Temple Beth-El

The Kehillah Project at the Gershwind Family Religious School

Welcome to The Kehillah Project!

Learning • Belonging • Becoming

Ready to join The Kehillah Project? Click here.

Mission

Community: Kehillah is in our name and our mission. The Kehillah Project is a joyous, forward-thinking Jewish education program designed to enhance our children’s lives through fun, innovative, and active experiences. We believe that Jewish community is at its most vibrant when our children are rooted in and inspired by core Jewish values like inclusivity, character building and Tikkun Olam. The Kehillah Project complements children’s secular lives, encouraging development of Jewish identity and values. The education extends beyond the classroom to include the child’s family as well as our North Shore neighbors. The core values we cherish are:

  • Kehillah (Community): Children engage with each other across grade levels and develop connections with our congregation through intergenerational participation.
  • Inclusivity: Our children recognize that Jewish families are diverse, accepting, and welcoming – this is a place of belonging.
  • Tikkun Olam: Our children are mensches in progress, repairing the world.
  • Curiosity, creativity, and compassion: Our children want to be at The Kehillah Project because we engage with their interests and meet them where they’re at.
  • Personalized participation in Jewish traditions: Our children bring learning home and families are an intrinsic part of the community.
  • Informed choice: Our children are committed Reform Jews, learning to make knowledgeable choices.
  • Israel: We develop a deep love for our people and our homeland.

Vision

Working with inspired and energetic teachers in a warm, inclusive community, The Kehillah Project offers a mix of social, cultural, social action, and educational experiences that create a joyful and meaningful connection to Judaism. Children work together on projects, form lasting peer-group relationships, and plan and carry out local and global acts of Tikkun Olam. We weave Jewish identity through our children’s and their families’ lives from our Early Childhood program through high school. 

Educational Philosophy

The Kehillah Project curriculum stands on pillars of Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Chasadim—study, worship, and action. Through active, communal experiences, we instill core Jewish values, foster Social and Emotional Learning, and develop critical thinking tools to develop the attributes of thoughtful, responsible, proud Jews with the resources to make choices aligned with these values through a lifelong Jewish identity. The children regularly connect with our broader Jewish community and communities of other faiths, fostering understanding and partnership with our neighbors through field trips, active social justice projects, and opportunities for engagement beyond our walls.

What makes The Kehillah Project different?

Innovative Programming: Thoughtfully designed programs to engage and enrich our children’s Jewish identities
Hebrew Through Movement, annual Tikkun Olam Shark Tank competition, STEM projects, quarterly off-site trips, and more. 

Our Vibe: Inclusive and interfaith family environment
We’re a welcoming space for everyone! Whether your family is Jewish by birth or by choice, you are welcome at The Kehillah Project.

Family-Friendly Scheduling: Keeping Parents in Mind

Sunday mornings: 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m./ K-7th grade. 
On Sunday mornings we gather as a community. Instead of dropping your child off, we invite you and members of the TBE community to join us in song and prayer for the first 30 minutes. Monthly optional programming will be offered for parents—we want our children and our families to feel a sense of community.

Tuesday evenings from 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m./4th-7th grade, with an optional 5 p.m. drop-off 
We moved our time later, in hopes that this would be more manageable for parents. Our doors will be open at 5 p.m. for dinner, socializing, and homework help (if needed). We want to make Tuesday nights fun for your kids and easier on you.

Additional family programs throughout the year!

Our Programming

Take a Peek:

Hebrew Through Movement
At the Kehillah Project our children will be exposed to Hebrew using the innovative Hebrew Through Movement program. This program introduces Hebrew in a playful and meaningful way, creating a positive first link between children and Hebrew. Hebrew Through Movement (HTM) is supported by the latest brain research on learning, providing an aural foundation for Hebrew that opens the door to more facile Hebrew decoding and reading. To learn more, visit their website directly at hebrewthroughmovement.org.

Tikkun Olam Programming
The spirit of Tikkun Olam will be woven into everything at the Kehillah Project. To encourage this throughout our school community, we’ll be hosting an annual Tikkun Olam Shark Tank competition. We want to engage our children in thinking about innovative and inspiring ways to connect to their jewish identities through repairing the world, as well as think about social entrepreneurship. The winning project will be a congregation-wide initiative. 

In addition to our Shark Tank event, the Kehillah Project will be taking quarterly off-site trips to help our children actively participate in Tikkun Olam. We’ll visit other communities of faith to expand our acceptance and understanding of others. We’ll visit food pantries and other community service providers to get hands-on experience in making the world a better place.

STEM Projects
Israel is known as the “start-up nation” and we want our children to be exposed to the innovations coming out of Israel. We’ll also be engaged in science lessons, learn about inventors and progress in water usage and food production, as well as age appropriate coding activities.

Sample Program Schedule:

Sundays (K through 7th)
9:30 – 10 a.m.
Students, parents, and community members are all invited to join our morning t’fillah.  There will be interactive components, learning, and student led prayers.  One week we might focus on one prayer, and the next week another, learning and understanding prayer together.

10 – 11:45 a.m.
Experiential learning session in a cohort with age-appropriate peers.  Students will learn important Jewish values through hands-on projects.

11:45 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Our final 15-minutes will always be spent together as a community, creating a sacred ritual.  We will close the day with song, prayer, or celebrating a simcha (a joyous occasion).  Parents are invited to come join.

Monthly we’ll have special programming from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. for the entire school, creating connections between students from different grades and allowing us to come together as one community. These programs will be holiday programs, tikkun olam projects, trips, and more.  

Tuesdays (4th through 7th)
5 – 5:30 p.m.
We will have an open area for students to come socialize, eat dinner, and do their homework before classes begin.

5:30 – 7 p.m.
Students will work in small groups based on Hebrew level, to learn decoding, meaning, pronunciation, and conversation. A whole language and movement approach in the early grades will make the Hebrew acquisition feel natural. The instruction will be flexible and tailored to each student. 

2024-2025 Fee Structure

  • $250 per K-3rd grade child; nonmembers $700
  • $500 per 4th-7th grade child; nonmembers $1400
  • Individual Hebrew tutoring is available for an extra cost; please reach out to Rabbi Megan Brumer if interested

Temple Beth-El is a synagogue for everyone. We have scholarships and generous financial assistance for families. No one is ever turned away because of their financial situation.

Registration Form

Ready to join the Kehillah Project? Click here.

Contact

If you are interested in learning more about our program and membership, please be in touch! To schedule an appointment with Rabbi Megan Brumer or Executive Director Stu Botwinick, reach out to or call Joy Palevsky in the office at 516-487-0900.

Be sure to follow The Kehillah Project on Facebook and Instagram!