The Stories and Legends of Eliyahu Hanavi
Recommended for 9th Grade

The Rabbis of the Talmud
Recommended for 9th Grade

The Rise and Fall of King Shlomo’s Kingdom (2 parts)
Recommended for 9th Grade

The reign of Shlomo is considered the most peaceful time in Jewish history. By virtue of his leadership, wisdom, and God’s blessing, he built the Temple and transformed Jerusalem into a vibrant and unified capital. After his death, however, poor decisions led to the splitting of the nation into two separate kingdoms. In this course, students will explore the highs and lows of this period and consider how it relates to their own lives. They will uncover the splendor of the Temple and the triumph of good leadership juxtaposed with the pitfalls and tragedy caused by failed leadership.

Leaving Egypt: The Birth of the Jewish Nation (2 parts)
Recommended for 9th-12th Grades

Students trace the common heritage, formative experiences, and leaders that transform a family of seventy individuals into a nation with shared aspirations. As the euphoria of the transition from slavery to freedom wears off, they realize that with freedom comes great responsibility. How does God set them up for success? How well do they rise to the challenges along the way? This course follows the physical and spiritual path of Bnei Israel as they endure the difficulties of life in Egypt, make a most dramatic escape to the Desert, and attempt to rise to their greatest challenge yet – forging and maintaining an everlasting covenant with God at the foot of Har Sinai. Students study a range of commentaries and employ literary tools to uncover the rich messages embedded in the Shemot narratives.

The Prophesies of Trei Asar (2 parts)
Recommended for 11th-12th Grades

Students study selections in Trei Asar including Amos, Yonah, Yoel, and Hoshea in part 1 and Nahum, Havakuk, Tzefania, Haggai, Zecharia, and Malachi in Part 2. Students examine the books’ literary structures and styles, explore central themes (sin and punishment, prophets and prophecy, teshuva, am segula, redemption, and God’s presence), and develop their textual analysis skills. They leave the course with a basic proficiency in reading and understanding prophetic texts.

Commandment to Care: A Study of Halachic Process
Recommended for 9th-10th Grades

To what extent do I have a responsibility to care about other people? How do I set priorities regarding time and resources? This thematic, Rabbinics text-based course explores mitzvot bein adam l’chavero (commandments that relate to interpersonal behavior) from Biblical through Talmudic text to modern sources. Topics include communal responsibility, tzedakah, guarding one’s speech, and social activism. Throughout the course, students examine contemporary case studies and offer creative solutions based on Biblical and Rabbinic sources.

Sage Advice: Selections in Pirkei Avot
Recommended for 9th-12th Grades

How is it that wisdom passes from generation to generation? What do Torah, avoda, and gemilut chasadim mean? In this thematic course, students discover the main themes of Pirkei Avot and ponder how the ancient lessons of Pirkei Avot can impact their lives today.

Character Under Construction
Recommended for 10th-12th Grades

What do we do when life throws us a curveball? How do we react to the bumps that we encounter on our life journey? What is true happiness, and how do we achieve it? How do we make meaning of our lives? We will explore approaches to limitations, forgiveness, meaning of life, happiness, and more by examining both ancient Jewish texts and contemporary examples from around the world. Each example will compel us to reflect on our own experiences and strengthen our character.

Developing a Jewish Ethical Voice
Recommended for 10th-12th Grades

What are the foundations of Jewish ethics? How are they applied? In this course, students build a Jewish ethical vocabulary of phrases and concepts before they delve into case studies exploring contemporary ethical dilemmas people face today in their social interactions, online activities, and everyday errands. Through the study of classical and contemporary Jewish thinkers, students learn how Judaism factors and frames ethical issues and then explore possible responses.

