Kehillat Torah Religious School
Shalom! On behalf of our rabbis, faculty, staff, and congregational family, thank you for your interest in Kehillat Torah Religious School at Temple Beth Shalom! Our school’s name, Kehillat Torah, or Community of Learners, demonstrates the importance we place on creating lasting Jewish relationships. At Beth Shalom we strive to imbue each of our students with a sense of Jewish identity, a love for Jewish community, and the knowledge to live a Jewish life. Our Religious School and Hebrew Programs provide an inclusive and comfortable environment for learning and experiencing firsthand the joys of Jewish tradition and practice.
Our school has a very camp-like feel to it, with lots of schtick (skits), experiential learning opportunities, and joy. Many of our teachers are camp counselors at Jewish camps around our region during the summers.
Each Sunday, we aim to turn Temple Beth Shalom into a Jewish Camp, where our students learn Hebrew and Judaic material while laughing, being creative, and building lifelong friendships. On any given Sunday you’ll see some small-group projects, lots of schticks (learning through skits, costumes, movie making, etc), boisterous singing (and dancing) and unmatched enthusiasm from students, madrichim (teacher’s aides), teachers and our rabbis.
After each Sunday a colorful parent newsletter full of pictures, video and information about what each group did that Sunday is sent via email. To see an archive of these newsletters, see pictures and video from our school, please visit www.tbsohioKT.com.
Again, we appreciate your interest in our school and our congregation. If you would like more information about our program or think your son or daughter may like to try out our school, please feel free to contact me via email or at the Temple office (614 855-4882).
L’Shalom,
Rabbi Benjy Bar-Lev
rabbibenjy@tbsohio.org
Associate Rabbi, Director of Education
Download the 2011-2012 Kehillat Torah Registration Packet Here!
Or, read the letter on how to register online, and then register online!
Our Location
Because our school has outgrown our Temple building, we meet on Sunday mornings at the New Albany JCC, 150 E. Dublin Granville Road, New Albany, OH. The New Albany JCC is only two miles away from the Temple, and is a perfect match for our space needs. At the New Albany JCC we have sufficient classroom space, a great music room, library, conference room, multi-purpose room and a huge gym in which our kids can do fun active programming.
For Optional Mid-Week Hebrew, our school meets at Temple Beth Shalom using the upstairs classrooms.
Our New Pre-School Program, Gan Ami
Six times a year we are offering a new program for the 2011-2012 school year called “Gan Ami.” This Pre-School program aimed at kids ages 2-4 and their parents, will be a great opportunity for our youngest students to ease into Religious School and have a great time doing it! Each of the six mornings they are in session, our Gan Ami kids will join their Kindergarten-2nd Grade friends for a fun morning service, they will hear stories, do great art projects, sing songs, have a snack and learn about an upcoming Jewish holiday. To register for this great new program or any other programs, please visit www.tbsohioKT.com.
Our Kindergarten-Confirmation Judaica Curricula
- URJ Chai Curriculum / Biblical Supplements from Behrman House
Our 1st Grade—6th Grade classes use the Union for Reform Judaism’s “Chai Curriculum.” The CHAI Curriculum is designed to facilitate lifelong Jewish learning within Reform congregations. It focuses classroom learning on Torah, Avodah and G’milut Chasadim and expands beyond these topics in other educational programs. CHAI lessons are based on the “Understanding By Design” curriculum development model, which is widely used in the field of general education. CHAI lessons utilize an approach that begins with desired outcomes in mind. The lessons aim to nurture “enduring understandings,” values that have lifetime meaning for all Jews. Each level of the curriculum core consists of 27 one-hour lessons.
In addition to the Chai Curriculum, we have added supplemental Biblical material in all grades. Each class, all the way up through High School will learn stories from the Tanakh (the Jewish Bible), in a fun, engaging, camp-like way. This will help give our students a solid foundation upon which to learn Jewish values. We will also be adding a special Life Cycles Program to the fifth grade curriculum, and are excited for our students to learn more in depth about the Jewish life cycle process.
- Kindergarten Curriculum
Our Kindergarten class, the youngest students in our school, learn about Jewish life through stories, art projects, discussions, music and plays. Our Kindergarten teachers and aides are warm, nurturing and creative. During the Kindergarten year, our students begin to develop an idea of where each of them fits in the larger Jewish story. They learn about Jewish customs, stories and holidays and have a lot of fun doing it!
