Center for Jewish Education

The Hebrew term DERECH ERETZ literally means “the way of the land”.  In Jewish tradition, DERECH ERETZ refers to the appropriate and respectful behavior of one toward others, as well as a person’s own self-respect and demeanor.

At CJE it is important that teachings of Judaism provide the basic underlying philosophical premise of our expectations for our students.  We strive to guide children to develop appropriate self-discipline and social skills based on the following Jewish understandings:

• A place of learning is a special place.  Maintaining KEDUSHAH (holiness) of the synagogue is important to us.
• Each individual is created in God’s image and is deserving of KAVOD (respect), kindness, compassion, and understanding.
• We can all do TESHUVAH (repentance).  We can acknowledge the mistakes we make, apologize for those mistakes, make a sincere commitment to try and do better in the future, and then act on our commitment.
• Be students of TALMUD TORAH (study of Torah) by following directions and positively contributing to the learning atmosphere
• All students are responsible for upholding the value of SHMIRAT HA’GUF (protecting the body) by keeping hands and feet to yourself.

Each person is responsible for his/her own actions.  Each person contains within him or herself the potential for growth and change.

The Center for Jewish Education at Shirat Hayam is designed to reflect the best values of our congregation. Our students are offered the gifts that Judaism brings to our lives. It is our goal for every student to experience the sense of belonging to a sacred learning community.  Our school is not simply about Jewish literacy but about helping our students to craft a life of meaning and purpose. Our approach is hands-on, whether encountering sacred text, celebrating holidays and simchot, or the work of repairing the world through tzedakah and gemilut hasadim projects.