Religious School Curriculum

This program is designed for preschool  kindergarten children ages 3-5 years old. The group meets every Sunday for Jewish learning, storytelling, music, crafts, and more. More

This class combines students in First and Second Grade. The theme focuses on developing Jewish identity. Through creative play, music, movement, and the arts, students will explore the Jewish year, Shabbat, and Holidays. Exploring the synagogue, the roles of the Rabbi and Cantor in it, its symbols, what can be found in it, and visiting a couple of close by synagogues will be an ongoing part of the year. Activities such as cooking, card making, reading books, and using technology in the classroom will aid in making connections with the students in this age group with the State of Israel. More

This class combines the students of third and fourth grade. Four main units will be taught while integrating all aspects of the curriculum within each of the units. More

The fifth grade curriculum includes “The Basics”. In the study of “The Basics” students will explore the meanings and traditions of Shabbat and holidays, the Jewish Life Cycle, Kashrut (dietary laws), Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), and values and ethics. Through the study of these basic topics, students will have an enhanced understanding of Judaism as a religion, a people, and a way of life. More

This year, the students in sixth grade will be combined with the seventh grade on Sundays. Together, they will learn about Jewish history and be introduced to the roots of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. The role of prejudice and discrimination in the Nazis’ rise to power will be covered, as well as the resistance movement and life in the ghettoes and concentration camps. Next, they will study Israel as the Jewish State. Topics to cover about Israel will be: the variety of cultures, the military, technology and other achievements in the last 70 years. More

This year, the students in seventh grade will be combined with the sixth grade on Sundays. Together, they will continue learning about Jewish history and be introduced to the roots of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. The role of prejudice and discrimination in the Nazis’ rise to power will be covered, as well as the resistance movement and life in the ghettoes and concentration camps. Next, they will study Israel as the Jewish State. Topics to cover about Israel will be: the variety of cultures, the military, technology and other achievements in the last 70 years. More

Eighth graders will go beyond the classroom to learn about themselves as Jews within the context of the larger Tucson community. They will explore the possibilities for social action by volunteering with various organizations and finding ways to act on issues they care about. Students will also examine their own religious practices within the contexts of other Jewish and non-Jewish traditions. They will visit, host, and interview speakers from Orthodox and Conservative synagogues as well as churches, mosques, etc., to discover religious similarities and differences. Their teachers and rabbis will facilitate hands-on activities to help them integrate their observations about both Social Action and Comparative Religion. On Tuesday afternoons, students will also have the opportunity to learn conversational Hebrew from our Shinshiniyot (Israelis doing a year of community service), and to learn how to become Madrichim (Teacher’s Aides) by assisting and leading younger children. More

Judaism affirms that every Jew is required to study Torah, whether rich or poor, healthy or ailing, young or old, strong or weak.  The Torah does not define a typical student of Torah; rather, it acknowledges that people have weaknesses and strengths and that their relationship with God should be independent.  We believe that it is our duty as a congregation and a community to provide a Jewish education for all children, regardless of their abilities. More