Temple Israel’s Hebrew school began soon after the Temple was created in the 1920’s to bring Jewish education to the children of congregants. Our Temple is affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and with the help of principal Gerri Kaplan the School has achieved its “School of Excellence” status. In fact, our school was among the very first small schools to be awarded this designation.
Since then, we partnered with Temple B’nai B’rith, the Reform synagogue in our community to create a shared Hebrew School, now called Midrasha. Gerri Kaplan is Interim Principal.
Our original Hebrew School, and now Midrasha, has had teachers and principals throughout the years who are stellar educators. At present, we not only have a multicultural student base, from families of varied backgrounds, but our teachers also come from Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform backgrounds. Our students learn not only what Conservative Judaism stands for but are also exposed to other understandings and practices of Judaism. Regardless of their background, our teachers are all hard-working, dedicated professionals, devoted to the education of our children.
Our classes begin with preschool and continue beyond Bar and Bat Mitzvah. Our experienced staff teaches Hebrew fluency, prayer facility and understanding, Bible, Holocaust, Jewish rituals, Ethics, Israel, Holidays, History, and Life Cycle. They participate in educational programs like making their own authentic Matzah before Passover, making Shofars from actual ram’s horns, Havdalah candles for the conclusion of Shabbat, oil for traditional Chanukah menorahs, a Tu B’Shevat seder, and Yom HaAtzma’ut (Israel Independence Day) programs. We celebrate holidays like Sukkot, Simchat Torah, and Purim by inviting the congregation to join us for “Pizza in the Hut” during Sukkot, our Simchat Torah march, and our Purim Megillah reading and celebration.
For more information about Midrasha call the Temple Israel office at 570-824-8927.
Debbie Troy
Ilona Bruns- school board chair
Jeff Lubin
Sara Friedman
Adam Thalenfeld
Sam Brand
Lynn Rinehimer
Rabbi Kaplan
Gerri Kaplan
Principal. Gerri Kaplan
Pre-k-k. Susie Weiss
Grade 1-2. Leslie Baltimore
Grade 3. Rabbi Carolan
Grade 4. Leah Dougherty
Grade 5. Sara Friedman
Grade 6. Lynette Kislin
Grade 7. Cantor Abraham