Religious School

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley reopened its religious school in 2023, as part of the congregation's wish to create a multi-generational community. We welcome students from the entire West Valley.

 

Our small school allows us to provide individual attention. We have a team of volunteer teachers from our community who work with students under the guidance of the rabbi. Families of our religious school students are actively involved in the religious and social life of the Temple, including attending services on Friday nights. 

 

Our Temple is committed to providing a warm and caring environment for all students to explore their spirituality. We aspire to inspire each student to develop a love of Jewish learning and provide the opportunity for them to participate actively in Jewish ritual and holiday observances. Learning is both individualized and personalized. 

 

We also want to help each student to feel emotions related to the biblical stories and ritual acts they are learning about. Our educational experience is not just about learning facts but is centered on what those facts can and do mean for us as human beings. We also engage them with a series of values based on Professor Martin Seligman’s positive psychology. 

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Temple Beth Shalom offers study opportunities leading to confirmation at a minimum age of 15, and bar and bat mitzvah at a minimum age of 13. 

 

As part of the confirmation process, the older kids will study advanced material dealing with various themes across Jewish studies. We're trying to build a distinctly Reform approach to Judaism that emphasizes personal religious autonomy while at the same time emphasizing the vibrancy and seriousness of religious commitment.

 

With the limited hours available, American religious schools cannot teach students as much as they would really need to become highly educated Jews. What we do hope to do is to inspire them to want to continue their education into their college years and far beyond. 

Please contact the TBS office at 623.977.3240 for further information.