Congregation Beth Jacob Religious School: Values. Inclusion. Community.
We study the stories, prayers, and language of Judaism through the lens of our values:
chesed (loving kindness), tzedakah (charity), caring for the Earth, and for each other.
Our Philosophy
Congregation Beth Jacob is a joyful and caring home where students learn to embrace their Jewish identity.
It is a place where every student discovers the importance of Jewish values, learning, and community. As our children grow into Jewish adults, we guide them in finding their true inner selves through a connection to something much greater than themselves.
We teach a values-based curriculum that builds empathy, character, and self-esteem through the teaching of Torah, prayers, and mitzvot (good deeds). Our clergy, teachers, and staff partner with parents to guide children toward becoming kind people, mensches, and leaders in our community.
Goals
Upon completion of their formal Jewish education at CBJ, our students should be able to:
- Live ethical Jewish lives
- Perform acts of tikkun olam (“repairing the world”) and mitzvot (good deeds or obligations to goodness)
- Participate actively and with understanding in prayer services
- Be able to read Hebrew and recognize key words
- Feel a love for the state of Israel
- Understand a broad sweep of Jewish history, with special emphasis on events of the past 100 years
- Identify as a member of k’lal Yisrael (the greater, worldwide Jewish community)
- Participate in informal Jewish education (We encourage students to participate in Jewish youth groups and summer camps in order to gain a sense of belonging in the local Jewish community.)
Inclusion
A safe, accepting community does not happen by chance. CBJ has worked hard to ensure that inclusion is both an explicit and implicit value in our school. Our staff take the time to get to know each student and keep the individual student’s needs paramount.
Our faculty includes an expert in child development and behavior, Dr. Lauren Ferber. Lauren is a present during Religious School hours to give our lead teachers the support they need, to ensure that every child can participate to their full capacity. She has also been invaluable support to parents and children outside of Religious School time.
Many of our families are interfaith and feel fully at home in our community. Our student and parent body is racially diverse, and we welcome children and parents of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
Abraham our forefather was a wanderer and a foreigner. Moses stuttered. King David was the 7th son of a shepherd. If our ancient stories have one lesson for us, it is this: out of vulnerability can emerge new strength, and people who are different will create a new tomorrow. In the words of the Psalms (118:22), “The stone that the builders rejected became the cornerstone,” and in the words of Isaiah the prophet (49:7), “The one who is despised…kings will see him and rise.”
See Our Curriculum
Contact Us
To contact the Religious School, please call the office at 650-366-8483, or contact one of our staff directly (see below).
Jeni Markowitz Clancy, School Director
jeni@bethjacobrwc.org
Rabbi Ilana Goldhaber-Gordon, Associate Rabbi and Religious School Spiritual Director
rabbiilana@gmail.com
Tim Niven, Youth Coordinator and Teen Director
Tim@bethjacobrwc.org