541.488.7716 185 N. Mountain Ave Ashland, OR 97520

The Heimann Family Wisdom Garden School

Rabbi's Message

The word for education in Hebrew is chinuch and shares the same root as the name of our holiday called Hanukkah. The root of both words means dedication. It takes a student’s dedication to learn all about our rich history, holiday cycles, and prayers. And it takes dedication on the part of the staff to be able to impart such a long and rich tradition.

Dedication is the basis for a good Jewish education. But dedication alone is like a menorah without oil. The oil for the lamp of learning is joy.

A good teacher lights the emotional and spiritual lamp of each menorah that is inside each child. And this can only be done by making the curriculum fun, relevant, and joyous. That is what Hands on Judaism is all about.

Jewish Renewal has a special way of making the presence of G-d accessible and available to people of all ages through study, prayer, singing, story-telling, and art. Our school staff is dedicated to making each and every class as memorable an event as possible. Our school is geared toward developing a life long love of learning. While children are learning in a creative environment, they are learning all the traditional aspects of Jewish ethics & values, mitzvot, Torah, blessings and prayers. The program is child-centered, thus our children love to come.

We look forward to having your child/children in our monthly program. Please call 541-488-7716 for more info or e-mail Ayala Zonnenschein, our Executive Director, at ayala@ashlandhavurah.org.

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Register K-2       Register 3-6

School Philosophy

Our School Philosophy
By Ayala Zonnenschein, Havurah Executive Director
Psalm 90 that we chant on Shabbat mornings says “Teach us to treasure each day, that we may open our hearts to your wisdom.” This is the beauty of Judaism in a nutshell…the message that we strive to instill in our children.

Our children are our future. The future of the Jewish community is directly intertwined with the connection our children develop to their roots, their heritage, and to the beauty and richness of our traditions.

Our goal is to empower our children by imparting to them the relevance of Judaism to their lives. We do this through experiential learning that engages the children through all their senses — seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and touching. They absorb Judaism via drama, storytelling, art, singing and baking traditional holiday treats together.

Through acts of loving kindness, community service both locally and in Israel, we strive to give the children a sense of responsibility and belonging to the community.

The children learn about Jewish holidays, rituals and prayers in the hope that they will incorporate them into their lives. They learn the beauty of Torah as a guide for an ethical life and a knowledge of Hebrew that will enable them to feel comfortable praying with any community wherever that may be. Most of all, we want our children to experience the joyous Judaism that is the foundation of Jewish Renewal.

Our goal is that the transition from childhood to adulthood, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah, will be empowering, moving, and life-changing for our students and that it is the beginning of life-long Jewish learning and service.

I am looking forward to welcoming your family to our school community.

Program

 Wisdom Garden Program for K-6  

The program provides a hands-on program for 6-11 year olds. The focus of the curriculum is to give our children the confidence to be the best they can be by helping make the world and the planet a better place. Learning Jewish ethics, value and mitzvot will help them to navigate their journey through hands-on learning.

The 2-year Bar/Bat Mitzvah program for 12-14 year olds culminates with a transformational coming-of-age ritual , the bar or bat mitzvah.

Ayala Zonnenschein, Executive Director of the Havurah, says, “In working with each family, I am always in awe of the way this process impacts both the student and their family.”

In preparing for Bar/Bat Mitzvah the student will engage in six months of private tutoring. Rabbi David Zaslow, spiritual leader of the Havurah Synagogue, Ayala Zonnenschein and Cyrise Beatty Schachter will work with the students to preparte them for this transformative experience. Rabbi Zaslow says, “this is a unique program that teaches the future generation about the interconnection between religion, nature, and social activism.”

Ayala Zonnenschein, Executive Director of the Havurah, says, “Our school will offer an intimate experience where children connect to spirituality in a way that is meaningful, builds self-esteem and prepares them to engage in the world around them with integrity. Call 541-292-0805 for more information.

Staff

Rabbi David Zaslow is our very own “singing Rabbi”.  He has been our spiritual leader since 1996. He travels throughout the country leading Shabbatons and workshops on spirituality and Jewish education. One of his greatest gifts is his amazing ability to relate to children, teens and adults alike…and touch everyone’s hearts.

Rabbi David opens each Sunday morning with songs, prayers and movement.

Jeanne Robin teaches our youngest group of K-2 and Maggidah Cyrise teaches 3-6 grades.

Our school is focused on a hands-on curriculum of joyous judaism with art projects, cooking, learning Hebrew and more. Our goal is to instill our children with a love of their heritage while imparting to them the wisdom teachings of our tradition.

Ayala Zonnenschein directs the school and teaches Hebrew and subs for a teacher when absent.

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