Nourishing
Jewish Minds
Learn
With Us
With us, learners explore Jewish values, stories, traditions, history, and texts as they relate to their lives and the issues facing people today. They do so in a safe environment that nourishes the social and emotional development of all children and their families. Each session of religious school includes music, art, prayer, social connection, movement, and more. We aim for learners to come away from our program with a sense of Jewish belonging and pride.
Project Based.
Through thoughtful, personalized instruction,students explore the questions they care about through year long projects and learn how to look at the world through a Jewish lens.
Jewish.
Jewish values, Hebrew prayers, holidays – we do it all. Our students don’t only learn about our tradition, they learn how to apply it to their lives today.
Life Skills.
Through collaboration and team-building activities, students build connections with their classmates, gain self confidence, develop critical thinking, and hone the 21st century skills they care about.
Our
Staff
When students enter our school, they are immediately immersed in a friendly and welcoming environment. Our teachers come from diverse educational backgrounds and take traditional Jewish values and make them contemporary and meaningful to your children.
Karen Porper
B'nai Mitzvah Coordinator & Director of Operations, Religious School
Engaging
Curriculum
Learn all about our wonderful Jewish Community School of Los Angeles programs.
Religious School
Click the green button to learn about our religious school program.
Kindergarten through 7th Grade
The focus of our Religious School is to create successful Jewish adults. We prepare our students for the world by teaching them to cultivate compassion, empathy, and practical skills through project based learning paired with interdisciplinary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) education. Our Genesis program takes STEAM learning to new heights by cultivating students’ skill sets performing arts and the sciences within a Jewish context. All our religious school programs teach our students how to weave their Jewish identity into their 21st-century lives to discover a life full of meaning.
To find out more about our innovative GENESIS Conservatory | Laboratory Program click on the button below.
For additional information, email [email protected] or call 310.409.2950.
PASSPORT: A 21st Century Teen Experience
8TH-12TH Grade
Does your teen want a way to make a little spending money? How about building their unique college resume? Our PASSPORT program is the perfect opportunity for teens to continue their Jewish learning and deepen their connection to Judaism and the Jewish community in an exciting way that meets the needs of their demanding schedule! Teens can choose from different options, depending on their time constraints and interests. PASSPORT offers programs focused on leadership development, advocacy, volunteerism, social justice, and just plain teen fun with other Jewish teens. Students who dedicate themselves to PASSPORT for all of high school even quality for college letters of recommendation from our clergy. We look forward to your teen’s participation in this unique opportunity!
For more information or to sign up, please email at [email protected].
Passport Overview
Temple Emanuel’s one-of-a-kind learning and travel program is tailored to teens interested in preparing for college by taking an active role in leadership, advocacy, volunteerism, and social justice. Our PASSPORT program is designed as a creative, fun experience for young adults to enrich their communal Jewish life and prepare for the bright futures ahead of them.
Madrichim (8th-12th)
Weekly leadership program. Madrichim at Temple Emanuel embody what it means to lead and guide students. They are role models and leaders who are critical to the fabric of our school community. Through their work assisting in classrooms, Madrichim will have the opportunity to learn from each other, from their teachers, and from their students. During our training sessions, we will explore our roles as leaders in all the spaces we inhabit: the temple classroom, the home, and the wider world. We’re excited for the coming year with you as part of the team!
Teen Civic Leadership Council (9th-12th)
Our Teen Civic Leadership Council (TCLC) meets once a month and is taught by Rabbi Bassin. Students are invited to learn the ins and outs of being a community leader with a Jewish lens. We have built a nationally-celebrated partnership with the Religious Action Center (RAC). Each year, teens select an issue that engages their intellect and passion, learn from experts in the field, lobby, and engage in non-profit advocacy and philanthropy. The students take a 4-day trip to Washington, D.C. to meet and learn with over two thousand teens from across the country, through the RAC’s L’Taken Social Justice seminar.
Trip dates: January 25-29, 2019
Tivnu (8th-12th)
Class meets once a month and is taught by Rabbi Lutz. Tivnu is Hebrew for “Build!” Tivnu participants build community, justice, and purpose together to build a better world. Tivnu students will learn about how “building justice” integrates with direct service for the fulfillment of basic human needs, Jewish learning and living, and leadership development. The course will culminate with a trip to Portland, OR, organized by Tivnu, to enact the values learned in class.
Trip Dates: March 29 – April 1, 2019
TCLC and Tivnu classroom hours: 9:45 am – 11:15 am and/or 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
(classes will meet on seven Sundays during the year + Teen service on Friday, May 24, 2019)
Paving a Path to Justice (8th-12th)
(This program will be offered during the 2019/2020 school year and will alternate with Tivnu)
Our PPJ class meets once a month and is taught by Rabbi Lutz. This track offers students in grades 8-12 the opportunity to explore their Jewish identities by encountering the history of the civil rights movement in America, and exploring the Jewish imperative to pursue justice. By studying the people and events of the civil rights movement in America and engaging with Jewish texts and values, participants will be challenged to integrate a commitment to social justice into their Jewish identities. In the spring, the program will culminate in a four-day journey to Atlanta, Montgomery, Birmingham and Selma for a guided, close-up experience of the history of the civil rights movement.
Trip dates: March or April 2020.
American Jewish Experience
In the American Jewish Experience Class (AJE) the students will learn about the immigration experience of those people entering the country at the turn of the 1900s.
(Trip Dates – April 24 – 27, 2020)
TEMTY - Youth Group (8th-12th)
All teens need a safe and fun space to just be themselves! TEMTY recently elected its first youth governed board in over a decade. TEMTY is a youth group for teens, led by teens. Our Youth Group is a space for our teens to socialize, relax, and talk about whatever is on their minds. Additionally, the TEMTY board it is an amazing opportunity for teens to try out what it feels like to be a leader, not to mention a great resume builder!
Meaningful
Jewish
Moments
Learning Hebrew does not need to be painful! Traditional Hebrew learning called “decoding,” where students memorize Hebrew letters and vowels, is proven to be a poor way of teaching Hebrew. So, we partner with the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland to use their research proven strategies to teach Hebrew rooted in real theories of language acquisition. To that end, our Kindergarten through 3rd graders learn Hebrew Through Movement, a language acquisition strategy in which students learn Hebrew by hearing and responding to Hebrew commands. Our 4th graders begin learning the aleph bet and prayers and continue learning in this way so that all our 7th graders are prepared for their b’nai mitzvah ceremonies by the time they reach this milestone year. As part of our curriculum, all students in grades 6 and 7 are strongly encouraged to join us for Hebrew U for You on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. on Zoom to enhance their Hebrew learning. Open to grades 5 and up. Email Karen for the Zoom link.
Sign
Up
Today
Interested in signing your children up for Temple Emanuel’s Religious School? We’d love to meet them! For questions and information about the application process, please email our B’nai Mitzvah Coordinator & Religious School Director of Operations, Karen Porper at [email protected].
At Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills Religious School, students explore Jewish values, stories, and traditions. Through project-based learning, students engage with meaningful questions, viewing the world through a Jewish lens while building essential life skills like critical thinking and collaboration. Our curriculum covers Hebrew prayers, holidays, and Jewish values, empowering students not just to learn about our traditions but to live them. Please reach out to B’nai Mitzvah Coordinator & Religious School Director of Operations, Karen Porper at [email protected] for more information about our Religious School program.