Talmud Torah has a long reputation of being a high quality educational institution. We are the only supplemental school that offers classes three days a week, our standards for the hiring of teachers are the highest of any supplemental program, and we are determined to offering our students an extremely strong Jewish education. Our curriculum continues to reflect our commitment to offering a standard of Jewish education unparalleled outside of the day school system.
Talmud Torah’s educational vision is based on three inter-related principles: Knowledge, Engagement, and Connection.
We are dedicated to providing the most complete Jewish education possible. To that end, we must adopt the attitude that the more knowledge we can offer our students, the better. In doing so, we reject conventional limitations on what is taught in supplemental school. Talmud Torah commits to equipping students with maximum understanding of Jewish observance in its most traditional forms while ensuring full respect for students/families of all levels of observance.
Jewish education is not a purely academic or theoretical pursuit, and we must realize that a Talmud Torah education needs to prepare our students for life as Jewish adults. Instruction must make Judaism come to life and inspire students to embrace their role in our living tradition. In addition to hands-on demonstrations and experiential learning, in-school initiatives and take-home resources will be available to enable students to extend their learning beyond class hours.
Judaism does not occur only in the classroom, and therefore shouldn’t be confined to individual classes. Our students should all feel connected to each other and to their community, and our staff must serve as strong Jewish role models as representatives of that community. Families are welcome to take part in the learning of our students and will be given opportunities to participate in learning of their own. Inter-grade study units, optional adult education classes, and family events are a few examples of how we intend to make the learning experience transcend the limits of the classroom.
With these principals in mind, we intend to focus our program on continuing to ensure a high standard of education with an emphasis making Judaism real and important to our students.
· Hebrew Language
o Reading: Standard and Cursive scripts
o Comprehension useful for both Biblical and Modern dialects
o A general understanding of key prayers
· Prayer
o Familiarity with personal blessings including those before and after eating
o Comfort using the siddur and navigating the prayer services
o The ability to participate meaningfully in any synagogue services
· Laws and Customs
o Key concepts central to Jewish life (i.e. Shabbat, Kashrut, etc.)
o The Jewish lifecycle
o Hands-on familiarity for ritual items (i.e. Talit and Tefilin, Torah Scroll, Shofar, Torah Scroll, etc.) and their purpose
o Practical understanding of the celebration of all Jewish holidays
· History
o Historical significance and context of all significant days on the Jewish calendar
o Timeline of the Jewish people
o Zionism – the Jews’ connection to the Land and State of Israel
o Anti-semetism and Holocaust studies
· Miscellaneous
o Vocabulary of key terms/concepts in Jewish life
o Weekly Torah Portion
o Intro to Jewish Philosophy
o Fundamental questions and answers regarding Jewish beliefs
o Bar/Bat Mitzvah training
For any further information, please contact the school office or our principal, Rabbi David Rotenberg. All contact information can be found on the Contact Us page.
