Learning | Center for Jewish Education
From the Director
A letter from Jed Filler; CJE Director:
Dear Friends:
What is Jewish education? The phrase "Hebrew School" often conjures specific and truthfully, often unpleasant experiences from our past. But today, we think about Jewish education in many different ways that include work in classrooms as well as camps, family activities, celebrations, and community service.
Jewish education is not an end goal; it isn't material to be mastered for a test. Jewish education is a part of living a Jewish life. It is a part of every day; whether we are celebrating holidays, life cycle events, observing mitzvot, giving tzedakah, helping those around us and in the world who are in need, and yes, even playing soccer and softball and other sports. Being Jewish includes all these things and more!
We have created a Center for Jewish Education that provides support, a place to meet, an opportunity to be inspired, and offers experiences that enrich the lives of all of our families. As we continue to grow and develop, we welcome new ideas, thoughts, and your participation.
Our students are not just vessels waiting to be filled. They are human beings with a combination of emotional, physical, and learning needs. In order for us to be effective teachers, we must work diligently to create an environment where all our students’ needs are met, and where learning will thrive.
To that end, we treat the concept of building community in our classrooms as a purposeful and vital task. Every class session, we work to create a safe, supportive, and connected community where learning takes place on every level for each and every one of our students.
Teaching about Judaism creates an even more daunting task. While there is a well-established tradition of intellectual learning in Judaism, e.g. chevrutah study of the Torah and Talmud, our tradition urges us to do more:
Simeon the Righteous ... used to say (his motto was): “The world stands on three things- the Torah, the [Temple] service, and loving acts of kindness” Pirke Avot 1:2
We take our curricular goals from this passage. Each of us must work to live a life balanced in learning, action, and worship. Each of our grades learns and “does” from this paradigm: with a Torah component (learning), and Avodah component (worship), and a G’milut Chasadim component (community service). Our curriculum regularly grows and changes to meet the constantly developing needs of our families and the world around us. But through all the changes, our commitment to balancing between Torah, Avodah, and G'milut Chasadim remains unchanged.
  
L’Shalom,
Jed
Jed A. Filler, MAJCS
Director; CJE
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