Find a Community School Program

Home Living Humanistic Judaism Youth Programs Sunday Schools Find a Community School Program

Many of our Humanistic communities, congregations, and havurot provide warm and supportive youth education environments, for students to engage and learn, culminating in bar/bat mitzvah ceremonies, and post mitzvah youth groups.

Check the list for a school community near you.

Youth Education at SHJ-Affiliated Communities

ARIZONA

Grades Offered: 1st – B’Nai Mitzvah

Meeting Schedule: Monthly | Sunday 9:30am – 10:30am

Lower grades learn about Jewish Holidays and Celebrations. Upper grades learn about American Jewish heroes and heroines. We are the only Humanistic Congregation in the Phoenix area.

CALIFORNIA

Joe Steinberg Cultural School

Grades offered: K-8

Meeting schedule: Sundays, 10:00am-noon via Zoom & at Los Encinos State Historic Park, 16756 Moorpark St, Encino, CA 91436.

Our Cultural School uses a multi-grade classroom model and includes Hebrew language study, Humanistic philosophy, and lessons on Jewish culture, history, and customs. Adult Education runs concurrently with the Cultural School. Sunday sessions alternate between classroom learning and cultural field trips & mitzvah days.

COLORADO

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Grades offered: K through 7th grade/B Mitzvah, plus a teen group

Meeting schedule: Three to four class sessions most months; Sundays 9:30 am to 12:00 pm, community music from 9:30 to 10:00, class time from 10:00 to 12:00.

Machar’s students participate in music both in community assembly and in their classrooms, classroom learning about Jewish history and culture, and occasional field trips. Students ponder their own beliefs about religion, without perspectives being imposed. Biblical stories are used as a form of literature, not history, and are questioned for the possible lessons authors may have intended to teach.

B mitzvah students prepare individual projects with subjects they choose. We expect that by the time of b mitzvah, students will have two years of formal Jewish or Humanistic education; depending on background, students who start later than the beginning of their 6th grade year may be required to do supplemental work (usually arranged separately with Machar’s rabbi) in preparation for their b mitzvah ceremonies.

Machar’s Sunday school is run in collaboration with two local partner congregations that share our approach to learning, and the school is co-directed by the rabbis of each of the three congregations. Machar’s holiday celebrations are Humanistic in nature, in keeping with our identity as a Humanistic Jewish congregation.

FLORIDA

Grades offered: Private lessons are available via zoom or in person for grades 3 and above. B’Mitzvah training is available by individual arrangement.

Meeting schedule: By arrangement

CBA offers a B’Mitzvah training program, including reading Hebrew. The B’Mitzvah study program adheres to the philosophy of Humanistic Judaism and teaches students to become critical thinkers using science and reason to explain historical events.

ILLINOIS

Grades offered: K-8

Meeting schedule: Weekly | Sunday, 9:30am-11:30am; one-hour weekly Hebrew class for B Mitzvah prep, 11:30am-12:30pm

Age-appropriate curriculum of Jewish culture including Jewish identity, holidays, life cycle, literature, mitzvot, immigration and Holocaust, as well as many hands-on experiences with a focus on developing a positive Jewish identity through Jewish culture

Grades offered: Adult-Tot – 9th Grade Confirmation

Meeting schedule: 1st through 9th Grade Confirmation – weekly class on Sundays at 9:30-11:30am, 6th Grade B Mitzvah Prep Class is at 9:00-9:30am | Adult-Tot monthly program on Sundays at 9:30-10:30am for 3-6 yrs and 10:30-11:30am for 0-2 yrs (open to everyone, free for members, $10 per class for others) | Family Holiday Celebrations are monthly on Sundays at 10:30-11:30am (free and open to everyone)

Grade specific classes with well-defined curriculum, covering topics in Jewish history, literature and culture. We encourage children to value their Jewish identity and to think for themselves. Students explore what Being Jewish and Doing Jewish means to them.

