Temple Emeth Religious School

Bereshit.
In the beginning, in the very beginning, before creation, there was God,
and according to the Sages, on God's lap there was Torah.
The Torah, written with black fire on white fire,
was the blueprint for Creation.

- Midrash

A new school year at Temple Emeth is always an exciting and challenging journey. The holiday season of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot affords us a unique opportunity to renew, reassess and to create new goals and dreams. As we begin the new school year at Temple Emeth, we affirm our commitment to Torah, Avodah and Gemilut Chasadim, i.e. Torah, Worship and Acts of Loving Kindness.

Studies are enriched with a special emphasis on the study and engagement with Torah. Each grade learns and experiences Torah through stories, text analysis, Midrash, drama, dance and song. Our goal is to help our students discover and strengthen the personal ties that connect each of them to Torah. Our teachers and students in K-7 will encounter the beauty, wisdom and depth of Torah by learning a passage, doing a mitzvah, and chanting a word or even a single letter.

Our Torah guides and teaches us how to live an ethical life, a life filled with mitzvot, and love and respect for all creation. Our special focus on Torah will give all of our students and families the opportunity to get closer to God and to each other. Please join us on September 12 as we celebrate the beginning of our Religious School year!

On behalf of our faculty and staff and from my family to yours, I wish you "a world that is new every morning and to feel reborn and renewed each day."

B'vracha,
Dora Geld Friedman

What we stand for: Philosophy and goals

Temple Emeth Religious School exists as a Jewish community in miniature within the congregation. Our goals are to provide a rich learning environment that flows with the Jewish calendar; to build strong and productive relationships between students, families, faculty, and clergy through shared experiences; and to lay a foundation of knowledge and skills in Jewish texts and history, ethics and culture, Israel, Hebrew literacy, and religious worship.

Our Religious School Director, Dora Geld Friedman, brings to Temple Emeth many years of experience in the fields of both formal and informal Jewish education. Immediately prior to coming to Emeth, she taught in the 5th grade Jewish Studies program at the Solomon Schechter School in New Milford. A graduate of Brooklyn College with a degree in comparative literature, she received training in Hebrew language and culture at Stern College and Hebrew University. Until recently a Florida resident, Dora taught Hebrew language and culture at the University of Florida, where she also served as Jewish Cultural Coordinator at the Hillel Foundation.

Our educational program's purpose is to:

• Teach in accordance with the truths of Torah, the principles of Reform Judaism, and the customs of our congregational community.
• Provide the knowledge necessary to make informed choices regarding Jewish life.
• Guide children in discovering the richness and meaning of Jewish holidays and life cycle ceremonies through active learning and celebration.
• Help students develop an emotional and spiritual connection to God, Torah, and the Jewish people.
  
• Enable students to regard Hebrew as a dynamic and living language.
• Build an active knowledge of t'fillah (prayer) in our students so that they will be able to read/chant specified prayers and translate key words and phrases from those prayers.
• Provide understanding and appreciation of the values and behaviors inherent in Jewish life, including tzedakah (justice), g'milut chasadim (acts of kindness), and kavod (honor).
• Help students to appreciate and define the place of Jewish texts and traditions in Jewish life.
• Impress that the synagogue is a place of study, prayer, and communal gathering, and that we all have a responsibility to our synagogue community.
• Develop in children an understanding of the flow of Jewish history.
• Enhance awareness of the central role of family in Jewish life.
• Foster a love for Jewish art, ritual objects, music, and all areas of Jewish culture.
• Forge a special relationship with Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel while enabling students to discuss critical issues affecting the land and people.
  
• Nourish K'lal Yisrael, the connection between our lives and the lives of Jews throughout the world.

Schedule of Classes

• Kindergarten through 7th grades: Sundays 9:00-11:00 am
• 3rd through 7th grades: Wednesdays 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Lines of communication

During the school year, someone from the Religious School is in the school office weekday mornings and during class hours on Wednesday and Sunday. You may leave a message on our answering machine at any time; we will return your call.

Religious School Office: 201-833-8466
Synagogue Office: 201-833-1322
Dora Geld Friedman, Director: 201-833-8466
Barbara Sabella, School Administrator: 201-833-8466

Membership and registration

Students whose families are not Temple members are accepted in the Religious School from kindergarten to 3rd grade. Upon entering 4th grade, students' families must become members. Temple Emeth Religious School registration is open to children who, regardless of either parent's religious affiliation, are being brought up exclusively in the Jewish faith and are not receiving formal instruction in any other faith.