Home

Religious School Mission Statements

October 16, 2007 - 6:11pm — Resources Editor
By Rabbi Shai Gluskin

From Kehillat Israel, Pacific Palisades, CA:
Statement of Purpose: To develop motivated, engaged students who are involved in active learning, love being Jewish and feel a strong sense of community and are enrolled regardless of ability to pay.
From Mishkan Shalom, Philadelphia, PA:
The mission of the school of Congregation Mishkan Shalom is to inspire in students commitment to avodah (prayer and spiritual growth), to Torah (study), and to tikkun olam and gemilut hasadim (repair of the world and of caring) through the learning and experience of Jewish texts, rituals, values, and history/civilization. The philosophy of the school , reflected in all aspects of its operation, is based on the founding Statement of Principles of Mishkan Shalom.
From Or Hadash, Fort Washington, PA:
We see our school as a place to help our children to learn through an interactive educational approach, and with critical, creative thinking. The children should discover their personal relationships with Judaism as a civilization, study the Torah as an expression of God's relationship with humankind, and connect with Jews throughout the world.
From Oseh Shalom, Laurel, MD:
The mission of the Oseh Shalom Religious School is to teach and promote living Judaism – from a perspective of Reconstructionist thought and practice – as the way to create personal, communal and ecological tikkun.

The School Renewal Task Force, established in October 2000 to undertake a review of curriculum and to envision the future for OSRS programs, reaffirmed the Mission Statement. It also established two organizational goals that complement the Mission. All Religious School programs are designed to accomplish these two goals:

To foster Jewish literacy, including the following components:
  • Values & concepts
  • Texts – Tanach
  • History – Experience of the Jewish People
  • Hebrew (i.e., language)
To engender an appreciation for Jewish living, including the following aspects:
  • Spirituality
  • Rituals & their meaning
  • Ethics (Tikkun)
Note that we are not claiming to foster a commitment to Jewish living, though this is indeed our hope. Though we feel our program will make this more likely, it is the actions of home, synagogue, and community interacting with school that will be the ultimate determinant of commitment.
Return