Curriculum

PSJC Hebrew School: Curriculum

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Our teachers make learning come alive through creative use of drama, arts and music, as well as through the celebration of the holidays. Students engage in service projects, field trips, guest speakers, and other special events. We involve the whole family in the learning experience and encourage you to participate in school and PSJC-wide programming throughout the year.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, please email our Director of Education and Engagement at aileen@psjc.org or contact the synagogue office at 718-768-1453 x102.

Our Beit Midrash framework starts with the premise that dynamic Jewish learning incorporates both community and text. Furthermore, meaningful experiences begins with an opportunity for students to engage with and develop their own interpretation of the tradition and their own Jewish story. Note that “text” does not just mean a piece of Torah, or only written words at all. Text can be Torah, a storybook, a song, a quote, a short scene from a movie or show, a poem, or even a picture. Text for our Beit Midrash is a place to start the conversation.

Beit, home, can not only mean a house, but also a sense of community
Midrash refers to both the Jewish tradition of expanding on our stories, as well as the tradition of creating our own interpretations in each generation.

The Beit Midrash framework takes practice on both the part of teachers and learners, with a goal of developing critical thinking skills, as well as the ability to develop personal connection to the text and tradition. Jewish learning provides students with the tools to learn how to ask good questions, create cohesive positions, and even how to disagree with respect.

We incorporate a social-emotional lens to all of our learning, inspired by the JECC Gifting Framework, which says that through the celebration of rituals, study of our sacred texts, and connections to the Jewish community, we have the opportunity to discover - individually and in collaboration with others - meaning and purpose.

Our curriculum guides students and families towards a Jewish experience that is built upon:

Becoming - personal growth and fulfillment as an individual
Belonging - in sacred community, starting with one’s family and expanding to other communities, and
Behaving - via sacred routines, as well as hands-on work to repair the world

Our curriculum is based on the language learning concept of “sound to print,” believing that a strong foundation in language skills is built upon exposure to sound before print. It is our goal that through the following methods of Hebrew study, our students will develop a strong foundation in the sounds and structure of Hebrew and a basic Jewish life vocabulary.

Ivrit: Development of basic Hebrew language skills, with a focus on decoding and ability to recognize key site words and roots in familiar Jewish texts and prayers, as well as a foundation to decode new texts.

Tefillah: (Prayer/Communal worship) is at the core of our Hebrew Curriculum. We want our children to value the experience of Jewish prayer and language, as a powerful connection with K’lal Yisrael (the worldwide Jewish community), in the life of a synagogue, and personal spirituality.

Jewish Life Vocabulary: One of the important ways that we connect to the Hebrew language is through key Hebrew and Yiddish words and phrases that are part of contemporary Jewish life. Our curriculum will use and explore Hebrew terms (such as shalom, mazal tov, tikkun olam, tzedakah, and more), integrating Hebrew grammar lessons (such as roots and prefixes) with Judaic studies.

Hebrew Through Movement: A language acquisition strategy in which students learn Hebrew by hearing and responding to Hebrew instructions. It is based on the TPR, or Total Physical Response method of learning. It starts by laying a foundation of modern, spoken Hebrew, and builds toward the goal of making the siddur, as well as synagogue and Jewish vocabulary, more easily accessible.

Modern Hebrew: Though Modern Hebrew vocabulary and grammar is not the primary focus of the PSJC Hebrew Curriculum, it is our hope that through the above students will develop a foundation in Modern Hebrew that can be built upon in later years.

At PSJC Hebrew School we strive to build a learning community that provides meaningful Jewish experiences for students and families. We do not teach “about” something, but rather we hope to guide our students through the learning in a way that helps them identify personally with Jewish tradition and values.

Our primary curriculum pillars include:

Ivrit, which includes Hebrew decoding and language skills
Tefillah / Text, which includes a connection to and familiarity with prayer , siddur skills and Jewish texts
Ritual / Tradition, which includes holidays, Shabbat, and the way we “do” Jewish
History / Culture, which includes on overview of Jewish history and traditions
Values, which includes understanding how Judaism can help us be menshes and improve the world

INCLUSION & ACCESSIBILITY

Inclusion & Accessibility

PSJC seeks to be a home for all seeking a Jewish home in the slope. In 2015-2016, we were awarded a grant through UJA-Federation to participate in the Synagogue Inclusion Project. This exciting project was designed to help communities in the NYC area to foster the development of inclusive communities and to support the needs of individuals with disabilities of all ages, both within formal and informal educational frameworks and we continue to work to increase understanding and inclusiveness within our entire community, including meeting physical and emotional needs, as well as learning and social-skills differences.

Inclusion

Our Hebrew School strives to be inclusive to all those who seek innovative and content-rich Jewish education. In consultation with our inclusion committee, which includes community members with backgrounds in special education and social work, as well as our consultants at MATAN, we work with families to find the best model and schedule for you. From flexible seating options for some of our classrooms to using a variety of manipulatives to access Hebrew learning, our multi-access method for engaging with Judaism meets students where they are. We create learning profiles for many of our students in order to provide our teachers with a sheet of tips for how students with IEPs will best be able to learn and grow in our supplementary program.

If our program does not have the resources to meet your needs, whether as a part of our weekly, monthly, or holiday programming, we are happy to help find an tutor or outside program. We have had students work with private tutors on site and join for only pieces of Hebrew School programming and also developed individual JEMs (Jewish Education Maps) that combine learning outside our walls and connecting with the community on Shabbat.

Our family services on Shabbat and holidays are open to members and non-members. Family services are led by experienced leaders with guitar accompaniment and we encourage movement and participation by the children present. In past years we have provided special services and/or quiet spaces to access just the sound of services on Rosh Hashanah and Purim for people with sensory sensitivity. If you have specific questions about any of our programming and if it will work for your family, do not hesitate to reach out at inclusion@psjc.org

Allergy-Aware

While our building is not nut-free, our educational programming is peanut and tree-nut free. Families are asked to refrain from sending any snacks with nuts. All food provided during Hebrew School is nut-free, and we strive to provide allergy alternatives (gluten-free, non-dairy, vegan) for all special snacks and programs.

Accessibility

Park Slope Jewish Center is located at the corner of 8th Avenue and 14th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn. We have three entrances to our building: the front entrance using our stoop, a side entrance on 14th Street to be buzzed in during business hours, and an entrance through the yard door to use for access to chairlift or Hebrew School programming. Our building is almost 100 years old and a registered landmark building with the City of New York.

While we treasure the tradition and roots of our space, we recognize that it also limits the accessibility of our space to members of the community. We do not have an elevator, but we are happy to share with you the specifics of our chairlift and space to determine the best way to meet your needs. If you are joining us for Shabbat or a program and have questions about the accessibility of our building, require specific seating arrangements or a large-print resources, or if you have questions or concerns regarding the general accessibility of our programs for you or a family member, please email inclusion@psjc.org.

Large print siddurim (prayer books) and machzorim (High Holy Days prayer books) are available. Please ask an usher for assistance.

If you are attending a program at PSJC and would like an ASL interpreter made available, please email inclusion@psjc.org and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

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PSJC Hebrew School: Curriculum

CURRICULUM

INCLUSION & ACCESSIBILITY

Accessibility

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