Learning
Whether you are Jewish, Jew-ish, non-Jewish, or “Jew-curious,” at every age and stage of life, we are here to guide, support, and inspire as you discover, explore, or deepen your connection to Judaism.
Sunday Education Hub
The Hub is the place to be to learn about Liberal Judaism in a fun, friendly and fully inclusive environment.
The Hub on Sunday mornings for students from Year 1 to Year 6. is the place to learn through creative experiences and exciting activities and a place to make friends. The Hub is run by a dedicated, knowledgeable and nurturing team of teachers and leaders.
The students learn about festivals and Jewish life cycle, the Synagogue and Israel. They also learn how to read Hebrew and how to hold short conversations in Ivrit. All the learning at the Hub is through experience. Activities include painting, sewing, drama, cooking, games, gardening, leading services trips, LJY mornings and making their own Judaica. Hebrew for Bar and Bat Mitzvah is taught on Sundays by our excellent Hebrew teachers who prepare the students for reading their portion and reciting blessings on the Bimah. Bar/Bat Mitzvah Jewish studies are taught by Rabbi Gershon on Saturday mornings.
There is something for everyone at the Hub and we’d love your child to be part of it!
Please contact Jacqueline Headteacher of the Hub for more details.
Bar- and Bat-Mitzvah lessons
The Bar/Bat Mitzvah programme at TLSE starts 18 months before the date of a Bat/Bar Mitzvah. The date is chosen by the family in consultation with the Rabbi and can be any Shabbat after the student’s 13th birthday. At TLSE the age for Bar or Bat Mitzvah is the same, 13 years of age or above in keeping with the Liberal Judaism ethos of equality for all.
Rabbi Gershon teaches a Bar/Bat Mitzvah class one Saturday a month and the session looks at Liberal Judaism and the Torah portion. All students are expected to attend these classes and to stay for the service after class with a family member. This will enable the family to be aware of the routine of a Shabbat morning service and help the student feel at home when it is her/his turn to lead from the bimah. All parents of Bar/Bat mitzvah students join the kiddush rota and are asked to help out with this on their given dates.
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Hebrew for Bar/Bat Mitzvah is available on a Sunday morning with our Hebrew teacher Sharon. Here the students learn the blessings and prayers needed for their Bat/Bar Mitzvah ceremony and to read their Torah portion.
Kabbalat Torah
Our Kabbalat Torah celebration marks the graduation from the Sunday Hub at age 15/16. We believe the Bar or Batmitzvah ceremony is a step on the journey towards Kabbalat Torah, which takes place two years later and is considered to be a more significant event in the lifetime of a young Liberal Jew.
Our KT service takes place once a year, normally to coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day in January - especially poignant as the KT class includes significant study of the history of Progressive Judaism in the 20th century.
Adult Education
TLSE offers a varied programme of adult education. Classes always take place on different days of the week, daytime and evening, in-person and on Zoom.
There is a Basic Judaism programme, primarily (but not exclusively) intended for those wishing to convert to Judaism as well as other discussion on Jewish matters, historical and contemporary as well as the occasional film of Jewish interest. Details of programmes can always be found in the synagogue calendar.
