What we teach our children
Adat Chaverim's Jewish Secular Sunday School (i.e., our Cultural School) reflects
the values of Humanistic Judaism, and is built on mutual trust and respect through open honest communication between teachers,
parents and students.
Our overall goal is
to impart a positive Jewish identity to our students through the teaching of Jewish history, culture, values
and traditions in a humanistic framework. Our curriculum and methodology will reflect Humanistic values, therefore
all lessons are structured to encourage students to think for themselves and to apply their knowledge in their everyday lives.
Jewish and Humanist values are woven into the lessons as well as taught directly including: taking personal responsibility
for our actions, respect for all human beings, cooperation, compassion, courage, integrity and the importance of working for
peace and justice.
Goals
Teaching History
Children experience
a sense of continuity with the past in a way that contributes to a stronger Jewish identity. We teach history as a resource
to stimulate thinking about current and future events.
Teaching Bible and
Torah
We believe that familiarity with the stories
of the Bible and the Torah is an important part of every child's Jewish education. Humanistic philosophy views these
as works of literature and mythology, written by humans and containing the stories of our ancestors and the laws they lived
by, and chronicling the development of Judaism. We encourage our students to question and interpret the stories by analyzing
the actions of the characters and the consequences of those actions, and by asking students how they would have acted or felt
under similar circumstances. The Torah is utilized as a source of values and lessons on how to be a true "MENSCHE."
Learning about Holidays
Learning about and celebrating the Jewish holidays is an integral part of any Jewish
education. Our Congregation creates joyous and meaningful celebrations that enhance and reinforce the curriculum.
Schedule
Our Jewish Secular Sunday School meets weekly from 10 – 12 AM on Sundays, excluding
Jewish and legal holidays. Please see the Calendar section of the website for dates. There are approximately 28
sessions planned from mid September to early June.
Sunday Funday
Sunday Funday is a one hour/month "cooperative"
style program for preschool children and their parents, designed with developmentally apropriate activities focusing
primarily on Jewish holidays through relevant music, songs, stories, crafts and very basic Hebrew vocabulary. It
is open to non-members.
Tuition
Please see the "Becoming a Member" section of our website.