The Story of Exile and Return
Recommended for 9th-11th Grades

The destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70 placed the Jewish people in unprecedented turmoil. Exiled from their country and traditional Jewish practice in ruins, the future of the Jewish people was anything but certain. Over the next two millennia and across many lands, the Jews faced a series of physical, spiritual, social, and political challenges. How did the Jewish people manage not only to survive but to flourish? How and why did diaspora Jews maintain fervent hopes and dreams of returning to the land of Israel in the future? What was the relationship between the Jews in exile and the surrounding cultures? This course explores the ideas and infrastructures the Jewish people created in order to respond to their surroundings.

Letters Home: American Jewish History 1870 – 1924
Recommended for 9th-12th Grades

Between 1870 and 1924, over two million Jews left their homes, mainly in Eastern Europe, to begin new lives in the United States. Students travel alongside immigrants as they journey to the unknown and encounter the challenges presented by American work patterns, religious frameworks, and mass culture. Students learn how Jewish immigrants shaped, and reacted to, life in America by both conforming to and rebelling against its dominant culture. As they explore the immigrant experience, students investigate their local community’s past and discover their place in the present.

The Emergence of Modern Israel
Recommended for 11th-12th Grades

Students study the history of modern Israel from the rise of the Zionist movement to the present. Following an exploration of the foundations of Zionism, students will then trace the political and institutional development of the Yishuv, the establishment of the State of Israel, and the events of the decades following. Issues discussed will include the evolving Palestinian-Israeli and Arab-Israeli conflict, relationships with world powers, the political system, religion and society, the place of minorities in Israeli society, and the quest for Israeli identity. Through the study of scholarly texts, primary sources, and virtual field trips, students gain a richer understanding of modern Israeli history and its current position in international politics and the Jewish community.

Remembering the Holocaust
Recommended for 11th-12th Grades

The tragedy of the Holocaust can still be felt today. Students study the core historical narrative and grapple with difficult questions: how was the destruction normalized? What role did different people play? What can this period teach us about human behavior? As they explore the rich history of European Jewry and then its systematic destruction, students investigate their nation’s story during this devastating period and seek a way to memorialize it

The Big 10: An Adventure in Core Jewish Values
Recommended for 6th and 7th Grade

Talking about someone behind their back? Judging someone for how they dress? Feeling Jealous of a sibling’s new iPhone? Kids in this course discover that the Ten Commandments have pretty modern implications, and may even serve as a guide to our most tricky personal challenges. In this study of the Ten Commandments, students uncover key Jewish values and important lessons to live by.

Heroes and Holidays of the Calendar
Recommended for 6th and 7th Grade

In addition to the delicious foods, fun traditions, and family gatherings, the Jewish calendar provides ample opportunity to investigate the Jewish ideas of strength and character found in our most sacred texts. In this course, students take a deep dive into the texts of Esther and Ruth and explore themes of heroism, activism, and self-determination.

A Story of Resilience and Survival (2 parts)
Recommended for 6th – 8th Grade

Over the centuries, the Jewish people have faced challenge after challenge. How did they stay together without their own state? How did they survive, even thrive, despite pressures to conform? In this survey course from the Second Temple destruction until the establishment of the State of Israel, students explore the treasures of the past, seeking and finding clues to answer these questions.

The Leadership of King David (2 parts)
Recommended for 6th and 7th Grade

Students follow King David as he lays the foundations of the Kingdom of Israel and ushers in an era of growth and strength for the Israelite nation. They conduct an in-depth analysis of the text of Shmuel Bet, examine different leadership qualities, and discover how teshuva (repentance) can empower us to move forward despite failures and challenges.

Inspirational Figures of the 20th Century
Recommended for 8th Grade

Has there ever been a Torah scroll in space? Where did the Hebrew word for ‘sandwich’ come from? What does the theory of relativity have to do with Judaism? In this course, students will “meet” 10 of the most memorable Jewish figures of the 20th century and discover how they were each impacted by our shared heritage. As they explore the lives of these 10 figures, students will have the opportunity to reflect on their own developing Jewish identity.