Dear Families, Students, and Community Members,

I can proudly say that within the last two years, the LJCC Religious School has become more robust, strategic, and purposeful. While we still organize our approach and activities according to the four pillars of Torah, values, ritual, and tradition, we have grown from a single primary school track to include preschoolers and teens. We have engaged specialty teachers such as Benjamin Rosenthal, who teaches our children prayer through music; Bailey Kivett, who renders Jewish tradition concrete and meaningful through art; Siobhán Steinke, who has gotten even our 4, 5, and 6 year olds excited about learning the Hebrew alphabet; as well as Sol Landman-Feldman and Charlie Smith, who work with our teens and preschoolers respectively.

In sum: we have a stellar teaching team that specializes, cares for, and is fully engaged in the planning and teaching of our students. Most importantly our students love being together in learning, which means that Torah study is itself a source of joy as is their burgeoning sense of Jewish identity.  

Our lessons this year have included the investigation of the why, when, and how of Shabbat Services, Rosh Hashanah as well as Yom Kippur & Tashlich; the sharing of a Sukkot Seder; the exploration of Simchat Torah through narrative zines; the practicing of Mitzvot through work for the Humane Society; and a project on family history and genealogy.

In prayer and song, we have learned the Shema. Hineih Mah Tov, as well as the Boker tov and Dinosaur Shabbat songs, and parts of the Aleph Bet.

Thank you for your support of and enthusiasm for Jewish education. 

B'shalom,
Rachel Downs-Doubrava