The mission of the Joseph and Belle Braun Religious School is to provide our students with a strong foundation of Jewish knowledge that they put into practice by regular attendance at services in the synagogue, holiday observance at home and the practice of tzedaka and social justice throughout the year. We will incorporate history, prayer, practice, ritual, ethical concepts, and the study of Israel in an effort to develop a sense of positive Jewish identity. The goal is that our students leave with an appreciation and understanding of our shared responsibility for the future of the Jewish people, in Israel and throughout the world.

Our Goals

~ To create an awareness of Jewish history, including major historical figures and events,  
    and to understand its impact on Jewish thought.
~ To develop proficiency in Siddur (prayerbook) Hebrew and synagogue skills, so as to provide 
    a sense of familiarity and comfort in any synagogue.
~ To create the desire to initiate and participate in Shabbat, Yom Tov, and lifecycle home
    rituals.
~ To gain an attachment to and an appreciation for the State of Israel and its relation to 
    Diaspora Jews.
~ To develop a spirit of Klal Yisrael (Peoplehood).
~ To understand the concepts of mitzvot (commandments), tzedakah (charity/justice), tikkun
    olam (repairing the world) and the Jewish resources and social service agencies in the
    community positioned for doing them.

The curriculum is designed with the understanding that students attend religious school as a means of supplementing the spiritual basis of home and synagogue life. Family is the place where so much of the formation of ideas and practices occur. We encourage adult learning, which parallels the school’s aims and curriculum (please see the Adult Education link). We believe that what our students study is relevant to their daily lives and that through their learning they will begin to make their own Jewish decisions from a standpoint of knowledge and commitment.

Guiding Principles

Tikkun Olam
We see ourselves as God’s partners in trying to make the world a better place. Learning about the earth, pursuing social justice and caring for the disadvantaged are just a few of the principles gleaned from the moral laws in the Torah that we study.

Hebrew
Hebrew, as it is taught at Anshe Emet, serves as the language of prayer (Lashon Ha-Kodesh) and the language of the Torah. Our curriculum focuses on teaching our children prayers and rituals, exposing them to a variety of Torah texts, and familiarizing them with basic speech patterns. An innovative oral Hebrew language program that encourages parent participation is presented to the junior kindergarten through second grades, while higher grades learn to read and write Hebrew.

Prayer (Tefillah)
The philosophy of our newly-revamped Prayer Curriculum is that all our students will have the chance to learn and lead Kabbalat Shabbat and weekday Mincha services by the time they graduate Religious School. We begin with rudimentary knowledge of the Hebrew text and the melodies of our most basic prayers and rituals. As students progress in school, they will know more and more of the Friday evening Kabbalat Shabbat service, the weekday Mincha (afternoon) and Shabbat morning SHACHARit service, and many home rituals and b'rachot. Specific prayers will be taught to 3rd through 5th graders during the MACHAR Youth Services that take place twice per month on Shabbat mornings. In Dalet/Heih they will be engrossed in their Bar/Bat Mitzvah studies and will reinforce their learning in the KADIMA Shabbat services. These studies will tie in with our MACHAR, KADIMA and USY groups which will periodically afford them the opportunity to use their prayer skills at Shabbatonim, Kinnusim, and other occasions.

Israel
Our generation has witnessed the miracle of Israel’s birth. Our curriculum strives to impart the meaning of this miracle through lessons in history, geography, and current events. In eighth grade, (USY HIGH) students can choose to visit Israel, through the CFJE/Federation’s Ta’am Yisrael program.

Tzedakah
Although many people interpret “tzedakah” as charity, the actual translation implies doing justice through righteous acts. Students are asked to bring Tzedakah money to Religious School each session and each individual class decides where to contribute the money it has collected. Students are also involved in volunteer work in the community. Examples of our activities include visits to nursing homes to sing for the residents, adopting a Jewish community in the Former Soviet Union through the Yad L’Yad Program, raising money for the Jewish Braille Institute through sponsorship of a Jewish read-in and delivering Maot Chittim to families. Once a year, in the fall, we join the Anshe Emet community for a social action day. This year it will be on Sunday, October 30, 2005. Look for it on your school calendar and plan to participate as a family!