Religious School - Overview

Temple Sholom's religious school is an innovative program with a seasoned and professional faculty offering K-6 Sunday School, Grades 3-6 Hebrew School, B'Nei Mitzvah studies, post-B'Nei Mitzvah, and Confirmation studies. 

The school consists of a Tuesday afternoon Hebrew School program for grades 3 through 6 that teaches reading, chanting, and contextualizing prayers in Hebrew and a Sunday Religious School program for all school-aged children. The Religious School curriculum is divided into trimesters that focus on biblical teachings, Jewish history, and the applications of these teachings to our everyday lives. Families are required to attend Congregational Education Day which takes place once each trimester on a Sunday morning near the end of the trimester. 

Please Note you must be a member to enroll in Religious School beyond Kindergarten.

Sunday School

Like every other Jewish congregation, we read the whole cycle of the Torah throughout the year. However, Temple Sholom's Religious School operates on a trimester program, covering three topics each year on a four-year rotating schedule.

Each trimester theme is explored in our Sunday morning Religious School classes (9:30am - 11:30am) and our Tuesday afternoon Hebrew School classes (4:00 - 6:00pm) with age appropriate activities, curriculum, and programming. In this way, everyone participating in our educational programs is studying and learning about the same topic at the same time. Our ultimate goal is to empower students to become leaders of meaningful Jewish worship and to carry these lessons through their entire lives.

All K-6th grade students in our Jewish Education program attend Religious School on Sundays from September through May. The Tuesday Hebrew School program begins in the third grade. Combined, the program provides a solid foundation of Jewish history, culture, and religious studies.
 

Hebrew School (Tuesdays)

Temple Sholom’s Hebrew School is self-paced, individualized, and carefully structured so that all students can succeed. Each session is split between traditional classroom and open classroom environments. During open classroom, students work at their own pace, moving from room to room to learn about each of the prayers, focusing on both the meaning and prayer fluency, under the guidance of the teachers and aides.

Teachers are able to accommodate different learning styles and needs, and can give students the option to learn alone or with small groups. Extra tutoring with aides or teachers is also available.

Gesher (7th Grade) 

Gesher (the Hebrew word for bridge) is our 7th grade religious school program. This year is a “bridge” for our 7th grade students, not just from our Sunday program to their post b'nei mitzah learning, but also a path to their next lifecycle event, namely Confirmation. Gesher meets four to five times per trimester and studies one subject per trimester. 
 
The topics covered are the three pillars of Jewish life and will help students continue to expand their knowledge and lives as Reform Jews.

Post B'Nei Mitzvah (8th-12th grade)

We are currently re-envisioning our post b'nei mitzvah educational program after the cessation of the county-wide haMakom program in which we have participated the last several years. If you are interested in contributing to this discussion, reach out to Rabbi Abraham (rabbi@sholomnj.org).

Confirmation

The next phase in our students' Jewish journey is Confirmation, which has been a part of Temple Sholom for over 100 years. The Confirmation class leads our Shavuot service each year where they mark their willingness to join the chain of Jewish tradition (shalshelet hakabbalah) and are confirmed. Part of the 10th grade curriculum is a Jewish heritage trip to Central Europe, chaperoned by members of the congregation, where we celebrate Shabbat with our sister congregation in Budapest.

Congregational Education Day

At the end of each Trimester, we come together as a full congregation – children and adults of all ages – to enjoy a variety of classes and activities on a single topic. Congregational Education Days include classes for adults alone, children alone, and/or families together, and are led by our Rabbi, Cantor, Religious School Director, teaching staff, and fellow congregants.

Please contact the office (office@sholomnj.org | 908-889-4900) to inquire about membership and enrolling your child(ren) in Religious School.