Hebrew School

Click HERE to register for the 2024 – 2025 School Year!

Want to learn more about our Hebrew School?

Contact Helene Santo, hsanto@orzarua.org.
You can also fill out this form, and email it to Helene, before setting up a time to speak, so we can best answer your questions.

What makes Or L’Atid Hebrew School different?

The parents in our community set learning as a high priority, and their kids feel that. Children are eager to learn and explore all that our tradition has to offer.

Our Hebrew School students experience real, deep Jewish learning.
But it’s more than that – it’s Jewish living.

Learning extends into students’ homes, with students taking initiative to expand on what we’ve done in Hebrew School. This year, when we began our study of the Omer after Pesah, a student said she had taken out the Omer Counter she had made last year in Hebrew School so that she could count at home. Another student brought in a Seder Plate that he had 3D printed the week before Pesah, proudly showing off his work to his classmates.

We have meaningful ongoing discussions about how Jewish people living as a minority in New York weigh questions of halacha in the context of daily life. “What if someone is given a deadline for an assignment on Shabbat afternoon?” students ask. “If someone doesn’t sell their hametz before Pesah, but puts it away in a pantry, is that ok?”

Students make real personal connections as to their Jewish identity. “If all of my grandparents were born in New York, am I Ashkenazi or Sephardi?” “If my mom is Persian, do we eat kitniyot?” “What about Swedish Jews?” Of course, many of the questions are prompted by our curriculum. However, it’s the students’ excitement and interest, along with their serious consideration of how we live Jewishly, that make the discussions so profound and so personal. It’s part of what makes Or Zarua and our Hebrew School truly unique.

Click here for FAQs about OZ’s Hebrew School.

Click HERE to register for the 2024 – 2025 School Year!

Early Bird rates will be automatically applied if you complete registration on or before August 1.
Sign up by July 1 for an additional re-enrollment discount for returning students. A credit will be applied to your account for the re-enrollment discount ($100/child) after your enrollment is submitted.

Interested in learning more about Or Zarua’s Hebrew School?

Please contact Helene Santo to set up a informational call or in-person tour of Or Zarua!
See below for Hebrew School times and rates.

Hebrew School Schedule

Pre-K
Mondays, 4:00 – 6:00 pm

Little ones, get a taste of Hebrew School! Start your Jewish learning journey with music, movement and hands-on learning as you discover prayer, Jewish holidays, Torah, Hebrew and more!
Members and non-members can enroll in this class.

Kindergarten – 2nd Grade
Mondays, 4:00 – 6:00 pm

Our youngest students, Kindergarten – 2nd grade, begin their journeys of Jewish learning focusing on the most fundamental Jewish skills and knowledge.

Students will:

  • Learn the aleph-bet and begin building a Hebrew vocabulary through immersive games and activities.
  • Begin learning basic prayers in t’filah and gaining literacy in weekly parashah stories from the Torah.
  • Learn about the Jewish holidays with creative explorations and projects.

3rd – 5th Grade
Mondays AND Wednesdays, 4:00 – 6:00 pm

In 3rd – 5th grade, students will build on existing skills and knowledge and dive deeper into Jewish learning.

Students will:

  • Continue developing Hebrew language skills and vocabulary and strengthening reading abilities.
  • Use new Hebrew skills to engage with Israeli culture.
  • Lead younger students in t’filah as they grow as role models in our community.
  • Learn Kabbalat Shabbat, preparing for active participation in our OZ communal Friday evening services.
  • Learn Torah stories as we study the weekly parashah
  • Deepen knowledge about Jewish holidays with fun activities and projects.

B’nei Mitzvah Scholars (6th – 7th Grade)
Wednesdays, 5:00 – 6:30 pm

Our B’nei Mitzvah Scholars, 6th and 7th grade students, will continue their Jewish learning as they approach Bar and Bat Mitzvah.

Students will:

  • Continue with Hebrew learning.
  • Strengthen reading skills and continue building a modern Hebrew vocabulary.
  • Explore Jewish history, Israel, t’filah and more as we delve deeper into our Jewish roots.

Classwith Rabbi Bolton
for Middle School and High School
Monthly Mondays, dates to be posted, 6:00 – 7:30 pm

“The Roots of Modern Antisemitism and a Deeper Understanding of What Led to The Holocaust”
Monthly dinners with Rabbi Bolton will begin with student centered check-ins about current events in NYC, at school and around the world. The class will explore the roots of modern antisemitism and the history of what led to the Holocaust. A survey of the timeline of WWII and the Shoah will also be presented. We’ll cover questions like how could citizens of Europe and the globe stand by and watch millions systematically murdered? And why wasn’t Auschwitz bombed? What ideas were already in the air from the mid-19th Century that made Jew-hatred acceptable? And are we seeing a resurgence in our time of attitudes and ideas that have direct links to the Shoa? It is our responsibility to educate with Holocaust literacy in mind, to make the memories of all who perished a blessing in our lives and in our world.

Click HERE to register for the 2024 – 2025 School Year!
See you at OZ in the fall!

Why Or Zarua?

Hear from our students, parents and educators!

Want to learn more about Or Zarua’s Hebrew School?

Contact Helene Santo at hsanton@orzarua.org or 212-452-2310 x14 for more information and to register!