7th Grade

Our interactive, seventh grade program focuses on an in-depth study of Torah, Avodah (worship/spirituality), and Gimilut Hasadim (acts of loving-kindness) and concludes our formal Hebrew program. The Judaic curriculum is broken up into a series of trimesters that every student will rotate through during the course of the year. Students will have an opportunity to study the weekly Torah Parshigot (portions), explore differing concepts of God in Judaism, and participate in meaningful Tikkun Olam projects.  The last two months of the spring semester are dedicated to a unit on the Holocaust based on a curriculum from Facing History and Ourselves. After visiting both the Jewish Heritage Museum in NYC and the Garden of Remembrance in White Plains and as a culmination of this Holocaust unit, students will create Holocaust monuments that will be on display. 

In Hebrew, students are grouped by proficiency in order to help them prepare for becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Those students who have mastered all of the prayers necessary to become a Bar/Bat Mitzvah or who have already completed this lifecycle moment have the option of studying Modern Hebrew.

In addition to our Monday night program, students will participate in the Mitzvah Corps program. They will select one “Mitzvah Major” and three “Mitzvah Minors” during the year.  Six project sites will be offered for the Mitzvah Major: three in the fall (September-January) and three in the spring (February-June). Each project will be coordinated by a parent volunteer serving as a site captain.  Students will sign up for their Mitzvah Major in mid to late August. The Mitzvah Minors (for example: preparing Thanksgiving meals for the needy, assisting with a tot-Shabbat craft, volunteering to help younger students in our Religious School) will be offered throughout the entire year and coordinated by Joni Gehebe Kellogg, our seventh grade coordinator.

The Mitzvah Corps program will fulfill the requirement of the B’nei Mitzvah project. Our students will also participate in a Shabbaton and help to lead services at a Friday night Shabbat Service.

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