Religious School

 

Message from our Rabbi

From the Board of Education

Curriculum Overview

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The Talmud tells us “The world endures only for the sake of the breath of school children.”(Shabbat 119b) What the rabbis of old said so long ago, we still believe. Our children and their studies are the foundation of our Jewish future. With that in mind, at Temple Beth-El Religious School our mission is to create active committed Conservative Jewish adults. With this in mind, we adhere to the following principles:

  1. The School as a Modern Jewish Community – At the Temple Beth-El Religious School we seek to create a Jewish community for our children where they can learn about their Jewish faith in a joy-filled, stimulating, and low-stress environment, knowing they are a part of not only a 3,500 year old tradition but a synagogue with over 100 years of history in Birmingham.
  2. Integrating Judaism into our Lives - We are the inheritors of an ancient tradition that has greatly impacted the world. We learn our history in order to understand our present. However, Judaism has always remained vital and vibrant because it spoke anew to each generation. At the Temple Beth-El Religious School we teach our children not only about the past, but how Judaism is relevant to each of us on a daily basis, helping us to make choices, improve the world, cook delicious food, read great literature, watch movies with a critical eye, and more.
  3. Love of Hebrew and the Land of Israel – From the moment Abraham and Sarah entered the Land of Israel, it has been the focus of Jewish hopes and dreams. Those dreams were most often articulated in the Hebrew poetry of the Bible, medieval Hebrew poets, and more. Hebrew has enabled the Jews of the Diaspora to remain a distinct community and has become once again the language of our brethren in the Modern State of Israel. At Temple Beth-El we strive to provide our students with the decoding skills and vocabulary necessary to participate fully in Jewish life while simultaneously creating a feeling of connection to the ancient and modern State of Israel.
  4. Life-long Learning – Our general education begins at birth and continues throughout our life. Our Jewish learning does the same. At the Temple Beth-El Religious School we strive to inspire students in such a way that they desire to continue their Jewish learning through high school, college, and beyond.

With these principles guiding us, we feel confident that we can guide the next generation of active, committed Jewish adults.