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In a joint Beth Or religious school tzedakah project with the Sisterhood, students collect food for the homeless and hungry.
Credit: Ann Metnickenrolled, according to Rabbi Royi Shaffin.
At Temple Beth Or in Brick, financial assistance from the Jewish Federation of Ocean County enables the synagogue’s religious school to continue its “innovative programming” for the 50 students“We are trying to keep up with education trends — new books, school-wide programming, and teacher training, where we bring in experts to discuss the latest developments in education,” Shaffin said of how the school uses funds provided by federation.
Programs such as the recently established Tu b’Shevat seder are made possible with these dollars.
“With every new program, that means new teachers, new publicity, and reaching out to the community,” Shaffin said. “The goal of the religious school is expansion and innovation.”
Funds also go to scholarships for families who cannot afford to pay the full amount of Hebrew school or are unable to pay at all.
“Here, it’s no child left behind and no child turned away,” he said.
The Hebrew school serves children from age 3 through high school.
“We’re really hoping to serve Jews as young as possible and as old as possible,” Shaffin said. “The whole spectrum: Life-long learning.”

Children in Beth Or's Gan Yeladim enjoy learning about the Jewish holidays

In the synagogue’s Gan Yeladim (pre-school), children ages 3-5 are introduced to the religious school in a “warm, friendly, camp environment,” where they become familiar with Hebrew songs and the holidays.
In the primary year (ages 6-7), students concentrate on holidays, incorporating arts and crafts into the lessons.
In level Aleph (8-year-olds), students are taught simple passages from the siddur and begin to study the Bible, focusing on the books of Genesis and Exodus.
In level Bet, students concentrate on more intensive prayers and learn to read from the siddur more proficiently. In this year, students are also taught about Jewish ethics and Israel, focusing on the landscape of the country from the city to the kibbutz to the different regions of the country.
In level Gimel, students learn to read from the siddur fluently and classes focus on holidays; the role of the synagogue in Jewish life; Jewish history including Israel and American Jewish history, and work through the book of Prophets.
Levels Dalet and Hey are the bar/bat mitzvah preparation years, during which students acquire the skills to say brachot for an aliyah, the blessing for haftarah, and trope. Students also study each week’s parsha along with commentaries as well as learn about tallit and tefillin. Public speaking is also emphasized in these years as preparation for students’ own divrei Torah during their b’nai mitzvahs. The class, taught by Shaffin, also discusses what it means to become a bar or bat mitzvah and take on the responsibilities of mitzvot.
In the Hebrew high school, classes take on more of a discussion format that incorporates current events and ethics from a Jewish perspective.
“The students bring in articles, sources that enrich the discussions, but it’s really based on their experiences,” Shaffin said of the Hebrew high school classes.
The ultimate goal of the synagogue’s religious school, Shaffin said, is to pass on knowledge and love of Judaism to the next generation.
“[The religious school] is the future of the synagogue,” he said. “It plays a very important role in terms of passing on our tradition from one generation to the next.”