The Temple Beth David Religious School
| Kindergarten-3rd Grade | Sunday Mornings | 9:00 – 11:30 AM |
| 4th-6th Grade Religious School | Sunday Mornings | 9:00 – 11:30 AM |
| 4th-6th Grade Hebrew School | Tuesdays | 4:15 – 6:15 PM |
| 7th Grade | Tuesdays | 4:15 – 8:00 PM |
| 8th and 10th Grade Teen Program | Tuesdays | 6:15 – 8:00 PM |
A Brief Religious School Overview by Elliot Fein
Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades: Our youngest students learn in dynamic interactive activities about Jewish holidays, life cycle events, bible stories, and key concepts of Judaism like the importance of giving Tzedakah and performing Hesed and Tikun Olam (acts of kindness that help make the world a better place.)
3rd grade: Students continue their religious learning of Judaism. As the year goes on, they become familiar with the Hebrew alphabet.
4th, 5th, & 6th grades: Students now come not once but twice a week.
On Tuesday afternoons, students master Hebrew phonics with the goal of becoming fluent in the Siddur Shabbat service. The knowledge and skills they learn enable them as participating adults to feel at home in any synagogue setting.
On Sunday mornings, they review their Hebrew learning from Tuesday afternoons and then focus on the subjects of Israel, American Jewish history, Torah and its narrative, as well the meaning and purpose of life cycle events like the Bar or Bat Mitzvah rite of passage.
7th grade: During this special year, students come for an extended Tuesday session that includes a social dinner gathering. Geared for students who are in the process of preparing for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah, the Hebrew, Siddur, and Torah study curriculum augment and enrich students in their rite of passage preparation.
7th grade students also learn Jewish history by studying the Holocaust, modern day Israel, and current events viewed through a Jewish lens.
8th grade: Our curriculum is nicknamed “Hot Topics”. On Tuesday evenings, 8th graders examine various ethical issues they have or will soon confront in their lives from a Jewish perspective.
9th – 12th grades: Students take part in the Orange County Bureau of Jewish Education’s TALIT program. In weekend shabbaton retreats, Sunday afternoon seminar sessions, and in various other settings, Temple Beth David teens explore Jewish identity issues with over 200 peers from all of the different OC synagogues.
10th grade: Students return to Temple Beth David and study for the year with Rabbi Myers. In weekly sessions, they reflect and re-examine various topics they have encountered on their individual Jewish journeys as well as new areas of Jewish interest. The year culminates in a beautiful Confirmation ceremony.
Final Note: Jewish learning is not a pediatric activity but a lifetime endeavor.
At Temple Beth David, we include family programs (where parents come into the synagogue and learn with their children) as an integral part of our religious school curriculum.
We also encourage students to broaden their learning and connection to Judaism and the broader Jewish community by taking part in Jewish learning experiences outside of the synagogue. Through the generosity primarily of its Foundation Program, Temple Beth David prides itself on the support it gives its youth members to participate in summer camps, Israel experiences, as well as various other Jewish youth activities.
Attend an Orange County Bureau of Jewish Education weekend shabbaton retreat or a Union of Reform Judaism summer encampment at Camp Newman, and you will see Temple Beth David youth well represented among its participants.