NESS

Kol Emeth was honored to participate in NESS (Nurturing Excellence in Synagogue Schools),  a 3-year project of the Bureau of Jewish Education and was modeled on a program created by the Auerbach Central Agency of Jewish Education in Philadelphia. NESS was made possible through the generous support of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties and PELIE.

 

Articulating the Mission of the Synagogue School

by Michael Kahan, Ness POD Chair, 2009-2011

The mission statement was formulated by the Strategy and Leadership Subcommittee of NESS, but it is a product of many sources.  It draws from the work of the entire NESS committee, from responses to the parent survey that was carried out last year by  the NESS consultants, from Kol Emeth synagogue documents (such as the pre-rabbinic search committee's work), and from traditional Jewish sources. The mission statement is in two parts: a brief statement of purpose, followed by five core values that express what kind of community we would like our school to be.  

  The purpose of the Kol Emeth youth education program is:

To lay the foundation of a strong and joyful Jewish identity, upon which every child can build a life of learning, celebration, and ethical action. 

 

Our School Community Strives to Be: 

·      A Welcoming Community: Our school is committed to creating a community that embraces and supports its students, parents, teachers, and staff.  Our school’s atmosphere is warm and personal, welcoming and diverse, encompassing a wide range of family types, learning styles, and Jewish backgrounds.  Our school is also an integral part of a larger community: a vibrant, intergenerational synagogue to which our students contribute their joy and energy, and from which we draw strength and wisdom. 

·      A Community of Lifelong Learners: We believe that Jewish learning is a lifelong activity, and that the purpose of our school is to begin, not to complete, a Jewish education.  Our goal is for all our students to graduate with the desire and the tools they need to continue learning.  We know that parents and teachers are on their own Jewish journeys, and we strive to create opportunities for them to learn along with the students.  We believe that learning takes place in formal and informal contexts, and we provide programs for children and families in and out of the classroom. 

·      A Community both Traditional and Modern: Our school takes Jewish tradition seriously, and approaches it through a modern lens.  Through the observance of customs and holidays, we connect with the history of the Jewish people, and our tradition is alive, evolving with every generation.  At the center of this tradition is the encounter between Israel and God as expressed in the Torah.  Our students are invited to find their place in this relationship, to discover the meaning of the sacred in their own lives.  They experience the peace of Shabbat, the revelry of Purim, the shelter of the Sukkah, and the joy of Simchat Torah.  They study Hebrew as a gateway to traditional prayers and sources, and they approach Jewish texts in a setting that respects their intellect and encourages their questions.  Our school, like our synagogue, is committed to a Judaism that is fully gender-egalitarian.  Boys and girls at our school prepare for leadership in every aspect of Jewish life. 

·      Part of a Worldwide Community: Judaism links us not only with Jews past and future, but also with Jews around the world.  Our diverse traditions enrich our school, where students learn Jewish customs from across the globe; we expect that our graduates will be able to walk into any synagogue in the world and feel at home.  At the same time, our school emphasizes the special role of one place--the land of Israel--in Jewish history and life. 

·      A Community Engaged with the World Around Us: Our students and their parents belong to many communities, and much of our time is spent in secular settings.  We view this as an opportunity to bring a Jewish sensibility to the non-Jewish world.  We teach children to carry their identity and values into every sphere of life.  Our teachers connect traditional text study and Jewish observance with modern social realities.  Through the practice of mitzvot (commandments), tzedakah (righteousness) and tikkun olam (repairing the world), our students and graduates carry Jewish values beyond the walls of the school and synagogue, into the world.

 

For more information on Kol Emeth's Religious School contact the Director of Lifelong Learning, Rabbi Laurie Matzkin or her assistant Ariana Schroder.