- 7th / 8th Grade “Yeshivat Noar” (Teen Program) Curriculum
Our 7th and 8th grade program combines formal and informal Jewish education. During class time, three Sundays a month, the Yeshivat Noar classes meet in two blocks. On an average of one Sunday per month, our students will go out into the community for some social and educational field trips.
For the 2011-2012 school year, during the first block the students study Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, through the study of Social Action oriented Prophets like Moses, Samuel, Amos, Elijah, Isaiah and more. During the second block, students will learn in an exciting way about Jewish History and the struggles our people have survived since the Biblical Days.
- 9th / 10th Grade High School Program Curriculum
Our oldest formal students choose their classes from a group of electives offered each semester. The High School program is run in two 45 minute blocks, with two or more classes from which to choose in each block. Some examples of classes offered are:
- Tattoo Jews: Jewish Responses to Modern Issues
- Pray Ball: Jewish Ethics through Sports
- The Jewcy Torah: Biblical Stories You’re Finally Old Enough to Read
- Modern Hebrew
- Jewish Meditation
- Tikkun Olam: Making the World a Better Place
- Radio Jews: Kehillat Torah’s Weekly Podcast
- Many more
Our 10th Grade Students take Confirmation taught by Rabbi Apothaker and Rabbi Bar-Lev during second semester of their Sophomore year. The class is supplemented by a trip to Washington D.C. and is concluded with a Confirmation ceremony on Shavuot.
- 11th / 12th Grade Current Events Lunch Program (Sponsored by the TBS Men's Club)
Our 11th and 12th grade students will be involved in a brand new program this year, geared toward keeping them connected to one another, the Temple and the rabbis. Once a month, Rabbis Apothaker and/or Bar-Lev will take our students for lunch, either at the home of one of the students or at a local restaurant, and discuss current events from a Jewish lens. The program includes guest speakers from throughout the Congregation and Central Ohio. Thanks to a large grant from the Temple Beth Shalom Men's Club, we are able to run this program at very little expense to our 11th and 12th grade families.
Our Hebrew Curriculum
- Behrman House Hebrew Programs for 3rd–6th Grade Students
Our students have the option of taking a one-day-a-week Hebrew program on Sunday mornings or a two-day-a-week Hebrew program on Sundays and Wednesday afternoons. Students in 3rd–6th grade attend formal Hebrew classes, where they learn to read prayer book Hebrew, recognize vocabulary in order to more fully understand the meaning of the prayers we recite in synagogue, and learn to lead an Erev Shabbat evening service and a Shabbat morning service. Students have close contact with teachers in small classes, as we have at least two class sections for every grade in Hebrew.
Our dynamic Hebrew curriculum connects class-time learning with fun, age-appropriate, engaging online learning at home. Each lesson of each class in our Hebrew program is associated with an online component, where students strengthen skills at home, playing online games with other students, and even interact with their teachers if they have questions. We are using “Alef Bet Quest,” and Kol Yisrael I, II and III for our 3rd–6th graders. Feel free to learn more about these products at www.behrmanhouse.com. As always, for additional information, contact Rabbi Bar-Lev.
Music Programs
At Kehillat Torah, Jewish Music plays a huge role in our school. We have a fantastic music program headed by veteran teacher and TBS Music Director Gail Rose. Gail coordinates the music program and teaches music for all students in grades K through 3rd and helps lead services for our younger students. Goldman Union Camp Institute (GUCI) Songleader and Temple Intern Sam Pollak assisted by GUCI Songleader Brad Hollander teach music for students in grades 4 through 8 and help lead services for our older students. Music is infused in almost every aspect of our program, just like camp!
Chugim (Activities)
During the last half-hour of each morning, our 3rd–8th graders participate in camp-style chugim, or activities. The students pick a chug in which to participate for six weeks. After six weeks, we have a “Performance Day” and the students then pick new chugim for the next six weeks. Some example of chugim offered are:
- Judaic Mosaic
- Jewish Movie Making / Improv
- Jewish Creative Writing
- Great Jews in Sports
- Machanayim (Jewish Dodge Ball)
- Manasim (Judaism for MEN!)
