movement, art, cooking, and more.
Lower School: Grades 1-3
Students in the Lower School begin to consider Jewish practices and how they differ from our secular practices. The curriculum includes Jewish holidays, Torah, prayer, and living Jewish values.
First graders begin to learn Hebrew letters, and beginning in second grade, students begin learning Hebrew phonics and decoding Hebrew words.
Upper School: Grades 4-7
Students become fluent in Jewish prayers, explore their meanings, and develop their skills as service leaders by participating in and leading a weekly service as a school community.
Fourth and fifth graders study the texts of the Torah from the book of Genesis, learning about our first Jewish families, the patriarchs and the matriarchs, as well as learning about Jewish values such as creating peaceful homes and environments, respecting our parents, caring for the elderly, and welcoming the stranger.
In sixth and seventh grades, the focus is on the Torah’s account in the book of Exodus of the Jewish people’s enslavement in Egypt and our redemption from slavery to receive the Torah, as well as modern Jewish history, immigration, the Holocaust, and the modern state of Israel.
Our Upper School students continue to develop their Hebrew reading skills through study of modern Hebrew.
During seventh grade, in addition to attending Upper School, students prepare to become bar, bat or b’mitzvah*. The synagogue offers a series of educational sessions for students and their families. Most students also work with an independent tutor to prepare their haftorah and Torah readings. The emphasis is on creating a meaningful, joyous celebration of Jewish learning for the student, family, and community when a new bar, bat, or b’mitzvah is called to the Torah.
*B’mitzvah (sometimes written as b-mitzvah) is a non-gendered term preferred by some students and families.
