In Junior Congregation, children are exposed to a scaled down version of the skeleton of the Shabbat morning service and are encouraged to take a leadership role in services. Children are also provided with opportunities to engage with spiritual questions and to explore prayer as a lense through which Jews relate to God. During the Torah service, a section of the Torah is read, and the parasha (portion) of the week or a story about an upcoming holiday is presented through discussion, skits, and stories.
Religious School
Temple Adath Religious School strives to educate our children to become committed Jews. This is done through a curriculum of Hebrew instruction, Torah study, holidays and rituals, and Jewish values and history. Kindergarten and first grade students meet on Sunday mornings for three hours for a hands-on, interactive program that teaches reading readiness, Bible stories, holiday rituals and beginning prayers.
Students in grades two through seven meet twice a week for a total of five hours. They devote a great deal of their time to Hebrew instruction, focusing on Hebrew reading and learning to lead services. The upper grades take a more mature approach to the subjects of Jewish values, Torah and holidays through a spiraling curriculum.
B’nai Mitzvah
Becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah at Temple Adath is an exciting time for study, achieving goals and celebrating! Students spend years preparing to stand before the congregation, who embraces them with love and admiration on their special day. The children participate in various aspects of services, chanting Torah, haftara and presenting their interpretations through a d’var torah. They work primarily with the Cantor in both classroom and private study. The d’var torah is developed with the Rabbi. After months of study and practice, our young people stand before the community ready to share their knowledge and skills as young Jewish leaders.
Confirmation
Temple Adath is the only Conservative congregation in the Syracuse area that provides a Confirmation program. All of our youngsters who have had a Bar and Bat Mitzvah are eligible for Confirmation.Teens make a commitment to continuing their education for three years post Bar/Bat Mitzvah by attending classes at the Epstein Hebrew High School, reading Torah regularly, or engaging in another substantive Jewish educational experience.
The major goal of our tenth grade Confirmation Class, which is taught by Rabbi Sherman, is to prepare students to be responsible, aware, participating, Conservative Jews. Through a curriculum that includes Jewish texts, Holocaust and Israel studies, students gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Jew.
The Confirmation class is taught by Rabbi Charles Sherman on Sunday mornings.The young people participate in the morning minyan and then engage in serious study for the next hour. Temple Adath is proud to showcase its Confirmands by displaying their photographs in our school wing.
Our students also attend the community-sponsored Rabbi Jacob H. Epstein Hebrew High School. This school affords students the opportunity to continue their Jewish studies with other youth in the community.
Adult Jewish Learning
Temple Adath takes very seriously its commitment to Adult Jewish learning.
It sees every opportunity as a place for adult Jewish learning. In 2005 our
theme has been the 350th anniversary of the American Jewish experience. Rabbi
Sherman has taught a very popular six-week study course “Celebrate 350 – Jewish
Life in America 1654-2004”. He has just begun a second study class describing
the local Syracuse Jewish experience “A History of the Jews of Syracuse
from a Minyan to a Community” There is an ongoing adult Bar and Bat Mitzvah
program for those who can read Hebrew and for those whose exposure to Hebrew
is just beginning. The class is taught by Rabbi Sherman.
In the spring there is a planned one-day trip to New York City to further explore
the roots of the American Jewish experience.
Scholars-in-residence also play a part in the adult Jewish learning experience.
This past year the Temple was honored to have Professor Benjamin Gampel who
holds the Dina and Eli Field Family Chair in Jewish History, The Jewish Theological
Seminary of America. In the recent past it has entertained such impressive
speakers as Wolf Blitzer, Professor Joel Roth, Professor of Talmud at the Jewish
Theological Seminary of America. Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins, scholar in Jewish
human values clarification. Lena Romanoff, Conversion in Jewish life. Rabbi
Louis Jacobs, London, England, Philosopher Theologian. Rabbi Moshe Tautenaur,
Leading Conservative Rabbi in the State of Israel. Rabbi Reuven Hammer, author,
scholar in Jewish liturgy, Professor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of
America, President of the Rabbinical Assembly. Rabbi David Feldman, Jewish
scholar in bio-ethics and human sexuality, Cantor Sol Zim, Ron Wolfson and
Rabbi Harold Kushner.
We offer individualized instruction for Jews by choice to help you become integrated
into our Jewish community..
Adult Jewish learning at Temple Adath takes place many times and in the most
informal moments, during our daily Minyan service, Saturday afternoons between
Mincha Ma’ariv, and a word of Torah spoken by the Rabbi.
Library
The Temple Adath library is a special and valuable resource to the members
of the congregation and the Syracuse community at large. Materials range from
children's literature, through young adult and adult interests. The library
is broken into categories that include fiction, biographies, the Holocaust,
philosophy, religion, holidays, science, language, folklore, and the bible
among others. Along with the more than 3000 titles are contemporary Jewish
works including music, videos, books on tape and Yiddish videos.
Our library boasts the largest collection of Jewish literature in upstate New
York, and continues to acquire fiction and non-fiction books, videos and compact
discs for children and adults. The library is a tremendous asset and its shelves
are always full of materials for reference and pleasure.
There are three funds available for people interested in donating to the Temple
library. They include; the Weinstein-Solomon
Fund, established to purchase books in our Adult Sections of the library.
It presently includes fiction, non-fiction, biographies and travel books, the Andrea
Katz Laffer Fund, established to purchase books and furniture for the
children’s section of our library. We have easy-reader books, juvenile
literature, biographies, Holocaust materials and books, and young adult books
and the Muriel & Irving Katz Fund,
established by the parents of Andrea Katz Laffer to purchase audio and visual
materials. We presently have videotapes, CD’s and tapes including music,
canatorial music, books on tape and Yiddish videos. To make a contribution
to any of these funds please contact Ruth Borsky at 315-488-2525.
The library is not just about books. It is also the site of Adult Jewish Learning,
book review series, movie programs, etc.