- Girlyism (Judaism for WOMEN!)
- Jewish Mural Making
- Jewish Comedians
- Religious School Band
- Modern Hebrew
Daily Schedule
- Pre-K Gan Ami Class (Meets 6 times throughout the school year)
- 9:00am: Boker Tov! Welcome to Religious School
- 9:10am: T’filah—Interactive and Joyous Religious Camp-Style Service
- 9:35am: Back to room for story time
- 10:00am: Music Time!
- 10:20am: Snack Time
- 10:30am: Arts and Crafts Projects
- 11:00am: Shalom! Have a great day!
- Kindergarten–Second Grade
- 9:00am: Boker Tov! Welcome to Religious School
- 9:10am: T’filah—Interactive and Joyous Religious Camp-Style Service
- 9:35am: Classes begin along with Specials (Music, Israeli Dance, Library)
- 11:00am: Shalom! Have a great week! Students are picked up in their classrooms
- 3rd–8th Grade
- 9:00am: Boker Tov! Hebrew School Begins (7th-8th graders are aides during this time)
- 10:30am: T’filah—Interactive and Joyous Religious Camp-Style Service
- 11:00am: Snack Time / Judaic Studies Classes Begin
- 12:15pm: Chugim Begin
- 12:45pm: Shalom! Have a great week!
- For 9th and 10th Graders
- 9:00am: Boker Tov—Many 9th and 10th Graders are Madrichim (aides)
- 10:30am: T’filah—Interactive and Joyous Religious Camp-Style Service
- 11:00am: Elective Block A Begins
- 11:45am: Snack Time
- 12:00pm: Elective Block B Begins
- 12:45pm: Shalom! Have a great week!
Our Faculty and Aides
- Madrichim Program
One of our most exciting programs is our Madrichim Program. A “madrich” is a guide, helper and counselor (in camp language). Starting in 7th grade, our older students work as teacher aides, Hebrew aides, music and art specialists, photographers, videographers, office workers, and actors in our skits. The 7th Graders take a class teaching them how to be Madrichim and preparing them to help with classroom management, games and lots more. The older students work during the first part of the morning and attend their own classes during the second part of the morning. This program is immensely valuable as our younger students see the older students participating in synagogue life and having a lot of fun while doing so! We currently have 54 madrichim enrolled in the program! For more information on the program, please contact our Madrichim Coordinator Andi Malinger at amalinger@tbsohio.org.
- Our Teachers
Our faculty is composed of individuals strong in interpersonal skills and knowledgeable about Judaism and education. Our teachers maintain the highest standards of menschlichkeit (human decency) in order to develop the productive relationships with each student. Our staff uses every camp-like creative means possible to bring their lessons to life and to excite their students in the beauty of Judaism’s tradition. Our teachers are the best of the best—full of energy and excited to give our students the very best Jewish experience each Sunday morning. Many of our teachers are members of Temple Beth Shalom and some are college students at The Ohio State University.
Other Programs
- Sunday School for Parents
Each Sunday morning we offer quality programming for our parents as well as our students. Sunday School for parents is a program led by our rabbis, geared toward making Judaism accessible to every family at Temple Beth Shalom. Sunday School for Parents I and II focus on Jewish parenting, Jewish history, introduction to Jewish texts and commentaries, introduction to Hebrew and much more! Join the group any Sunday at 9:30 a.m. for coffee, bagels, WiFi, and some deeper Jewish knowledge.
- Grade Shabbatot!
During the course of the school year, each grade will be responsible for helping to lead one of our First Friday Family Friendly Shabbat services. The parents of that grade, led by the Room Parents, organize a Shabbat dinner to make the evening even more special. These Shabbat dinners help build community and create beautiful Shabbat memories for families of all ages.
- First Aliyah: Bar/Bat Mitzvah at Temple Beth Shalom
A 13-year-old child’s First Aliyah to the Torah is a life-changing event. Here at TBS, through close one-on-one preparation with our Rabbi Apothaker, Rabbi Bar-Lev and talented tutors, each child has the opportunity to lead the congregation in prayer, chant Torah and Haftarah, and personally connect with the Torah text in writing a speech or D’var Torah. First Aliyah (Bar/Bat Mitzvah) Ceremonies at TBS are community events. They are personalized, family oriented and inclusive.
