Ambassadors' Reports

Task Force Report

Religious School Task Force

November 14, 2019

Task Force Attendees:

Rina Liebeskind, Or Chadash Exec. Admin & Director of Youth Engagement

Jill Sobieszyk, 3^rd-4^th gr. Or Chadash RS Teacher

Suzie Stadheim, 4^th & 7^th gr. Or Chadash Parent

Abby Limmer, Temple Emanu-El Kurn Religious School Director

Allison Neja, 6^th gr. Temple Emanu-El Teacher, 5^th gr. Parent

Marla Harris and Jared Rubin, 2^nd and 4th gr. Temple Emanu-El Parents

Brie Finegold, Temple Emanu-El Board of Directors, 8^th grade teacher, 3^rd grade parent

Existing Collaboration/Commonalities

The joint 8^th grade trip to Jewish Los Angeles transformed last year into a joint 7^th-8^th grade trip that will repeat in 2021. One joint Camp Experience rather than separate camp fairs. Working to rename JCTEY and JJCTEY to include OC students in TE’s NFTY-affiliated youth groups.

Both synagogues participate in the Shinshinim program and both have a madrichim program. Both synagogues cover many of the same topics in the curricula, though not necessarily in the same grades.

Existing Schedules

Steps to a Future Merger

• Have social functions for the students to become one community. Recruit middle schoolers from OC and TE with older kids help into NFTY-affiliated youth groups.
• Work with Finance Task Force to determine to what extent merging of schools will change budget and/or reduce tuition.
• Decide how to align schedules for both Hebrew School. Possibilities include:
  • Two days per week of Hebrew school to which any member can choose to attend one or the other consistently throughout the year – this could be transitional or permanent
    • Have same curriculum, same teachers
    • Have different curricula, different teachers
  • One day per week of Hebrew school
• Decide how to align Sunday School schedules and curricula:
  • Later than 9am start and have 3 hours or have 2.5 or 2.75 hours
  • 9 am start and noon end (no one seemed interested in ending earlier than noon)
  • Work to keep chuggim (electives) as well as signature events like Mitzvah Fair, etc.
  • Set aside appropriate furniture and custodial help to accommodate larger classes (this is plausible to do at Temple Emanu-El)

Table 1: These are the numbers per grade for the 2019-2020 years. Once combined, some of the grades will have to be divided into 2 classes.

*Pre-K includes 2 years of students, 3- and 4-year olds.

• Decide on B’nei Mitzvah Schedules and Training
  • Resolve conflicts for 2 dates: 10/17/20 and 10/24/20
  • Unify B’nei Mitzvah Training practices with Ritual Committee help. This will only happen with a full synagogue merger, not with a joint school but separate congregations.
• Work to unify Hebrew school curricula and incorporate Hebrew @Home.
• Decide whether to pursue accreditation since that will be lost.

Risks and Mitigations

• People may feel like they “don’t know everybody”
  • More kids mean stronger sense of Jewish belonging/identity, less chance of being the only one
• Changing the schedules may alienate people
  • Offer both schedules on weekdays to find what people gravitate towards 
  • Offer some of the same activities but on a different timeline/compromise on timing
• People may lose programs that they enjoy or feel that curriculum has changed too much
  • Point out new opportunities due to larger classes and more resources
  • Work to identify people’s favorite activities and preserve them
  • Work to include teachers (and parents) in unification of curricula

• Or Chadash would lose its accreditation
  • Work to regain it so as to preserve prestige as only AZ accredited religious school

• Change of location may alienate people
  • Facilitate carpooling
  • Strengthen Hebrew @Home
• Having to reduce staff or financially support two sets of staff
  • Allow for natural attrition
• Conflicting B’nei Mitzvah schedules may force kids to choose whose to attend or alienate families with special ties to that date.
  • Joint B’nei mitzvot
  • Morning and afternoon service