Religious School

Beth Israel Religious School:  Jewish Content Experienced with Joy!

Testimonials:

To Lynne Caine, Director of BIRS:

"I truly cannot thank you enough for everything you do at BIRS (Beth Israel Religious School). As a mother of a BIRS graduate, I am deeply grateful for your hard work, your vision, and your dedication.You've had such a meaningful impact on my kids lives. Because of you, they feel at home at BIRS, at the synagogue, and even on the bimah. Under your leadership, BIRS has become a place they want to be-they are genuinely upset if they have to miss a day!  Thank you, thank you, thank you-from the bottom of my heart."

"Thank you so much for your efforts and dedication to making BIRS a community where our kids can learn about so many aspects of Judaism and their connections to their own heritage and faith. You have been a wonderful leader and our children are getting so much from their time in BIRS!"

To Rav Nadav (our rabbi and BIRS 6/7 grade teacher) from his students:

"Thank you for connecting me with God in a way no one else could. Thank you for changing my life in the best possible way! " 

"You make class interesting and fun! You're so easy to talk to and it feels like you're always listening. You're one of my favorite teachers (and rabbi)!"

To Rav Nadav from a parent and member of BIC:

"When I asked my kids who I chould write thank-you cards for, they both made sure I wouldn't leave you out-and they are absolutely right. Honestly, it's hard for me to than you just for what you do at the school, because it's so deeply connected to everything else you do for our family. From your thoughtful sermons, to the lessons at BIRS, to the many times you've welcomed us on Shabbat-Thank you. The work you and Lynne are doing has truly strengthened our school and turned it into a real pillar of our community. We are so grateful!"

Our Philosophy:

It can seem like there is a lot to know in order to be a Jew; Judaism is a religion, a people, and a shared set of cultural touchstones. Feeling a sense of ownership of one’s Jewish identity begins by finding meaning, purpose, and joy within these paths to Jewish identity.

Beth Israel Religious School (BIRS) guides students so they have the skills necessary to understand and confidently participate in religious observances and rituals, including feeling comfortable on the bimah; to contribute to and experience a joyful, supportive community; and to connect with Jewish history, values and cultures.

Our School's Goals:  

BIRS students will become confident, joyful participants in Jewish ritual life, make friends and develop a peer-support system, become knowledgeable ambassadors of the Jewish people and Israel, have deep, non-literal interactions with Torah, and become knowledgeable about the guidance the Jewish tradition provides for addressing modern, real-life challenges.

Additionally, we seek to enable students to connect with the world through their own Jewish lens. To facilitate this, students will study Jewish texts and traditions for relevance and meaning, learn about Israel, study Jewish history, learn to understand and lead holiday rituals, read (decode) Hebrew, and actively and meaningfully participate in religious services.

Our Content: 

Our youngest students, ages 2-4, are invited to join our Gan Katan. This class is designed for our young learners to participate in class with a grown up. Class meets on BIRS Sundays from 10am-11am once or twice a month. Gan Katan students explore and experience the joys of movement, creative, and play-based activities, including singing, story-time, arts and crafts, and have meaningful "Torah encounters" and "field trips" to the chapel, sanctuary, and BIRS classrooms.

Elementary school students learn and discuss Torah stories, learn about and experience the joys of Shabbat and Jewish community, explore Jewish diversity, learn about famous Jewish role models past and present, participate in tefillot (prayer leaders) services, sing songs, learn to decode Hebrew, study middot (Jewish values) and Jewish laws, celebrate holidays, and create meaningful Jewish friendships.

Our 6th and 7th grade students work on prayers directly relevant to leading a Saturday morning service, prepare for their bar/bat/brit mitzvah through our Rabbi-led "journeys" program (which includes sessions with parents), study Antisemitism and the Holocaust, learn about the history of Israel, and master Jewish life-cycle events. In addition, students study closely with Rav Nadav the "deep" vs "literal" meanings of Torah that will shape their own decisions and choices of their own belief system. During this precious time preparing for bar/bat/brit mitzvah together, students form a supportive peer group with a lasting bond. For detailed information regarding our Bnei Mitzvah process, click here.

Learning to be Leaders: Our 8th-12th graders have the opportunity to join our Madrichim (guide) program where students study and practice leadership, communication and teaching skills, and learn to serve the BIRS and BIC community as tutors, game and activity leaders, teacher aides, peer helpers, and school and synagogue volunteers. For more detailed info, click here. To register for Madrichim, click here.

Additionally, our 9-12 Graders can choose to take a deep dive into eye-opening and relevant Jewish topics in our Hebrew High(er) learning program. *more information coming in August here.

For more information about Beth Israel Religious School, please contact our BIRS Director at lynnecaine@bethisrael-aa.org.

Questions about Madrichim and/or our Hebrew High(er) learning program? Please contact our Youth and Family Director and Madrihim Teacher, Ben Brent at benb@bethisrael-aa.org

"Do I Have to be a Member of Beth Israel to Enroll my Child?"

Bringing children into a life of Jewish commitment, identity, and community, is one of the primary missions of our synagogue: to pass on the tradition in an unbroken chain l'dor vador, from generation to generation. For this reason, Beth Israel membership highly subsidizes the cost of educating its children, as the actual cost of BIRS education far exceeds fees for tuition. For this reason, membership and school enrollment are intertwined: when you join Beth Israel, you become a part of the Beth Israel community, and Beth Israel in turn subsidizes your child's education. Membership dues are charitable donations, and Beth Israel adjusts membership costs to meet your circumstances and your agreement. In addition, your membership allows you access to need-based scholarship funds even for the subsidized BIRS tuition fees.

Tuition and Meeting Schedule by Grade

Gan Katan – $218
Meets Sundays for one hour one to two times per month.

Kindergarten-1st Grade – $540
Meets Sundays for two hours.

2nd-5th Grade – $918
Meets Sundays for two hours and Wednesday for 90 minutes.

6th-7th Grade – $980
Meets Sundays for two hours and Wednesday for 90 minutes.

8th-12th Grade Madrichim (Guide/Leadership Program) – $518
Meets Sundays for two hours  

Hebrew High(er) Learning School *More information coming in August here.

To register for the 2024-2025 school year, click here.

To see the BIRS calendar for the 2024-2025 school year, click here.

To read the BIRS policies and procedures, click here.