Religious School Curriculum, Programs, and Staff
Yad B’Yad – Teachers: Lisa Fisher and Ariella Payne
Kinder Krafts and Kooking
Prekindergarten & Kindergarten
Grades 1 & 2: I Am Part of the Jewish People
Grades 3 & 4: Being Part of a Community
Grades 6 & 7: Revelation
Teens, Grades 7 – 12: Exploring Our Jewish Identity and the World’s Religions
Camp Tee Tov
Yad B’Yad
For newborns through age 5 and their families! Yad B’Yad meets monthly for an hour and focuses on Jewish holidays and Jewish living through stories, songs, crafts, food and fun. Come join in the fun! Dates for the 2023-2024 school year; all Sundays from 10:30-11:30 a.m.
October 15, November 5, December 2, February 4 & March 3
Kinder Krafts and Kooking
Kinder Krafts and Kooking is an outreach program to families on the West Side, whether affiliated with Beth Israel-The West Temple, or not. It is funded through a Shoresh grant through the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland. Led by our Educator, Debbie Chessin, young children (infants to age 5) and their families will explore the Jewish value of Hiddur Mitzvah – Beautifying the Mitzvah – as they create objects and foods in celebration of the holidays of the Jewish year.
Prekindergarten & Kindergarten
Jewish values are the focus for our K-1 youngsters. Through studying Torah stories and the Jewish and Me: Mitzvot Curriculum, the children will shape and reinforce their identity as Jews. Emphasis will be on the discovery of the responsibility of caring for others.
The students will have the opportunity to enjoy Jewish literature through the Parsha Storybook project. With each parsha the children will learn about the characters, story and themes presented in the Torah text.
The Hebrew vocabulary of Jewish life and holidays will be introduced through Hebrew Through Movement. Students will learn the blessings (brachot) of Shabbat and the holidays. Through the study of and observance of these events, youngsters and their families can develop a stronger connection to the Jewish people.
Grades 1 & 2: I Am Part of the Jewish People
Through the study of Torah, students will learn how Jewish stories, celebrations and rituals help them understand and develop their relationship with God and the Jewish community.
The students will explore how they can be involved in making the world a better place by performing acts of loving kindness (g’milut chasadim) in their everyday lives.
Students will reinforce their knowledge of the aleph bet and build Hebrew vocabulary about Jewish life and holidays by participating in Hebrew Through Movement.
Grades 3 & 4: Being Part of a Community
Students will examine what it means to be part of a world Jewish community that bases its identity on connecting to the land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael), to our covenant with God (Brit), and to the Jewish people (Am Yisrael).
The students will examine how the fixed order of worship (Keva) and, and the personal intention they bring to prayer (Kavannah), are complementary aspects of Jewish worship that combine to help make sacred connections.
The students will also learn more advanced ways that as Jews we have the responsibility to perform acts of loving kindness (g’milut chasadim) for the people we encounter in our lives.
In anticipation of the celebration of Bar and Bat Mitzvah, the Hebrew curriculum focuses on study of the Shabbat morning prayer service, as well as some material from the Friday night service. The goal is for students to learn over 90 key prayer words and 30 roots, prefixes, and suffixes as they explore the meaning of the prayers and songs.
Grades 5 – 7: Revelation
What does it mean to say that God is continuously revealed to ourselves and to others? How can one find sacred connections to God, community, and self? The students will study Jewish texts and explore how these texts help develop a relationship with God.
In Hebrew, the students will work on the prayers within the Machzor (High Holy Day prayer book) and Haggadah. Students will be studying the prayers associated with the Shabbat morning service as they begin to prepare for their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.
Teens, Grades 7 – 12: Exploring Our Jewish Identity and the World’s Religions
The teens will explore the world’s major religion’s and discover how Judaism is like and different from them. They will also have an overview of “what is religion”, and gain insight as to how people from various religions express their beliefs around the world.
The students will engage in the study of Jewish texts, including Torah, midrash and modern Jewish literature with the Rabbi. They will have the opportunity to explore what Jewish text has to say about contemporary issues though a Jewish lens.
The students will participate in service projects both within the congregation and throughout the greater Cleveland community.
Camp Tee Tov
Camp Kee Tov is a one-week summer day camp for children, Pre-K through grade four, held in an area park. Each year has a theme, focusing on a different aspect of that theme each day of camp. Activities include music, arts and crafts, cooking, hikes, sports, and field trips. Older children and teens often volunteer as assistants to the Religious School teachers who lead the camp.
