Religious School

Our Religious School provides a high–quality Jewish education for students from pre–kindergarten through high school, enabling them to establish a meaningful Jewish identity. The program leads students to an awareness of themselves and an understanding of their Jewish heritage through instruction centered on Jewish beliefs, ritual, tradition and Hebrew language. We nurture a love of Torah and a kinship with the people of Israel. Our goal is to help young people acquire both the desire and the knowledge to perpetuate Judaism.

Classes for pre–kindergarten through eighth-grade students meet on Sundays from 9:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. There is an optional midweek Hebrew program, available to children in third through sixth grade, designed to encourage a greater mastery of the language. Our Family Education program, an exciting element of the Religious School, brings students, parents and teachers together to learn collectively. This innovative program serves as a model for many congregations throughout the country. Our families have a myriad of opportunities, throughout the years, to share integrated study sessions and learning experiences with their children, Rabbis and teachers.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a milestone in the religious life of students. This program is available to all students in good standing who have been enrolled in the Religious School for the two-year period immediately prior to their 13th birthday. In addition to Religious School, the program involves a year–long individual tutorial class and on-going meetings with a Rabbi and the Cantor.

Temple Sholom strongly encourages our students to enrich their Jewish identity by attending Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute (OSRUI), the Union of American Hebrew Congregation camp located in Wisconsin. A pacesetter in Jewish camping, OSRUI offers campers an exciting summer of Jewish living and learning. Temple Sholom gives partial scholarships to all students who attend OSRUI.

RELIGIOUS SCHOOL CURRICULUM

Primary Department (Pre-kindergarten - 2nd grade)

Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten: “Who am I as a Jewish child?”
The major emphasis in these grades is the self. Through hands on activities relating to holiday observances and Judaic symbols, students learn what it means to be a Jewish child in the context of the home, the family and the Religious School.

First Grade: My Jewish Home
The thematic content of this year focuses on the definition and character of the Jewish home and on a introduction to the study of Torah. Students study Shabbat and holidays, learning basic prayers and blessings. Music and regular library visits are integrated into the program.

Second Grade: The Synagogue
Students examine the role of the synagogue in the Jewish community and continue to the study of Torah. Values and ethics are taught through the meaning of tzedakah (charity.) Children are exposed to oral Hebrew in second grade.

Intermediate Department (3rd - 7th grades)
Intermediate level students take a departmentalized sequence of three courses. Each student is enrolled in Hebrew and one required subject. The third class is an elective chosen by the student.

Pathways Program (8th grade)
Pathways is a program designed for this year of transition between Bar/Bat Mitzvah and High School, and parallels the transition between childhood and adolescence. The curriculum for the year examines adolescent behavior in a Jewish context. Students explore their identity as teenagers, as Jews, and as members of the Jewish Community. The trimester program moves from personal concerns such as how post Bar/Bat Mitzvah students deal with the many pressures on their time, human sexuality and ethics, to social action issues such as poverty and the plight of the oppressed Jews through a variety of group projects and activities, 8th graders also have the opportunity to develop social relationships and an attachment to Temple Sholom which will help to prepare them for a most successful Temple High School experience.

Midweek Hebrew
Our midweek Hebrew program is available for students in the 3rd through 6th grades. This two day a week class meets during Religious School on Sunday mornings, on Tuesday evenings (4:30 – 5:30 p.m.), and on Wednesday evenings (7:00-8:00 p.m.). Students in these grades are greatly encouraged to participate in the extra class as it offers an additional exposure to Hebrew and a sense of continuity, better understanding, and love of Hebrew as a second language. The midweek program makes Hebrew easier and more fun. It will help youngsters in the Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation by giving them more grammar rules, vocabulary, and fluency in reading necessary to learn a Torah and Haftarah portion.

Tzedakah
A sense of responsibility for and toward others is a value we teach through a weekly collection of funds which are distributed to many worthwhile agencies at the end of the school year. Each student is encouraged to bring some contribution each week.

For more information about the Religious School Program, contact Sarah Hanuka, Director of Education in the Religious School Office at 773-435-1544 or email Sarah at sarah@sholomchicago.org.