Being Jewish is an adventure, and being Jewish in Vermont is, in some senses, an even greater adventure, as well as an experiment. At Congregation Beth El, we have a thriving and spirited Judaism school, with programs running from playgroup/pre-aleph to bnei mitzvah to teen. In addition to Saturday morning Judaism school and Monday afternoon Hebrew school, we have a slate of special and supplemental events ranging from “First Friday” Family Kabbalat Shabbat Services/Potlucks to community-wide holiday celebrations and social action events.

There are three goals for what we want our children to get out of their Judaism School experience:
 
A sense of yiddishkeit, of being Jewish, and relating to that identity in a positive way.
Knowledge of Hebrew (reading, writing, and preliminary understanding).
A comfortability asking questions and an openness to learning.
 
            Often times these three goals are able to be met when there is a strong emphasis on healthy and dynamic relationships with their classmates and teachers. At our Judaism school, we try to create an environment where we are all learning in relationship: to each other, to our teachers, to our families, to those that came before us, to those who will come after.
           

We have a three-year curriculum: “Sacred Time” (learning about the Jewish calendar: Shabbat and holidays, and lifecycle events); “Sacred Space” (Learning about life in Israel, in other Jewish communities around the world, and the sacred spaces of home, synagogue and our bodies); and “Sacred Action” (the mitzvot, and the ethical teachings of Judaism). We invite you to learn with your children, to embody our community’s goal of fostering an environment that encourages and supports lifelong learning. We have many events – like at the Green Mountain Shabbats – throughout the year, where we encourage families to learn together; and we have other events where kids are learning in this classroom, and their parents are learning in another. Either way, family education is central to Beth El. Please let me know what you are interested in learning and how we can support your own Jewish journey.

    There’s a wonderful Hasidic story where a young student comes to see Rebbe Pinchas of Koretz, because he feels alone and isolated, and is beset with questions he cannot answer. Rebbe Pinchas responds to the student by saying that he, too, was once in a position where he felt alone, isolated, and beset by questions he couldn’t answer – but he went to see his teacher, the Baal Shem Tov, and after meeting with him, Rebbe Pinchas said he was able to feel that he wasn’t alone. Rebbe Pinchas tells his young student, “You see, the questions remain questions, but we can help each other to go on.”

    In Judaism we learn in relationship. Elie Wiesel says from this story we learn that we should never stop asking questions, that we are never alone, and most importantly, that “a good story in Judaism is not about miracles, but about friendship and hope - the greatest miracles of them all.” At our Judaism school, we try to create an environment where we are all learning in relationship: to each other, to our teachers, to our families, to those that came before us, to those who will come after.

    There is a Hebrew expression, “livnot v’lihibanot,” – to build and be built. The goal is to have everyone who supports and benefits from our program: the students, the teachers, the Education Committee, the Board, the larger community – experience this sense of building and being built.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mission Statement

    Congregation Beth El, an affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, is committed to providing a family-centered Jewish educational environment, along with a high degree of community involvement where our children are empowered to engage in a life long meaningful relationship with Judaism and the Jewish people.  This education allows students to acquire skills and knowledge for making Jewishly informed ethical, moral and practical decisions.  Our educational approach affirms the evolving nature of the Jewish people and the diversity of thought and expression within the Jewish people while serving a geographically widespread community.  
    Our educational program is an ongoing values-based process involving the entire congregation and educational staff. It includes a wide range of learning experiences that occur both within the structured educational program and outside the classroom. Our program is also designed to have a positive influence on the Jewish experience within the home.  Learning should be interactive, hands-on, and exciting and challenging to our students.