Religious School
The primary mission of our religious school is to instill a love of Judaism in our children and impart deep connections to the Jewish people. We accomplish this in a warm, caring environment staffed by knowledgeable and dedicated educators. Through innovative programming, community service opportunities, and active participation in worship, our students are not only prepared for B’nai Mitzvah, but also to begin their Jewish journey into adulthood.
Beginning with our youngest students in pre-k all the way up into our 7th grade, there is a focus on learning Jewish values and traditions. In our youngest grades they do this with hands-on interactive activities including stories, play, and crafts. As our students get older, they delve more deeply into conversations about Jewish beliefs and culture and how to best incorporate Jewish values in their own lives.
Our Hebrew program begins with our youngest students learning letter and vowel recognition. It culminates with each student feeling accomplished as he or she leads our congregation in worship at his or her Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Currently, we are using the Journeys Through the Siddur curriculum to enhance our learning. We are cognizant of the many learning styles students have, and work with each one to make their experience as productive and rewarding as possible. We are particularly proud of the comfort our students feel when they are in our sanctuary and the familiarity they gain over time with our liturgy and traditions.
With our elective program, all students have an opportunity to explore Jewish culture first-hand through different activities and experiences to choose from. Some of the classes that are offered include Jewish cooking, Jewish crafting, Jewish music, Alef/Bet yoga, and Jewish history. Many of these programs are run by our amazing parent volunteers. At Temple Beth David, we believe that parents exert the largest influence over their children’s enthusiasm and participation in our community. It is of the utmost importance that our students come and experience Friday night services with their family. Students are most successful when there is a commitment to being in attendance on Sundays (and Tuesdays) for Religious school. We encourage parents to help with school events, substitute teach, and/or serve on our Education Committee.
Director of Education
Emily Kurz has been a proud member of Temple Beth David all her life. She received a BS in Elementary Special Education and a BA in Sociology. She further continued her education at Boston College, where she earned a Master's Degree in Social Work degree. Learn more about Emily here.
If you have questions please contact Emily at education@tbdcheshire.org.
For weekly updates on temple events and news sign up for our weekly email.
