Areas of Learning

Our curriculum revolves around five Areas of Learning:

  1. Ivrit / Hebrew ~ Through games & movement, language integration, and study of the language, our students learn to read basic liturgical and Modern Hebrew & begin to develop a vocabulary.
  2. Spiritual Life ~ Blending the traditional with the modern, our students build “synagogue skills” (i.e.: prayer fluency and familiarity with Jewish ritual objects and life-cycle moments) and learn Torah and Haftarah trope while also gaining exposure to multiple forms of spiritual practice (yoga, meditation, chant, etc.). Students also learn about how Jews have understood and connected with God, and begin to articulate their own relationship with the Divine. We celebrate holidays and the Jewish year-cycle together both as a school and with the larger GJC community, and give students the tools to connect the joy of celebrating our Jewish year to their homes and shul alike!
  3. Torah ~ From our youngest learners who interact through imaginative play with the stories and themes of theTorah, to our pre-B’nai Mitzvah students who delve into rabbinic, medieval, and modern sources to blast open our tradition, we encourage all of our students to dive into the well-spring of Torah and discover all of the varied ways in which Torah, Halacha, and Jewish Values can illuminate our lives.
  4. History ~ Our students study the major concepts and ideas that evolved during various periods of Jewish history, including traditions from ancient Israel; the destruction of the Temple and formation of the Diaspora; Medieval Jewish life and the Golden Age of Spain; the flowering of Yiddish culture; the rise of modern Jewish movements; the effects and significance of the Holocaust; the birth, development, and unfolding history of the State of Israel; and the establishment and growth of American Jewish Communities.
  5. Jewish Culture ~ Both as Jews and as Americans, we live in multiple civilizations and all hold multiple identities! Students in our school learn about Jewish culture in all of its pluralism and diversity – not only in Israel and the United States, but around the world. As we study Jewish culture, we also explore the different and varied stories that each student carries as part of their unique heritage.