Hebrew school

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Background and History

According to an article in the Jewish Quarterly Review entitled "The Jewish Sunday School Movement in the United States" and printed in 1900, “the exact beginning of the American Jewish Sunday Schools is obscured by uncertainty and difficulty of opinion…”^[1]though it is largely credited with the works of Miss Rebecca Gratz, a Philadelphia Native, who sought to provide Jewish schooling to those most in need. As students received secular schooling, Miss Gratz understood the need to provide Jewish history and Jewish traditions to those most lacking a basic understanding in Jewish Education. In fact, Jewish Sunday School grew largely in response to Christian Sunday School as a means of providing proper Jewish Education to students who otherwise lacked any religious grounding in Jewish traditions and history or lacked the financial means necessary to attend such a school.^[2] As a devout Jew, Gratz dedicated her life to helping the poor and neglected. In 1818, “under the sponsorship of the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society, the Hebrew Sunday School Society of Philadelphia was created on March 4, her birthday, with about 60 students.” ^[3] To this day, Rebecca Gratz is referenced as “the foremost American Jewess of her day.”^[4]

Curriculum Overview

Hebrew School is typically taught on Sunday following the end of the Jewish Sabbath known as Shabbat in Hebrew and on one day of the week either Tuesday or Wednesday in the evening following secular education in private or public schools. Hebrew School Education developed in the 1800’s and is largely credited with the works of Rebecca Gratz.

Today, typical Hebrew School education starts in kindergarten and culminates in the tenth grade with confirmation.^[5] While the idea of confirmation largely grew out of Reform Judaism, it is largely practiced by both the Reform and Jewish Conservative Movements today. However, it should be noted that Hebrew School Education is based in the Reform and Conservative Movements and therefore, not practiced in the Jewish Orthodox Movement. Instead Orthodox students attend religious schools on a daily basis such as Yeshivas where they study Jewish texts like Torah and the Talmud in greater depth. Orthodox schooling often prepares young boys to become rabbis and involves a deeper level of study than Hebrew School Education provides. Whereas, both boys and girls study in Hebrew Schools in a co-educational environment, education in the Orthodox community is based on single-sex education with greater emphasis placed on traditional roles for men and women.

Kindergarten and First Grade Education

During kindergarten and first grade students are introduced to major Jewish holidays. Furthermore they are introduced to the Aleph-Bet or Hebrew alphabet. Usually learning at this young age relies on a number of hands-on activities such as crafts, music, cooking and storytelling to engage young learners. Additionally, students might learn the Aleph-Bet through puzzles and other fun activities.^[6] First Grade is sometimes referred to as Grade Aleph, corresponding to the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet.^[7]

Second Grade through Fifth Grade Education

During these years students build on a variety of skills and knowledge they have learned as youngsters while learning new skills like reading hebrew, reciting common prayers such as the Shema and V'ahavta and learning the blessings over the candles, wine and bread. Furthermore, students learn the concept of tzedakah, or charity and become acquainted with Jewish rituals and customs as well as gain a better understanding of Jewish history and the land of Israel.^[8]

Bar/Bat Mitzvah Preparation

One of the most important events to take place during Jewish Education is the celebration of the Bar and Bat Mitzvah. Bar/Bat Mitzvah education begins in the 6th and 7th grade when students are provided with an instructor usually a rabbi or cantor and beginning studying their torah and haftorah portion ^[9]by learning to use tropes, or “a system for chanting sacred texts.” ^[10] "For those unfamiliar with the process, there is a set of signs that accompany each word of Torah, Haftorah and other writings. Each of these signs represents a certain musical phrase. In chanting the text, one reads the word according to that melody. Trope, in addition to beautifying traditional texts, helps to tell the story contained in the writing. The end of each troupe phrase generally corresponds with the end of an content phrase. There is a trope to represent a comma, period, and end of sentence.”^[11]

According to Jewish Law, a boy enters adulthood at the age of 13, while a girl enters adulthood at the age of 12. The Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebrates this coming of age and signifies one's passage into adulthood.^[12]

References

Organized Jewish life in the United States Major communal organizations Jewish Federations of North America (formerly UJC) · Local Jewish Federations  · Jewish Community Centers  · B'nai B'rith Federal Government liaisons and policy organizations not exclusively focused on Israel Conference of Presidents · American Jewish Committee · American Jewish Congress · Religious Action Center · Jewish Council for Public Affairs · Jewish Community Relations Councils · Anti-Defamation League · National Jewish Democratic Council · Republican Jewish Coalition · White House Jewish Liaison Major foreign assistance organizations American Jewish World Service · Joint Distribution Committee · United Israel Appeal Major Israel policy organizations AIPAC · J Street · Hadassah · ZOA · Americans for Peace Now · Israel Policy Forum · JINSA Major Israel outreach organizations Birthright Israel · Nefesh B'Nefesh Major religious movement organizations (and associated rabbinical body and seminary) Agudath Israel of America; (Moetzet Gedolei HaTorah; numerous)  · Orthodox Union (Rabbinical Council of America; numerous, most notably YU-RIETS) · United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (Rabbinical Assembly; JTS/AJU-Ziegler) · Union for Reform Judaism (Central Conference of American Rabbis; HUC) · Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association; RRC) Youth groups BBYO (AZA / BBG) · NFTY  · NCSY  · USY (Kadima)  · Young Judaea Religious educational settings Hebrew school · Jewish day school (Shechter /Torah Umesorah) · Yeshiva · College Jewish studies programs College organizations Hillel · KOACH · KESHER · KEDMA · Chabad on Campus · Alpha Epsilon Pi · Historically Jewish: Sigma Alpha Mu · Zeta Beta Tau · Alpha Epsilon Phi · Sigma Delta Tau Major media Jewish Telegraphic Agency · The Jewish Week (New York) · The Forward (New York) · The Jewish Journal (Los Angeles) · The Jewish Exponent (Philadelphia) · Washington Jewish Week · Tablet Magazine · Heeb · Jewcy  · Commentary  · Tikkun · Jewish World Review  · The Jewish Press  · Yated Ne'eman (U.S.)  · Hamodia Significant communal activities Super Sunday (phone-a-thon) · Matzo Ball · JDate · Siyum HaShas-NY/NJ

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