BETH EL SYNAGOGUE TALMUD TORAH

Mission Statement

Michael Gerson helps students lay tefillin

The mission of BESTT is to teach our children the richness of Jewish life, help them achieve positive Jewish identities, and encourage them to actively participate in Jewish life.

BESTT Philosophy

We at Beth El Synagogue consider the education of our children to be among our primary objectives. We seek to shape sincere, committed and educated Jews in order to ensure the continuity of the Jewish people and of our heritage, while at the same time maintaining the Conservative movement’s principles. We, as Jews, are links in a long chain of tradition and history, which has endured for thousands of years, and hopefully, will endure for thousands more.

Our program transmits the ideals and ideas inherent in Judaism in numerous effective and creative ways. By providing a loving and supportive atmosphere in which our children can study about their heritage, we hope to instill in our students a sense of pride in who they are and a feeling of responsibility and caring for the continuity of the Jewish people. Learning can only be accomplished through a partnership between the school, the child and the home. Our parents are given the opportunity to participate in many facets of their children’s Jewish education. Through family education programs, workshops, adult education opportunities, class Shabbatot and congregational celebrations, we can all work together to become partners in the important task of passing along our heritage to our children. We want our children to cherish their Judaism. Together with our children, we want to celebrate and discover all that is sacred and wonderful in Jewish life.

Introduction

The new school year is about to begin. In a few short weeks Rosh HaShanah will be upon us. Both occasions are a time for reflection and goal setting. Both occasions offer a chance for growth and development. For BESTT it is a time to begin anew and to set new goals for educational opportunities. As always, in our Talmud Torah we are striving to incorporate new materials and methods which will promote sequencing of learning in all subjects and areas, in all grades in our school. Our school continues to grow and develop. We are fortunate to have a wonderful staff which is dedicated to helping provide our students with the best Jewish education possible. As in years past, it is very important to remember that Jewish education, like all forms of education, cannot and should not be limited to just the classroom. It must be a natural, meaningful component of all areas of our students' lives in order to have enduring meaning.

In the Home

Judaism is basically a home-based religion; this is most notable in the observances surrounding Shabbat, Hanukkah, Passover and the other Festivals. There should be consistency between what is being taught in the classroom and what is done in the home. BESTT will continue to promote this cooperation in a number of ways, particularly through improved communication, printed Parent Education materials, along with parent-child programs that will offer our families an opportunity to learn and enrich their home Judaic experiences.

In the Heart

Our Hebrew language program focuses on synagogue skills. Prayer is the central concern of our Hebrew program. We hope students will use what they have learned at home, in services as well as in Hebrew School. We will continue to have weekly prayer assemblies for grades 3-7 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 5:40 p.m. led by Eadie Tsabari, Cantor Bogomolni or Judy Rubin, which offer our students and faculty an opportunity to daven together as a community. These tefillah sessions are held in classrooms or the West Court. We hope that from time to time you will join us.

In the Social Environment

One cannot be a Jew alone. As Hillel said, "Do not separate yourself from the community." For our Talmud Torah this means that we must do everything possible to promote friendship among Jewish children - in the classroom, in the home and in the neighborhood. We will also strive to teach our students the fundamentals of fulfilling Mitzvot.

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Our entire Pre-Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade curriculum is designed so that our children will grow up to be adult literate Jews with the knowledge and skills to live a fulfilling life as a member of any Jewish community.

Torah Goals

• Outline the major parts of Torah and Tanakh, and be familiar with the major Biblical characters, their stories, their relationship to one another, and their relationship to the bigger picture of the Jewish people
• Appreciate the sanctity of Torah as the holy book of the Jewish people
• Study Torah as an ongoing source of lessons in morals, values and history

Holiday Goals

• Observe the holidays with family and synagogue
• Explain the historical background of the holidays
• Explain the solar-lunar Jewish calendar, the relationship of holidays to seasons, the length of Jewish holidays on the Conservative calendars, and why days begin the previous evenings
• Model for others how and why to observe Jewish holidays
• Find spiritual satisfaction in observing holidays
• Provide experiential learning opportunities so that students may observe holidays with their families

Value Goals

• Make decisions based on Jewish values
• List and explain the primary Jewish values to follow in life
• Exhibit Jewish values in daily life
• Celebrate life-cycle events according to Jewish tradition
• Explain the background and value of Jewish life-cycle events
• Define "Mitzvot" and the holy obligations to observe them
• Explain the ideological differences between Conservative and other branches of Judaism

Spiritual Goals

• Have a sense of God’s presence in one’s life
• Describe God’s relationship with the Jewish people
• Describe God’s relationship with all of humanity

Hebrew Goals

• Participate in Jewish worship services by comfortably reading Hebrew
• Understand ritually and culturally based Hebrew terms
• Learn key Holiday and Siddur vocabulary
• Exhibit basic skills necessary for studying Hebrew on a higher level

Prayer Goals

• Explain the format of a Jewish prayer service
• Describe the choreography of a service
• Comfortably participate in Jewish prayer on a regular basis
• Summarize the themes of the prayers in a Jewish prayer service
• Explain the ideological differences between Conservative and other prayer services

Community Goals

• Be actively involved in the Jewish community
• Identify the Jewish people as a unique community and family to which every Jew belongs
• Give a broad overview of the history of Jewish people
• Recognize the influence of Jewish values in making people "heroes"
• Recognize Jewish values in every day situations
• Discuss current events impacting the Jewish community
• Explain the ongoing "brit", covenant, between God and the People of Israel
• Explain the ideological differences between different branches of Judaism, and state their reasons for affiliating with a particular movement

Land of Israel Goals (Eretz Yisrael)

• Summarize the biblical origins of the land of Israel
• Summarize the biblical history of the land of Israel, its people, prophets, and monarchies
• Describe the historical connection between the biblical Israel and the attainment of a modern state
• Identify the location and significance of geographical places in the biblical land of Israel

State of Israel Goals (Medinat Yisrael)

• Broadly outline the history, politics, and geography of the modern state
• Explain the importance of the modern state to Jews today and the connection of all Jews to the State of Israel
• Describe their own trip(s) to Israel
• Describe aspects of the modern state’s unique culture
• Explain the role of religion in the modern state, with particular emphasis on the status of Conservative Judaism