"Each child brings their own blessing into the world." (Talmud) At Temple Emanu El Religious School, we are proud to consider this a place where every person's voice counts; we strive to make everyone feel welcome from the moment they walk through the door. We share the responsibility of building and maintaining a synagogue that is the most warm, welcoming, meaningful and spiritual place it can be. Together, as a Kehillah (community), we pray, we celebrate; we educate our children and ourselves through Temple Emanu El's Vision for Jewish Living and Learning. We share each other's friendship, each other's gifts, and each other's joy. We engage in tikkun olam, the repair of the world and being socially conscious. We try to make the mundane holy by looking at the world through Jewish eyes. This is no easy task, but it is a task that we joyfully accept.
At TEE, we feel every child is special and has unique gifts to enhance the classroom experience. One of our focuses is learning how to navigate through our siddur during both Religious School and worship services and becoming comfortable with Hebrew, the language of our people. We find significant ways to instill middot (Jewish values) into our lives and incorporate acts of chesed (kindness) and kavod (respect) by helping all our members feel a part of this fabulous TEE family. Temple Emanu El is a community based on the joy of being Jewish.
Our wonderful clergy and faculty instill the importance of doing mitzvot and provide engaging lessons that teach our students about Torah, Avodah (the work we do to find sacred connections) and G'milut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness) using the Union for Reform Judaism's CHAI curriculum. We also partner with parents to find enriching ways our students can live Jewishly. We strive to meet each student where they are and help them grow and understand the importance of being a part of the Jewish community. Students have the opportunity to engage in t'filah (prayer) with our clergy, draw closer to God and study Ivrit (Hebrew) in order to understand the meaning behind the prayers we say on Shabbat, holy days and lifecycle events. Together, students find meaningful ways to connect to Eretz Yisrael and learn about the chagim (holidays). Parents also have the opportunity to study with their children or attend adult education courses at the same time so they can model the importance of learning for their children. Temple Emanu El Religious School is "the place to be...the place to belong!"
We hope to create significant experiences that you and your children will carry with you throughout your lives. The clergy and faculty portray a great deal of what the Torah teaches including one of TEE's most important qualities:"The Torah begins with an act of loving-kindness and ends with an act of loving-kindness." (Talmud Sotah 14a) We look forward to being a part of your Jewish journey and learning together at TEE!
L:Shalom,
Kate Milgrom
Education Director
