Shoresh: Our Shabbat-based religious school program

Shoresh remains committed to providing meaningful, authentic Jewish experiences for learners. That is why we have sought input from current and prospective parents, learners, teachers, the KAM Isaiah Israel board and leadership, medical professionals, and others to determine how Shoresh learners will continue growing their Jewish roots this school year. 

Shoresh on Fridays will take place largely online this school year, with some important adjustments and improvements from the spring.

• Sessions will continue to emphasize connection and community building but with smaller groups and more teachers.This year’s curriculum will be adjusted to optimize the online setting while emphasizing Jewish values and texts and making Judaism relevant and personal.
• All learners will meet concurrently on Fridays at a time closer to the family Shabbat service, allowing for a more continuous Friday afternoon experience.
• Hebrew@Home will continue for 3rd-6th graders as the same high-quality, one-on-one midweek Hebrew program we have led the nation with for over six years.

As we discussed what Shoresh will look like this school year, these are the core values that have continued to shine through. These values are what we believe, what we teach our children, and what we strive to put into practice at Shoresh and throughout our lives. Kehillah, community, bonds us and holds us spiritually close to one another. Pikuach nefesh, saving a life, lifts up our need to protect each other. Derech eretz, doing the right thing, guides our decision making in everyday and large ways. Shevil ha’zahov, moderation, urges us to recognize that balancing multiple needs is difficult and constant. In all of the decisions we are and will be making, Shoresh will continue to come back to these core values.

Welcoming Shabbat as a community has been the cornerstone of Shoresh for years. It is my and many others’ favorite part of the week. While we cannot welcome Shabbat in person together, we can look to our core values for ways to continue these traditions this year. 

• Our family Shabbat service will allow for more family interaction as a kehillah(community).
• Shoresh families will be encouraged to continue and create traditions at home to connect within families and implement our values. 

These are undeniably big changes, and this will be a different experience than our in-person Shoresh program. While we recognize this difficult decision, we’re excited about what new opportunities for discovery may come for your child. Their important work to become an active, engaged Jew will take place in small groups with high-quality, passionate teachers. They’ll explore with the same inquiry-based and learner-centered methods inherent to Shoresh. And we will work with your child and family to maximize their Jewish development. We’re hopeful that we can hold some small group experiences that are in person sometime this year. Those are, of course, contingent on public health circumstances to ensure everyone’s safety and health.

Tuition has been decreased slightly to account for the changes to the Shoresh budget. No family will be turned away from Shoresh or KAM Isaiah Israel due to financial hardship. Most of our budget is spent on people, and we are prioritizing hiring high-quality, trained teachers for Shoresh. Please request financial assistance as needed—we will support you financially and emotionally as a valued member of our KAM Isaiah Israel family. We know that this year, especially, we will provide more tuition assistance to support our community.