Religious School

Welcome to TBE's

Merkaz Limud Learning Center & Jewish Teen Leadership

Merkaz Limud (kindergarten - 6TH GRADE)

Temple Beth Emet Merkaz Limud (Learning Center) has been created with the idea in mind to change the traditional Religious School concept. In a creative and dynamic way we make the topics of Bible, Prayer, Hebrew, Social Action, Jewish Home and Israel interesting and accessible by gearing our teaching methods to different types of learners. Our Merkaz Limud students live out what it means to be Jewish. We take the best of what we all love about being Jewish and give our children opportunities to engage in those activities so they become debaters and discussers of hot issues, confident and spiritual worshippers, social justice activists, and individuals rooted in a knowledge and connection to Torah, as well as  Jewish cooks, home builders, and Israel tourists.

Our Hebrew program aims to build confidence in reading and understanding the essential prayers of the Shabbat and Holiday services as well as the spirituality behind the prayers (Kavanah). We also provide opportunities for unlimited Hebrew language skills for those who seek them. Differentiated Instruction is built into our structure and implemented in every subject.

Beyond The Classroom

“It takes a village to raise a child.” With this in mind, Temple Beth Emet prides itself on keeping a great communication line with parents. We see ourselves as a partner helping to raise the children in a safe, Jewish environment. This is why we developed a broad range of interesting Family Programs. Each grade level, Kindergarten through 10th, has a special day where parents are invited to engage in learning activities, together with their children. Parents and children learn through “hands on” activities for the younger grades and lectures with Q & A from respected area specialists about a variety of Jewish topics. Through Jewish family education, parents become empowered to realize their own strengths and skills as educators, while serving as inspiring role models for their children.

Class Options: Our learning program is offered in a one day a week format on Sunday mornings or Monday afternoons. 

JTL - JEWISH Teen leadership (7th-9th grade)

Seventh Grade is a pivotal year in the Jewish life cycle of our children. They are entering a new stage in life, one marked with new obligations and new privileges. All of our 7th Grade students attend Judaica classes in our Jewish Teen Leadership program on Monday nights. They have one hour of Hebrew in class and one half hour of one on one with their mentor, assigned by Cantor Jan Sheer, for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation. With the idea in mind that Jewish education does not end with a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Moving Up ceremony is celebrated at the end of the seventh grade year marking your child’s transition to the Confirmation years in our Jewish Teen Leadership Program.

New studies show that the human brain is still growing and forming until we reach the age of twenty-five. It is between the ages of thirteen and twenty-five that we should continue to provide our children with the opportunities to examine, ponder, discuss and explore that Jewishness that we want to pass on to them. This is the greatest gift we can give our children: Our heritage, Our Jewishness.

Our Temple Beth Emet Jewish Teen Leadership program was created to serve this purpose. The classes are thought out to stimulate and help create a solid internal Jewishness our children can take with them into their adult lives. Our objective is to provide a broader Jewish view to the post Bar/Bat Mitzvah mind with the intent of fermenting thought and action. For more information click here.

B’nai Mitzvah

Preparing for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a huge undertaking for a family. As with most human experiences, the more you know, the easier it is to face the task. In Jewish tradition, a young person begins this journey to adulthood through a series of planned studies.

With every Bar/Bat Mitzvah, the congregation welcomes our youth to become full spiritual members of the community. That is why, at Temple Beth Emet, every boy and girl leads his or her own service. During the service of their Bar/Bat Mitzvah, the student leads the congregation in prayer, chants from Torah and Haftorah, and relates the meaning of our sacred texts to our lives today. Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a great accomplishment and we want to assure you that hand in hand, our clergy, school administration, and teachers will lead your family through the process.

Class Options:  JTL is offered in a one day a week format on Monday evening.

Confirmation and beyond (10th – 12th grades)

The Tenth Grade Confirmation class is the highlight of our Jewish Teen Leadership program. Together with Cantor Jan Sheer the tenth graders explore a broad variety of challenging ideas by experiencing and discussing interesting, varied and current topics, such as bioethics and ethical issues through the media, debating on how Jewish law and ethics come together and evolve into provocative discussions. A weekend Confirmation Class Retreat is planned with the purpose to help the students solidify as a group and to learn about themselves and each other. As a peer group, away from their normal atmosphere, in a safe environment, introspective discussions are lead by our clergy and school administration. The year culminates on Shavuot with a Confirmation service written and led by our 10th grade students.

In order to give the post Confirmation classes a source for keeping the conversation going, 11th and 12th grade students meet with the clergy once a month for engaging discussions. 

Class Options:  Confirmation is offered in a one day a week format on Monday evening.