Congregation Beth Israel

Religious School

We are a proud ISJL Education Partner!

To learn more about the Goldring Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, CLICK HERE!

The ISJL Education Curriculum is a spiraled curriculum, in which students revisit key content areas with increased sophistication as they progress through the curriculum. The ISJL is continually updating the curriculum not only to add content, but also to ensure it’s in line with current educational best practices and ever-evolving pedagogical understanding.

The ten key content areas are: Community, Culture and Symbols, God, Hebrew and Prayer, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Holidays, Jewish Lifecycle Events, Mitzvot and Jewish Values, and TaNaKh (Torah, Prophets, and Writings).

Community-Building

In addition to spending class time on core curricular topics, teachers place a strong emphasis on community-building throughout the year. Team building exercises, name games, and positive classroom management techniques are used to help students create friendships and feel connected in positive ways to their Jewish teachers and peers. Our favorite way to start class is with a quick share of “Joys & Oys” from the week!

T’filah (Prayer)

All students attend an age-appropriate T’filah (prayer) for 20-30 minutes during their session.

  • Kindergarten and 1st grade
  • 2nd-5th grade​​​​​​​

Specials

Each class participates in a full rotation of our special sessions each semester. These sessions include Art, Rabbi Visits, activities with our Austin community Shinshinim (teen Israeli ambassadors) and sometimes cooking!

Quick Links

Click Here to Register!

Register for the 26-27 School Year before classes fill!

Mid-Week Hebrew School

Our Wednesday evening Hebrew program is available for students in third though sixth grade. Each of the 24 sessions includes an all-school T’filah (prayer) service geared specially toward pre-B’nei Mitzvah students. While the core focus of Hebrew school is on Hebrew engagement, each grade’s approach is different.

In Person Hebrew School (3rd-6th grade) – 4:30-6:00 p.m.
In Person Hebrew School 6th Grade ONLY Later Session: 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Online Hebrew School (3rd-6th grade) – 5:00pm-6:30 p.m.

  • Third graders- Alef are introduced to Hebrew through a letter or vowel each week, through a modern Hebrew key word. As they build their knowledge, they begin to put the sounds together to read syllables. The class also compliments Sunday’s learning of Torah, by reading and discussing an age-appropriate summary of each week’s portion.
  • Fourth graders- Bet continue to review and build on learned Hebrew to read more complex syllables and words, using Hebrew workbooks and fun classroom games.
  • Fifth graders- Gimel use their Hebrew knowledge to begin learning prayerbook Hebrew, focusing on the first half of the Shabbat morning service. Using multiple resources, students learn the meaning of the prayers we say and sing and become more familiar with the words.
  • Sixth graders- Dalet focus on learning about and reading the prayers of the second half of the Shabbat morning service. Like the year before, students use multiple resources to learn the meaning of the prayers we say and sing and become more familiar with the words.

Want more information?

Please contact Carly Cera, Director of Education and Engagement, by email or at 512 454-6806 to set up a time to talk on the phone or in person. We look forward to getting to know you and your kids!

You do not have to become a member of Congregation Beth Israel to attend our youth education program, although membership is strongly encouraged and welcomed.