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Contact Us

Congregation Or Shalom
835 Darby Paoli Road
Berwyn, PA 19312
Tel: 610-644-9086
office@orshalom.com

Contacts

Spiritual Leader:
Cantor Stephen Freedman

President:
Betsy Cohen

Education Director:

Office Manager:
Lauren Porter

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Our Religious School

Our School celebrating Sukkot

Mission Statement

Mission Statements of Or Shalom Religious School 

Welcome to the Religious School at Congregation Or Shalom. We provide a unique curriculum centered on experiential learning, which entails: an emphasis on student-led Prayer minyans, acquiring Ritual and Liturgical skills, engaging in Music, Drama, Arts and Crafts, and learning Hebrew.

Arts Program:    We encourage students to engage with our tradition creatively. The Or Shalom Religious School has a long history of a rich Arts Program filled with: music, instruments, drama, dance, Alef/Bet Yoga, Arts and Crafts, and Holiday cooking. The Arts Program is woven into the fabric of the school through stories, songs, and plays (through acting, the students interpret Biblical characters and learn about Jewish Holidays.)

Hebrew as a Foreign Language Program: Hebrew is taught as a foreign language.  Students learn how to decode, read, and write   Hebrew. Alef/Bet Yoga experientially aids in forming and recognizing letters through their shapes and parts.  Students are introduced to Biblical Hebrew through weekly Minyan, their textbooks, study of the Weekly Torah Portion, and monthly Friday night Shabbat School.  Hebrew is incorporated into observance of the Jewish Holidays through creative activities:  Seders, plays, songs, cooking, games, music, and dance. We recognize Hebrew as our cultural heritage.

Ritual and Liturgical Skills: Our school encourages students to develop Ritual and Liturgical skills, which helps them explore and cultivate a relationship with God, become active participants in Prayer Services and our Prayerbook acquaints them with the rich spiritual jewels of the Bible and Jewish Literature. We strive to provide a supportive atmosphere where students question, explore, and actively cultivate their unique Jewish identities. By the time our students reach their B’nei Mitzvah they feel as though they are an integral part of our kehillah (community).

 

 

School Hours

Gan (Kindergarten)* Sundays 9:45 am  to 12:30 pm
Alef (1st grade) Sundays 9:45 am  to 12:30 pm
Bet (2nd grade) Sundays 9:45 am  to 12:30 pm
Gimmel to Zayin (3rd to 7th grades) Sundays 9:45 am  to 12:30 pm
Tuesdays 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm

*Age 5 by September 1st

 

School Calendar

CONGREGATIONS/Chag School:
Rosh Ha Shanah, Mon.,     Sept. 26, 2022, 10 am to 12:30 pm
Yom Kippur,         Wed.,      Oct.  05, 2022,  10 am to 12:30 pm
Sukkot,  (Eve)       Sun.,       Oct.  09, 2022,    5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Simchat Torah,    Mon.,      Oct. 17, 2022,  6 to 7:30 pm
Shabbat Eve,       Friday,     Nov. 18, 2022, 6 to 7:30 pm
Shabbat Eve,       Friday,      Dec. 16, 2022, 6 to 7:30 pm
Shabbat Eve,       Friday,      Jan.  20, 2023, 6 to 7:30 pm
Shabbat Eve,       Friday,      Feb. 17, 2023, 6 to 7:30 pm
Purim                    Mon.,       Mar. 06, 2023, 6 to 7:30 pm
Shabbat Eve,       Friday,      Apr. 21, 2023,  6 to 7:30 pm
Shabbat Eve,       Friday,      May 19, 2023,  6 to 7:30 pm

RELIGIOUS SERVICES: Shabbat Services begin every Friday at  7:30 pm except on 3rd Fridays when our Religious School joins us to “daven” selected prayers from Kabbalat Shabbat/Maariv, a Congregational Dinner follows.

Religious School: Sundays, 9:45 am to 12:30 pm,
Sept. 11th and 18th,
Tuesdays: ( Zoom) Sept. 13th, and  20th

 

READY SET ALEF-BET: ages: 4 to 7/8 yrs.
Sundays 2022:
9:45am to 12:30 p., 9/11, 10/02, 11/6, 12/4, 12/18
Sundays 2023:
9:45am to 12:30pm, 1/08, 2/05, 3/12/, 4/02, 5/07, 5/21

GIMEL/DALET/HEY/VAV, ZAYIN CLASSES: 3RD TO 7TH GRADES:     
Sundays: 9:45am to 12:30 pm
Tuesday, Zoom School:  4:30 pm to 6 pm

CONFIRMATION/MADRICHIM: Sundays/Jewish holidays