Our Religious School has been awarded multiple “The School of Excellence” commendations by the New York Metropolitan Region of United Synagogue. Here’s our secret recipe:
- Begin with a love of Judaism and the desire to promote a community of friends for our learners.
- Use a variety of active learning techniques to guide our learners to acquire knowledge and skills.
- Add a joyful environment which fosters kindness, Jewish values, and Jewish life skills.
- Combine to reach our sacred goal: Imbuing each child with the skills, relationships, values, and knowledge upon which to build a rich life with a strong Jewish identity.
At the Forest Hills Jewish Center’s Religious School, we go beyond educating a child’s head by imparting knowledge. We address the heart by exploring beliefs and values; the hands by practicing ritual, service, and celebration; the feet by standing in relationship to our classroom, synagogue, and world community.
Our faculty are warm, supportive, and professional. They bring outstanding Jewish knowledge, enthusiasm, and excitement to their students, both in person and virtually. Our Rabbi and Hazzan are integrally involved in Religious School instruction, leading minyan, and teaching Hebrew High. Their regular interactions with students encourage a feeling of being at home and a part of the larger Forest Hills Jewish Center community.
You can contact the Religious School Director, Silvia Kogan, by emailing [email protected], or calling (718) 263-7000 x213.
Our Schedule
| Grade | Sunday Times | Tuesday Times | Hebrew Reading Tutoring (Zoom) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HaKen (3-K and Pre-K) | 9:00 – 11:00 AM | ||
| Gan (Kindergarten) | 9:00 – 11:30 AM | ||
| Aleph (1st grade) | 9:00 – 11:30 AM | ||
| Bet (2nd grade) | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | ||
| Gimel (3rd grade) | 9:15 AM – 12:15 PM | 4:00 – 6:00 PM | Half-hour, when convenient |
| Dalet (4th grade) | 9:15 AM – 12:15 PM | 4:00 – 6:00 PM | Half-hour, when convenient |
| Hay (5th grade) | 9:15 AM – 12:15 PM | 4:00 – 6:00 PM | Half-hour, when convenient |
| Vav (6th grade) | 9:15 AM – 12:15 PM | 4:00 – 6:00 PM | Half-hour, when convenient |
| Zayin (7th grade) | 9:15 AM – 12:15 PM | 5:00 – 7:00 PM (including dinner) |
Half-hour, when convenient |
| Chet (8th grade) | 9:15 AM – 12:15 PM | 5:00 – 7:00 PM (including dinner) |
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| Madrichim (9th – 12th grade) | 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM | ||
| Hebrew High (9th – 12th grade) | 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM (including breakfast) |
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| Rabbi’s Teen Table (9th – 12th grade) | 6:00 – 7:00 PM once a month (including dinner) |
See the 5785 (2024-2025) Religious School calendar.
Our Curriculum
JUDAICS—At the FHJC Religious School, we encourage a mastery of ritual and prayer, along with an understanding of Torah, Jewish identity, and Israel. We begin with a joyous experience of holidays and Israel, move on to investigate Jewish lifecycle and rituals, and then delve into our students’ responsibility to their communities. As our students mature, they wrestle with Jewish texts and their relationship with the Jewish community, and approach dilemmas they face every day from a Jewish perspective. (To learn more about the focus of each grade, contact the Director of the Religious School, Silvia Kogan.)
HEBREW—Hebrew anchors our students to Jewish life. While we are much more than a Hebrew School, prayer skills and Hebrew decoding are a priority at the FHJC Religious School. Students begin their day with a traditional, musical, age-appropriate minyan service, learning key prayers. Modern Hebrew is also an integral part of every grade’s learning.
Songs and games, Hebrew names, and holiday terms familiarize our young students with the sound of Hebrew. Students build upon this foundation to master prayers, basic conversational vocabulary, and fluent Hebrew reading. We also use technology to support Hebrew learning: Each child in Kita Gimel (3rd grade) and above receives a half hour per week of Hebrew tutoring with a teacher and one other student via Zoom.
PRAYER—At the FHJC Religious School, students from Kita Gimel through Hebrew High school (3rd-12th-graders) participate in minyan, while younger students experience prayer through weekly music sessions. Spirituality is nurtured in all grades through reflection and discussion. In addition, attendance at congregational worship is encouraged through our Shabbat morning programs: for ages 2-7, Shir l’Shabbat, PJ Shabbat, and Kids Kongregation; for ages 7-12, Kehilat Yeladim, on selected Shabbatot. Please check the Religious School calendar for upcoming dates.
FAMILY—Our families are an integral and important part of the FHJC, and we are committed to nourishing and supporting parents and families. We recognize that families are at the heart of Judaism, no matter what your family looks like. Each grade is supported by unique family opportunities, providing a space to meet each other while socializing and learning together.
SUPPORT—The FHJC Religious School sustains learners at all levels of ability, and will do what is necessary, whenever possible, to provide a robust Jewish education to every Jewish child. One-on-one and small-group attention is a regular part of learning for all levels, including children with special needs. We work closely with parents to provide the right amount of support to each child.
ELECTIVES—Chuggim (electives) are offered to our Vav through Chet (6th-8th-grade) students. Students enjoy choosing among activities that run the gamut from Jewish Dungeons and Dragons to Israeli Cooking.
YOUTH GROUP—The amazing Religious School education our students receive gives them a strong academic foothold in the Jewish world. However, we also hope that they will make Jewish friends and become socially immersed in Jewish life, strengthening their Jewish identity and their relationship with the FHJC community. This happens in Youth Group, which meets on select Sundays during the year. (Please check the calendar for this year’s dates.)
HEBREW HIGH—We want the FHJC to be the place where our children build their own Jewish community. Hebrew High (for 9th-12th graders) has a special significance for our students, especially during the past year, when many of our students experienced tension in their public schools over the conflict in Gaza. Hebrew High will continue to be a safe space for them to ask questions, get reliable information and support each other.
Whether visiting a Broadway show, a museum, or a rally against antisemites, our students’ education extends far beyond the classroom. Activities include:
- Limud (Learning): Hebrew High students meet on Sundays from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM for bagels and schmooze time, and from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM for learning, debating, discussing, cooking, and creating art.
- Madrichim Program: A madrich/a is a guide and role model who works in a Religious School classroom as an assistant to the teacher. This may mean one-on-one work with a particular student, working with a small group, or running a brief program for all the students while the teacher prepares the next activity. Madrichim have the opportunity to mentor our younger learners, and to be mentored, in turn, by the teacher and the Religious School Director. They receive community service hours for their volunteer work on Sundays from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM.
- Rabbi’s Teen Table (RTT): Hebrew High students are invited to dinner with Rabbi Graber at 6:00 PM on select Tuesdays throughout the year.
- Tikkun Olam (Social Action): Students can develop and implement a synagogue- or Religious-School-wide social action project. Each student has great latitude to choose a Jewish value to champion. Duties include managing a budget, promoting the project, handling logistics, and communicating with our FHJC staff and lay leaders, although each student has the opportunity to work with a mentor. The project can last either for a single semester or for the whole school year. (Please contact the Director of the Religious School for more information.)
- Hebrew High Goes to Broadway: What better way to build Jewish identity and exercise ethical muscles than to explore outside the walls of the FHJC? Many productions address current teen issues and relate to our students’ Jewish journeys, and our follow-up meetings deepen their understanding and connect the show to our learning.