MASSACHUSETTS

Grades offered: K-10th

Meeting schedule: 15 Sundays per year, 9:30-Noon

Kahal B’raira’s Sunday school teaches Jewish holidays, history, food, music, and respect for our humanistic Jewish values: rationality, decision-making, courage, creativity, generosity, trust, hope, and tikun olam. We provide a curriculum that emphasizes collaboration and critical thinking, and a space for our students to celebrate secular Jewish culture, and exploration of humanistic values, traditions, and actions. 

MICHIGAN

Grades offered: K – 7

Meeting schedule: Twice per month, plus holiday celebrations | Sundays, 10am – Noon

Music and all-family learning on the topic of the day (with bagels!) followed by adult learning (most Sundays – on same topic) and children’s group times. The family education aspect allows parents and children to learn together with Rabbi Falick, and the program is tuition free and a benefit of membership with no minimum dues.

MINNESOTA

Grades offered: Pre-school – 7th  grade

Meeting schedule: Monthly during the school year | Sundays 10:00am – 12:30pm

Mixture of large group and grade specific activities and lessons. we allow students to register for their first year of school without families being members, and we focus on Jewish culture rather than Jewish dogma.

NEW YORK

Grades offered: Youth – B Mitzvah

Meeting schedule: By appointment. We customize learning for each student.

 

Grades offered: PreK – B’Mitzvah

Meeting schedule: Twice monthly Sept-June | Sundays 3:00-5:15pm

Grade-specific classes that foster appreciation and understanding of Jewish culture and identity. We explore Jewish holidays, literature, and history from a secular humanistic perspective, examining our own values and history as well. Our teachers encourage creativity and critical thinking in an atmosphere of joy, respect and open discussion.

NORTH CAROLINA

OREGON

Shabbat School (Ages 6-11): Our Shabbat School program offers a fun and engaging way for young children to learn about Jewish holidays, traditions, and values. Music education is included. We hold twice-monthly classes for our youth who are ages six to eleven.

B’nai Mitzvah Preparation (Ages 11-13):  This program prepares students for their B’nai Mitzvah (a gender-neutral, non-binary term for “Bar Mitzvah” and “Bat Mitzvah”) with a focus on Jewish history, ethics, and the significance of the ceremony. Students are encouraged to explore their Jewish identity and develop a personal project as part of their preparation. We offer both one-year and two-year B’nai Mitzvah programs.

 

Grades offered: 1-4 (aleph class) and 7-8 (mitzvah class)

Meeting schedule: Aleph class meets two Sundays per month for 2 hours; Mitzvah class meets one Sunday per month for 2 hours | Aleph – Sunday, 1pm-3pm; Mitzvah – Sunday 11am – 1pm

Aleph: holidays, music, customs, dance (all year)

Mitzvah: history, ethics, comparative religion, traditions, culture, Bible and other texts

WASHINGTON

Grades offered: Preschool – 8th, B-Mitzvah, Adult Discussion Group

Meeting schedule: Biweekly | Sundays 9:30 AM – 11:45 AM

Mitzvah Secular Sunday School: Openly Secular – Proudly Jewish 

Classes are grouped by age, following a typical Sunday School curriculum with a secular focus. Our parents and children come from a wide range of backgrounds, including those who know nothing about Judaism and those who can share their love and knowledge of Jewish culture. In addition to families with two Jewish parents, our Shalom Sunday School families include interreligious, interracial, LGBTQ+, and those who have adopted Judaism. There is a place here for YOU!

Canada

ONTARIO

School Website: click here;  School Contact: Risa Morris. School takes place at the Glendon College campus of York University, 2275 Bayview Ave, Toronto

Grades offered: Tots preschool – Grade 7 plus Bnai Mitzvah program

Meeting schedule: Weekly classes for grades 1 – 7, Sunday mornings 10am – 12:30pm |  monthly classes for Tots and K, Sunday mornings 10:45am – 12:15pm

Our teachers deliver creative lessons based around age-appropriate themes, focused on tikkun o’lam, as are our daily music classes and Festivals. The school is a unique and welcoming community where children can learn about their Jewish heritage and culture in a supportive and inclusive environment.