EAST BRUNSWICK – The East Brunswick Jewish Center (EBJC) has announced that Kesher@EBJC has been accepted by The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life as a member of the Hebrew Charter Jewish Enrichment Network.
Now in its second year, the Hebrew Charter Jewish Enrichment Network is a collaboration with the Jewish Education Project to create a network of programs that engage Jewish children studying in Hebrew language charter schools, building on the Hebrew fluency and literacy that children gain during the school day in order to go deeper Jewishly after school and off site, according to a statement prepared by the EBJC.
Kesher@EBJC is the fifth program, joining others in New York, East Brunswick, San Diego and Los Angeles. Kesher is the only program that serves both Hebrew Charter students and those who attend other area schools. The network will provide substantial professional development for all teachers as well as for the education director and members of the Board of Education, according to the statement.
For the first time, EBJC’s Jewish learning program is open to all community members, without a membership requirement. A new program, Kesher B’Ivrit, is specially designed for native-Hebrew speakers who attend Hatikvah to fill in the Judaics component. The Kesher K-7 program is completely transformed this year to engage learners in making connections to Judaism through project-based learning in comfortable learning environments.
Eighth through 12th graders are invited to take part in the weekly teen program on Thursday nights. With a variety of speakers, films, mitzvah projects and discussion of Jewish topics, this program is also open to the entire community. Teens may also apply to become madrichim or classroom helpers for Kesher K-7 on Saturdays, Sundays or Wednesdays.
For more information, contact Julie Schwarzwald at 732-257-7070 or jschwarzwald@ebjc.org.
