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Education
Click here for our Education Calendar.
Religious School
Mission Statement
The Religious
School seeks to contribute to each student's moral and ethical education and
to provide our graduates with the knowledge and desire to lead an active adult
Jewish life. Towards that end,
Temple Beth Ami's Religious School is committed to providing an educational
program that encourages the development of children, youth and adults who:
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Affirm their Jewish identity and bind themselves
inseparable to the values and morals of the Jewish people by work and deed.
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Bear witness to the Brit (the covenant between God and
the Jewish people) through the practice of Mitzvot (commandments) as studied
in Torah and the classis Jewish literature it has generated and interpreted
in light of historic developments.
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Affirm their historic bond to Eretz Yisrael, the
land of Israel.
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Cherish and study Hebrew, the language of the
Jewish people as it relates to Tefilah (prayer).
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Further the causes of justice, freedom, and peace by
pursuing Tzedek (righteousness), Mishpat (justice), Chesed (loving deeds),
and Tikkun Olam (healing the world).
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Celebrate Shabbat and the festivals and observe the
Jewish Life Cycle Ceremonies marking significant occasions in their lives.
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Esteem their own person and the person of others;
their own family and the family of others; their own community and the
community of others.
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Express kinship with K'Lal Ysrael (the Jewish
people) by actively seeking the welfare of Jews throughout the world.
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Support and participate in the life of the Synagogue.
At Temple Beth Ami, we feel that Jewish education is one
of the most important elements of our congregation. We offer several
programs for children, teens, and adults.
Click
here for Sunday School and Religious School tuition and enrolment forms.
Our
Mommy & Me
program (ages 15 months to 30 months) meets at the Temple twice a month on Fridays for 90 minutes.
Children will learn about holidays, participate in arts and crafts projects,
enjoy challah and juice, and play with other children.
Our Preschool is open five days a week. Children
can enroll for five days or combinations of less than five days. The preschool
serves children the ages of 2 1/2 to 5 years.
For information
regarding enrollment, appointments with the director, classroom observation,
fees and schedules, please call Sherrie Zadok, preschool director at 661-255-6410.
A message can be left at voice mail box #4, and your call will be returned
promptly if Sherrie is not in the office. Click here
for more information about our Preschool program.
Our
Sunday
School begins at age 5. Sunday School is a fun introduction to Judaism, teaching
holiday rituals and basic history, introducing the Hebrew language beginning
with the Aleph Bet, and using songs, arts & crafts, and play activities to
interest the students. Click here for the Sunday
School curriculum.
Formal Religious/Hebrew School training
begins at age 9 or grade 4, with a comprehensive, professionally developed
4-year curriculum, designed to have the student ready for Bar/Bat Mitzvah by age
13. We teach Jewish literature, history, and culture, as well as the
Hebrew language. We aim to imbue the child with a love of God and our
traditions, pride in our heritage, a knowledge of holidays, music, and art, and
an appreciation of Israel and of Jewish values.
Religious School classes are held twice a
week. Click here for the Religious/Hebrew School
curriculum.
For post-B'nai Mitzvot, a Confirmation class is
offered. In addition, Temple Beth Ami offers Adult Education classes and an
Adult B'nai Mitzvah program.
If you need more information regarding our Education
programs, please contact education@templebethami.org.
OUR EDUCATION STAFF
Our
Administrator
Teri Knafla
came to Temple Beth Ami with an extensive background in Administration.
This will be her 6th year as the Administrator and Principal
of both the Religious school and Sunday school. Teri adheres to the school's
mission statement and keeps the lines of communication open between students,
parents, and the Education Committee, as well as the community at large.
Teri leads the teachers' staff meetings and reports to the Education
Committee. She plans and organizes
all school activities including the school's Passover and Tu B'Shevat Seders,
Chanukah and Purim parties, and other school programs. Teri is a member of the
Education committee and Temple Beth Ami's Sisterhood.
Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Teri now lives in Saugus with
her husband, Harry, and their son. In
her spare time, Teri enjoys running and cooking for family and friends.
Our
Teachers
Dov Hack
was born in Poland, raised in Israel, and has lived in the U.S. since 1968.
He went to college in Connecticut, where he also taught Hebrew School.
Having been a member of Temple Beth Ami for seven years, Dov has taught
every level of Hebrew in our Religious school and Sunday school programs and
currently teaches Hebrew in our Sunday school.
Dov is an engineer by profession.
His
hobbies include hiking and riding his bike.
Dov and his wife Sandy live in Valencia, and have two grown children.
Jackie Davis
was born and raised near Chicago, and received her B.A. in Anthropology from
Northern Illinois University. During
her summers off from college, she worked as a summer camp counselor at Beth
Tikvah Congregation. Jackie and her
husband, Norm, moved to Albuquerque, N.M. where she studied at the University of
New Mexico and received her M.A. in Linguistics. Jackie and her family have been members of Temple Beth Ami
for eight years. She has been on
the Temple's education committee for a number of years, and currently teaches
the Religious school's level 1 Judaica class.
She is also a member of Temple Beth Ami's Sisterhood.
Jackie, her husband, and their 4 children live in the
Santa Clarita Valley.
Evalyn Ticknor was born and raised in Israel.
She lives in Stevenson Ranch with her husband and three daughters. Evalyn
has been involved with Jewish studies for many years and she is happy to be back teaching after a long hiatus.
Her goal is for students to really get a feel for the Hebrew language as well as learn all of the prayers and rituals necessary for Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
She emphasizes not only the studying of prayers but also their importance and meaning.
When she's not here teaching, Evalyn is usually busy chauffeuring
her girls around Santa Clarita! Evalyn's family has known Rabbi Blazer for many years and
she feel fortunate to have the opportunity to teach at Temple Beth Ami.
Sarah Rensin was born in Long
Beach, raised in the Santa Clarita Valley, and graduated from Saugus High
School. She attended Otis college of Art and Design for two years and is now
finishing her B.A. in Jewish Studies at the University of Judaism. Sarah got her
first experience teaching from The Valley Art Institute (a non-accredited art
school designed to help high school students develop portfolios for admission
into art schools). She taught there for three years. Last summer she taught art
and directed the production of several murals at Camp Newman.
Our Classroom Aide
Avi Horn helps with the level 2 Hebrew class.
He has tutored Bar and Bat Mitzvah students and has traveled to Israel,
having lived in Israel for one year.
Avi
will be attending California State University-Northridge in the fall, majoring
in Psychology and Film. Although
his studies keep him busy, Avi enjoys drawing, and being with his family and
friends. He lives in the Santa
Clarita Valley.
Revised:
March 17, 2008
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