Or Zarua Hebrew School

Ilana Burgess, Director / Tel.: 212.452.2310, Ext. 15

The goal of the Or Zarua Hebrew School is to nurture and develop caring, knowledgeable and involved young Jewish adults by providing an engaging and rich curriculum in a positive and warm learning environment. We firmly believe that there is nothing more central to living Jewishly than educating our children and passing on to them our treasured heritage. Through a curriculum that includes the study of Bible, synagogue skills, Jewish culture and values, religious life and laws, Israel and Hebrew language, we seek to instill a lifelong intellectual, emotional and spiritual connection to Judaism.

Or Zarua takes a "nuts and bolts" approach to Jewish education: we want our children to LEARN. While many schools concentrate on creating a fun environment to induce kids to learn, we believe that our students have a good time precisely because they DO learn. The satisfaction in acquiring new knowledge and the investigative process of learning itself creates the atmosphere in which our kids excel. Small classes aid in this goal: keeping our classes to an average of 10 children allows for greater contact between each student and his or her teachers.

Our Hebrew School provides after school classes for children from ages 5-18 and meets Monday through Thursday from September through May. Kindergarten and first grade meet one afternoon each week from 4:00-6:00; 2nd-6th grades meet twice each week in the same time slot. In addition, students in grades 4-6 attend one Shabbat service each month as a class, enabling them to become familiar with, and to participate in, synagogue ritual, a key aspect of Jewish life.

The Hebrew School also has a program for students through high school. Middle and high school students meet once each week from 6:00-8:00 over dinner with Ilana Burgess, the Youth Education director, to explore a wide range of topics, including discussions of the weekly parashah.

For the 2009-2010 school year, class meeting times are as follows:

Class	Day	Time
Kindergarten	Tuesday	4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Alef - First Grade	Thursday	4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Bet - Second Grade	Monday & Wednesday	4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Gimel - Third Grade	Monday & Wednesday	4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Dalet - Fourth Grade	Monday & Wednesday	4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Hey - Fifth Grade	Monday & Wednesday	4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Vav - Sixth Grade	Monday & Wednesday	4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Dinner is provided during the following classes:
Zayin - Seventh Grade	Monday	6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Bogrim - Eighth Grade	Monday	6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Machon - Ninth Grade	Monday	6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Atid - Tenth through Twelfth Grades	Monday	6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

While services are being held in the sanctuary, separate activities are held for toddlers, young children, and older children in our classrooms from 10:30 am - 12:00 pm:

Classes and activities are also held during services on holidays; check here, or with the office, as a holiday approaches for specific information concerning the classes which will be held.