Filling a Need:

When Temple Beth Shalom opened its religious school five years ago, it faced a unique problem: how to create a synagogue community that integrates its newer members, mostly families with children of school age, with its longtime members, primarily seniors. “We have 400 member families; about 45 of those families are involved in the religious school,” says Program Director Elissa Rose. “We didn’t want to become two congregations, young and old.”

About eight years ago the Northwest Valley’s housing boom brought a number of younger Jewish families into an area that had been known as an enclave for seniors. As the only synagogue serving the Northwest Valley, TBS quickly realized the need to start a religious school for the growing numbers of children in its community. “We opened the school with nine kids,” Rose remem- bers. “Now we have about 60 students in the school, ranging from kindergarten through eighth grade.”

Kelly Pile, mother of a 13-year-old in TBS’ religious school, applauds Rose’s efforts to integrate newer and older members. “Elissa started a program that incorporates individual students into the Friday night services,” she says. “The kids come with their families, so now there’s also a steady stream of young families attending services, which is new for this community. It’s a win-win situation in that the older generation seems to appreciate the kids leading prayers during services. We also have multigener- ational community family dinners before services.”

Rose has spent her professional life as an educator, both in religious and public school settings. A native of Phoenix, Rose also knows first-hand both the geographic and social challenges of Jewish life in the Northwest Valley. “Most of our students may be the only Jewish kid in their school; this is one place where they can identify as part of a Jewish community,” she explains. “It’s import- ant to have a vital Jewish community on the west side of Phoenix, because all the other Jewish institutions are concentrated in Scottsdale or northeast of Phoenix, at least half an hour’s drive away.” TBS’ religious school succeeds because of Rose, according to Pile. “She’s a warm, caring person who cares passionately about educating our Jewish youth. She also has the experience and knowledge to provide a good education for our kids, and she’s hired a terrific staff.” Most importantly, says Pile, Rose has created a warm, welcoming environment for young families and their kids.

Rose believes that the atmosphere of TBS’ school is as important as the subjects it teaches. “One thing I personally do is make sure everyone who comes in the door feels like they’re coming to grandma’s house,” says Rose. “I want everyone to feel that they’re a part of a bigger family, that they’re linked to a Jewish community.” Like many liberal congregations, TBS has a number of inter- faith families, and Rose goes out of her way to make non-Jewish spouses feel at home. “We welcome non-Jewish parents with open arms,” she says. “I’ve done a lot of self-learning about Judaism; it’s an ongoing process. I have a great love for our tradition, and I want to share that love with all our congregants.”

The TBS religious school offers an impressive array of classes and programs. Students attend classes twice a week, on Wednes- days and Sundays. In addition to the Reform movement’s K-8 Chai Learning for Jewish Life curriculum, TBS offers supplemen- tal units on Israel, Jewish holidays, Jewish customs and practices, Bible history and Torah, ethics/values, prayer/God/spirituality and Hebrew. “We’re also expanding into a confirmation program, youth groups for each grade level, a preschool and bringing in NFTY (National Federation of Temple Youth) for high school students,” Rose adds.

Rose and TBS Rabbi Sheldon Moss, known to his congregants as Shelly, also offer a unique series of training seminars to families with kids preparing for b’nai mitzvah. “It’s based on the book Putting God on the Guest List by Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin,” says Rose. “It’s an opportunity for the families to bond with one another as we teach them about the ceremony.” Pile and her son Danny enjoyed the experience of preparing for his bar mitzvah, which they celebrated last November. “Danny’s tutor, Judy Gabai, who is also his religious school teacher, is fantastic,” says Pile. “She created an amazing bond with Danny, and that inspired and motivated him to learn a lot about what it means to become a bar mitzvah.” Pile is equally enthusiastic about Tammy Mandel, a law student who teaches Mishnah to the seventh and eighth grades. “Her curriculum is based on Jewish ethics and looking at Jewish law from a grown-up perspective, and Danny’s really enjoying her class. At that age it’s difficult to get kids excited about regular school, much less religious school, and having interesting topics to discuss really engages them.” Danny is also enjoying his role as tutor for younger students just beginning their Hebrew studies.

Pile also likes the small, relaxed atmosphere at TBS. “Compared to my experience as a child – I went to a large synagogue – the youth population here is smaller. It’s a very family-like atmosphere, and the teachers give the kids a lot of one-on-one attention. Every child, no matter their learning style, is given the means to be successful in the program. We know each other better, and I think the kids feel pretty connected to each other.”

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