Our Religious School

For more information regarding days, times, curriculum, fees, and to register click here.

Kesher Program Overview
 

Kesher is the Hebrew word for "connection." Everything we do in Kesher promotes a close connection between students, families, teachers, clergy and caregivers. We believe that Judaism provides the framework and the language for spiritual development that strengthens a person, our temple community, and the world at large. We are proud to do this through a Reform Jewish lens.

What makes us different? We are:

• Unequivocally egalitarian. We believe everyone should be fully included in all aspects of Jewish life.

• Proudly inclusive. LGBTQ+, interfaith, people of color, and special needs folks are welcomed and cherished as part of the community.

• Thriving post-B-Mitzvah. Our students stay involved well past the B-Mitzvah ceremony. Our goal is for everyone to be lifelong participants in Jewish life, constantly discovering how ancient wisdom speaks to our modern lives.

Our Kesher Vision:

Kesher at Woodlands Community Temple is a warm, welcoming, inclusive, joyful experience. The program seeks personal resonance with learners in order to inspire a deep relationship with Judaism throughout their lives, providing a foundation for strong Jewish identity and active participation in Jewish life. 

Kesher means “connection” and building an inclusive community is one of the central tenets of our program. Families are key partners in their child’s journey of Jewish living and learning throughout their time at Kesher. There are many opportunities to build a sense of belonging and shared experience: from community time filled with music and prayer, to family learning, to tzedakah (righteous giving) and social action projects. Students and their families are integrated into the larger synagogue community for Shabbat dinners, Shabbat services and other holiday festivities.This helps Kesher students and families to not only learn to feel comfortable in the synagogue, but also gives them the opportunity to experience authentic Jewish rituals and traditions, giving real-life application and deeper meaning to their learning.

We are proud to see a great majority of our learners participate in temple life well past B-Mitzvah through Confirmation, Graduation and into their lives as adults. We aim to create a robust, inclusive community of lifelong Jewish learners by making Kesher accessible with differentiated learning. Our professional staff and teachers provide an enthusiastic, stimulating learning environment while aiming to understand and accept individual differences and incorporating the latest insights in Jewish and secular education. We celebrate the wholeness of each student, appreciating their diverse family stories as well as their personal learning needs.

Key components of our Kesher curriculum include: God, Torah, Israel and Hebrew. We encourage Kesher learners to explore different pathways to and concepts of God, focusing on our evolving, individual relationships to God. In order to do this, our learners become familiar with the Torah and other major Jewish texts. Engagement with these texts provides strong insights into the history of our people and the development of values we treasure including a  connection to Israel in all its forms: Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel), Am Yisrael (the Jewish people), Medinat Yisrael (the modern State of Israel). We learn to decode Hebrew in order to access Jewish thought, history, and prayer. We prepare learners for active participation in Jewish lifecycle moments and rituals, while understanding the deeper meaning behind our people’s prayers, customs, and holidays.

At Kesher, students learn to think critically about Jewish ritual and values. This happens through music, art, experiential projects, holiday celebrations and text study. We believe it is important to incorporate fun and joy (ruach) in our learning, while encouraging thoughtful discussion, personal expression, and spiritual connection.