Religious School Committee

We, the members of Temple Beth Avodah believe that the sacred task of educating our children is a principal function of our congregational community. To that end, we set forth the principles on which Jewish tradition stand and through which Reform Judaism continually evolves. In this spirit, we affirm God, Torah and Israel as the core values of our Religious School, its curriculum, and preparation for all student life-cycle milestones and celebrations.

We affirm that human beings are created in the image of God. As such, we strive to offer a Jewish education to our varied student population. Our Religious School is a reflection of our belief that within every person is a spark of God. In addition to learning about the many and varied ways Jews have “visioned” God over the millenia, we will instill in our children – by word and by deed – the value of acknowledging God’s presence in every human being. In this way, we will fashion a school community based on respect, acceptance, tolerance and inclusion for all people in our midst.

The life-long study of Torah is a prerequisite for the creation of a positive Jewish identity. It is our mission that the students in our school learn Torah in the broadest sense: Jewish history, holidays, life-cycles, literature, Reform Judaism, Holocaust, ethics and prayer. In addition to the learning in our Religious School, we believe that Jewish education is a family endeavor. We hope that the curriculum and programs of the school will inspire family study resulting in highly interactive, inter-connected and inter-generational community-wide learning.

Jews are known as the people of Israel. We take pride in the diversity of the Jewish people and our own Jewish community and seek to understand the many ways in which Jews worldwide celebrate and observe Judaism. Our students will learn Hebrew as the language of the Jews; they will explore Jewish music and art; they will study the Land and the State of Israel and its connection to the Jewish people over the ages. Through the progressive Jewish concept of “mitzvot” as expressions of our connections both with God and with other human beings, we aim to shape young Jewish learners who realize that study in combination with deeds of justice and lovingkindness make for both literate and compassionate Jewish adults. The Religious School Committee has about 18 members and meets monthly.

Chairs:

Liz Coleman: 617-243-0053: ltcoleman@rcn.com