Got Judaism?
The objective of our Religious School is to instill a love and understanding of Judaism in our children, to increase their knowledge of the Hebrew language and to shape their identification with the Jewish community, world Jewry, and the State of Israel.
Religious School – Available for students in Kindergarten through 6th grade. Children who complete this program do so with the ability to read Hebrew. They also graduate with a deep understanding of the Jewish holidays and culture learned through hands-on experiences and participation. Students are able to lead different parts of our Shabbat service and are well-prepared for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
In 6th grade, all pre-b'nei mitzvah are required to participate in our Beit Din class. The goal of the class is to enable our students to be able to discuss the basics of Conservative Judaism. Throughout the year, we study 100 questions that cover a wide range of topics such as: what is tzedakah, what is found on the seder plate, and and who is David Ben Gurion.
Before Religious School graduation, students stand before a Beit Din (current rabbi, current president, and past president) and answer a selection of 100 questions for which they've prepared. Students "pass" the Beit Din by successfully answering the questions.
This process empowers our future b'nei mitzvah with the knowledge that they understand and can discuss what Conservative Judaism stands for. Their parents are actively engaged in the preparation and learning so it becomes a family affair. Families attend and celebrate the Beit Din.
Religious school students have the opportunity to work with a mentor through our High School Mentor program.
Kesher - For 7th- & 8th-grade students. In this two-year program, pre-teens and teens prepare for the future in learning about modern Jewish choices. Subjects such as eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse are discussed through the use of Jewish texts and sources, giving our students a Jewish perspective on taking responsibility. Every other year, the class takes a trip to Washington, DC, with a focus on the US Holocaust Museum and learning tolerance.
Tichon - For 9th-12th-grade students. Taught by Rabbi Ravski, this program focuses on understanding the differences in Jewish movements and practices. This year, it is using the curriculum "Israel...It's Complicated!". It concludes in 12th grade with confirmation.
October 2021 Update
K-1st grade is focusing on Bible stories and we have spent a lot of time talking about the creation story. We have also learned about the holidays we have been celebrating and learned some Hebrew Vocabulary. – Moreh Ari
2nd & 3rd grades have been discussing and doing activities involving Mitzvot, the 10 Commandments, the High Holidays and Sukkot. We have also spent time playing games to get to know each other better! We enjoy when Morah Tricia comes to our classroom to teach us the Alef Get!! – Morah Esther
4th and 5th Grades this year will be focused around connecting Jewish history to the stories of the Torah's 5 books, and the three Is- raels: Israel the People, Israel the Land, and Israel Today! To start we are focusing on the Torah - the kids have shared their favorite Torah stories with each other, and came up with trivia questions to quiz each other on our whiteboard. We've also worked in our bind- ers to write down notes for each of the 5 books to remember their names, order, and details of the specific portions within them. The class has also had fun exploring the recent holidays through arts and crafts! -Morah Tess
On the first day of Religious School, Beit Din students were given the chance to guess some of the questions they will be studying this year. Their questions were so insightful that we might have to go back and revise the original list of 100. I look forward to our many discussions throughout the year!!! - Morah Daphne
EMANU-EL'S RELIGIOUS SCHOOL AND YOUTH GLOSSARY
Beit Din: Our Religious School program for 6th graders
Tichon: Our Religious School program for high school students
COSY: Our Kadima & USY Chapter - "Charleston's Outstanding Synagogue Youth"
Rakevet: Our synagogue youth program for 4th-5th graders
Kadima: Our synagogue youth group for 6th-8th graders
USY (United Synagogue Youth): our synagogue youth group for high school students
Ein Gedi: Our USY sub-region
HaNegev: Our USY region