Meaningful, fun Jewish education for Pre-K through 10th graders

Like Or Hadash as a whole, the SMILE school is committed to welcoming people of all backgrounds, including interfaith families, LGBTQ individuals, and people of all races, ethnicities and abilities. 

The children who grow up in our community are nurtured and celebrated as they mature and reveal themselves in all their wonderful, complicated glory. Our school is big enough to support diverse students, yet small enough that we customize our program according to their needs and passions.

We understand Judaism as a CIVILIZATION. In addition to religious belief and practice, Jewish civilization includes art, music, food, language, literature, ethics, social justice and more. Jewish people live in MULTIPLE CIVILIZATIONS today and we encourage children and families to bring their “whole selves” to class. Accordingly, we also reject the traditional idea of Jewish chosenness. 

We believe that Judaism’s longevity is a tribute to its ability to evolve as Jewish people dance with the wider world in which they live and, accordingly, we embrace that process. We teach everyone to give Jewish tradition “A VOTE, NOT A VETO,” exploring which aspects of our Jewish civilization resonate with us and why or why not. We invite one another to question traditional Jewish conceptions of God as we explore what we understand as divine and what inspires us to live lives imbued with holiness.

Our K – 6th graders participate in classes on Sunday mornings from 9am – 12:30pm. Students also join us for an ascending number of Shabbat, holiday and life cycle events annually.

Our 5th & 6th graders also participate in Mensch to Mensch, “M2M,” our intergenerational Hebrew Program. Our students meet with their adult mensches between Sunday sessions to build their Hebrew and prayer skills and build warm relationships.

Our 7th – 9th graders attend our Prosdor Program on Sundays from 11:15am – 1pm. 

Many of our teens support  our younger students’ Jewish education from 9 – 11:15am before their own class on Sundays.

Madrihim – 7^th & 8^th grade School Aides – and Junior Teachers – 9^th & 10^th graders – lead games & crafts, set up technology, support individual students, create skits, help in the office, take pictures, decorate bulletin boards, plus other roles to be imagined by THEM! Moreh Adam meets with Madrihim & Junior Teachers each Sunday from 10:45 – 11:15am to reflect on the morning & plan for the next session. All Madrihim & Junior Teachers can earn Community Service Hours. Those in 8th grade can opt to be paid for their work in the school.

Or Hadash’s unique building and campus are the perfect home for our distinctive Smile School. As the children share the space, hang their art on the walls, cultivate the land, and play inside and out, their sense of belonging grows … both to Or Hadash and to Judaism itself.