Temple Israel Religious School Philosophy


"To live and teach the sanctity of Life"..... Elie Wiesel


Temple Israel sets certain goals for our Religious School: we want to teach children not only to know Judaism, but to enjoy it, too. A fundamental premise upon which our Religious School is based is that knowledge of Judaism will infuse all of life with deeper meaning and more beautiful nuance. In the short amount of time allotted to us, we attempt to expose our children to all the different facets of the way of life our people have developed over the many years of our history. We invite our students' parents to join in active partnership with us so that, together, we might pass on the rich heritage we have received from our ancestors; then, the chain will never be broken.

We invite our children to develop their own individual understanding of the meaning of Jewish exitence for their own lives. Our world changes so rapidly that our children's lives will be too different for us to comprehend. We cannot entirely prepare them for the future in which they will live, but we can secure their past.

We seek to provide a foundation that consists of:

1. A familiarity with history, holidays, language, customs, rituals, Jewish identity and Eretz Yisrael - all of the Jewish people's past and the heritage we have inherited.

2. An appreciation for religious values about which our past experiences in this world have taught us: including, respect for all life and a sense of shared obligation in caring for he world around us. Judaism calls upon us to practice Tikkun Olam, the repair of the world.

3. A willingness to explore the enduring mysteries of life, an openness to the spiritual dimensions of existence, and an ability to develop a personal relationship with God -- whatever each indivual student believes that concept to be.

We cannot teach all there is to know, but we can give our children the keys and challenge them to open the many doors that Judaism will offer them: a knowledge of the soul, a foundation upon which to develop a value system, a path toward God, and an invitation to dream.


Religious School Calendar 2007-2008

School Schmooze 1

School Schmooze 2

School Schoomoze4  

School Schmooze 5

School Schmooze 6

School Schmooze Year 2 Issue 2