:: Religious School

Passing the Traditions of Our Faith to the Next Generation

Washington Hebrew Congregation offers an innovative, experiential, and compelling religious educational program for our children to learn about Judaism and develop their sense of Jewish identity. Parallel programs are offered for children in grades K – 10 at both the Lehrman Religious School at Temple and at the Julia Bindeman Suburban Center.

Gan (Pre-K) The WHC Religious School Pre-K Gan is a pilot program at Temple, which will be held once a month (eight sessions in total). The Gan has a cooperative educational structure, combining parental involvement with professional teachers to ensure a strong adult:child ratio and a nurturing environment. The Pre-K Gan is child-centered and focused on building self esteem and Jewish identity through socialization and play.

Primary Department (Grades K – 2) Students attend once a week from 9:30 am – noon on Sunday mornings at either JBSC or Temple. The program focuses on a love of being Jewish as well as developing a comfort with Judaism and the Temple. Music, art, drama, and Israeli dance programs complement the program in order to cultivate the many approaches our students utilize in their learning. A special Shabbat service and dinner for families and students is led by our second graders at each building once during the year.

Grade 3 Students attend once a week from 9:30 am – noon on Sunday mornings at either JBSC or Temple. The morning is divided into Judaic Studies and Hebrew instruction, where students focus on decoding letters and vowels. Music, art, computer lab, and Israeli dance programs help enhance learning. A special Shabbat service and dinner for families (Siyum Sefer) is led by our third graders from both schools at Temple in the spring to celebrate the completion of the students' first Hebrew book.

Grades 4 – 6 Our twice-a-week program begins, and students attend on Tuesday (JBSC) or Wednesday (Temple) afternoons from 4:30 – 6:00 pm in addition to Sunday mornings. Students begin to prepare for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah and combine learning Hebrew with other Jewish subjects, including Bible, Jewish life cycle, modern Israel and the American Jewish experience. Holidays and Jewish values are incorporated into each grade's experience to establish and maintain a spiral curriculum which also includes art, dance, music, games, and time in the computer lab. Special education classes are available upon consultation with Rabbi Hessel.

Fourth graders participate in a special extended day “retreat” at JBSC in the fall and, with their families, host the Congregation at the Temple's Shabbat Purim celebration. Fifth graders lead a special Shabbat service and dinner for families at Temple after which the children sleepover. Sixth graders, participate in the Chaggigah (celebration) program, studying Israel through a choice of humanities subjects, including video/drama, journalism, cooking and art. They share what they've learned with younger grades, and create a special wax museum to be enjoyed by our community in the spring, in addition to a walking tour of Jewish Washington with their parents in the fall. Religious School Passing the Traditions of Our Faith to the Next Generation 46

Grade 7 This year consists of two semesters of Judaic Studies and one semester of Hebrew. Sunday morning's Judaic Studies sessions offer students the opportunity to debate Jewish ethics through a historical tour of Judaism — from the destruction of the Temple through today. The Hebrew program is offered mid-week during the first semester only, with an innovative program that allows students to progress at their own pace. Field trips, class-wide programs honoring upcoming B'nai Mitzvah, and a sleepover with a focus on social justice are some of the year's highlights that help students form a close, class-wide bond.

Upper School (Grades 8 – 9) Students in these two years participate in one semester of weekly classes and one semester of three Retreat Weekends with our Director of Informal Education and members of the clergy. Students are exposed to issues surrounding the Holocaust, Jewish and personal identity, comparative religion, Israel and the Middle East, Jewish ethics as well as the Jewish perspective of love, sex and marriage. During these all-important adolescent years, teens are exposed to perspectives that help them solidify their Jewish identity as young adults.

Confirmation (Grade 10) The pinnacle of our program is our tenth grade Confirmation year during which our students meet with our clergy on a weekly basis and grapple with significant Jewish theological issues. Among the highlights of the Confirmation year are the annual New York trip (September 23–25, 2011), the Confirmation Retreat (January 27–29, 2012), and the Confirmation ceremony designed and led by the Confirmation Class (May 20, 2012) at Temple.