:: Religious School

Passing the Traditions of Our Faith to the Next Generation

Washington Hebrew Congregation offers an innovative, experiential, and substantive 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.

Primary Years (Grades K - 2) Students attend once a week from 9:30 – noon on Saturday mornings (JBSC) or Sunday mornings (Temple). The program focuses on developing a comfort with Judaism and the synagogue and a love of being Jewish.

Elementary Years (Grade 3) Students attend once a week from 9:30 – noon on Sunday mornings at either JBSC or Temple. The morning is divided into study of the Ten Commandments and how each one relates to our lives today and Hebrew instruction focusing on decoding of letters and vowels. Music, art, computer lab, and Israeli dance programs help enhance learning.

Elementary Years (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. Students 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 are reviewed annually, and Jewish values are incorporated into each grade's experience to establish and maintain a spiral curriculum. Special education classes are available in Hebrew upon consultation with the Religious School Director. Arts & crafts, dance, music, games, and computer lab programs round out the curriculum.

Seventh Grade Program This year consists of two semesters of Judaic Studies and one semester of Hebrew Studies. Sunday morning's Judaic Studies sessions offer students 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 two sleep-overs are some of the year's highlights and help students form a close, class-wide bond.

Chavayah (Grades 8 - 9) These years are referred to by the Hebrew term "Chavayah," meaning adventure. Students 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 identities 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 (October 2-4, 2009), the Confirmation Retreat (February 5, 2010), and the Confirmation ceremony designed and led by the Confirmation Class (May 16, 2010).