Our program for learners starts with our Gan Yom Rishon adult-tot class for 3- and 4-year-olds with a grownup to foster a love of learning and community with our youngest learners. Beit Sefer continues for Kindergarten through 7th grade, as learners deepen their Jewish experience and knowledge to strengthen their connection to spirituality, love of Torah, and sense of community with the Jewish people.
We’re working on our 2026-2027 calendar! Here is our 2025-2026 Beit Sefer calendar.
Scroll down for information about 2026-2027 registration—we can’t wait for Beit Sefer!
At Beit Sefer, learners, teen madrichol, and teachers dive into Jewish beliefs and values, explore our traditions and history, and confront current world issues. We believe that children can discover answers for themselves and develop meaningful, rewarding lives that will continually renew, inspire and transform themselves and their community.
Our learning draws from a variety of curricular resources, including the Union for Reform Judaism’s Chai Curriculum, while giving teachers the flexibility to create responsive, relationship-centered classroom experiences. Learners build their Jewish identities through Torah, prayer, Hebrew, holidays, Jewish values, history, and Israel, alongside a deep sense of belonging to both the Beth Emet community and the Jewish people worldwide. Beit Sefer is full of art, music, books, and the liveliness of the people in our community!
We also believe Jewish learning is strongest when it extends beyond the classroom and includes the whole family. Throughout the year, families are invited to participate in programs connected to Shabbat, holidays, grade-level learning, and other events at Beth Emet, creating opportunities for shared experiences and meaningful connections to the congregation.
Hebrew learning focuses on helping learners feel confident and connected in Jewish communal life through prayer literacy, Hebrew decoding and reading skills, and meaningful engagement with the language through movement, music, and interactive learning experiences. Kindergarten–2nd graders focus on Hebrew pre-literacy skills. 3rd-6th graders learn to decode Hebrew and how to read prayers to have meaningful Jewish experiences, including celebrating Kabbalat Mitzvah.
Tefilah (prayer) is an important part of our shared experience. Each Sunday, learners gather with the clergy for joyous singing, reflection, and participatory prayer experiences that encourage their own spirituality and communal belonging.
Adult-Tot (Ages 3-4 with a grownup)
Gan Yom Rishon is an interactive class for children ages 3-4 and a trusted adult. Gan, the Hebrew word for garden, is also the common Israeli term for preschool, and Yom Rishon means Sunday. Together, Gan Yom Rishon roughly translates to “Sunday Preschool.”
Gan Yom Rishon meets on Sunday mornings, 9:30-11:00 a.m. Children are introduced to Jewish holidays, rituals, symbols, and values in an age-appropriate, hands-on setting. They enjoy songs, art and holiday celebrations. Families do not have to be members of Beth Emet to participate in this class.
Sundays, 9:30 am–12:00 pm
Building a warm, connected class community is a central part of the Beit Sefer experience in the early elementary years. Learners develop friendships, practice kindness and collaboration, and begin to see themselves as valued members of a Jewish learning community.
The curriculum includes Shabbat, Torah stories, Jewish holidays, G’milut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness), Israel, and prayer. Through books, art, music, movement, play, and hands-on experiences, learners explore Judaism in joyful, developmentally appropriate ways while building curiosity, confidence, and a love of Jewish learning.
Hebrew pre-literacy skills are introduced in these grades. Select Hebrew words connected to classroom learning are introduced orally, and learners in 2nd grade begin learning Hebrew letter names and sounds as a foundation for future Hebrew and prayer learning.
Sundays 9:30 am–12:00 pm and Thursdays 4:15–6:15 pm
As learners grow and engage more deeply with the world around them, relationships, collaboration, and meaningful conversation become central to the Beit Sefer experience. Learners build community with one another while exploring how Jewish values can guide the ways we treat others, respond to challenges, and participate in the wider world.
Our curriculum centers on Jewish texts, prayer, and G’milut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness). Through these topics, learners explore Jewish values and traditions and put them into action.
Online Hebrew option, Monday evening
We offer an alternative virtual option for learners who are unable to attend Beit Sefer on Thursdays due to distance or a significant ongoing scheduling conflict. In addition to Sunday learning at Beit Sefer, learners further their Hebrew skills in an online class on Monday evenings.
Shiur B’Internet, or online lesson, is designed to help 4th-6th grade learners remain active members of the Beit Sefer community while continuing to build relationships, engage in meaningful Jewish learning, and participate consistently in Hebrew learning twice a week.
7th grade program
Our 7th grade program meets every Sunday morning and every other Thursday, recognizing that 7th graders have increasing afterschool commitments. Gesher, the Hebrew word for “bridge,” reflects this program’s goal of helping learners navigate the transition from Jewish childhood to Jewish adulthood.
Fully integrated with our Kabbalat Mitzvah preparation process, Gesher deepens and expands that experience beyond skills and ceremony. Through a Jewish lens, learners explore themes of peoplehood, identity, sacred choices and relationships, leadership, spirituality, and religious pluralism. The program is designed to support thoughtful reflection on real-life choices, empowering learners to make informed, values-based decisions as they grow.
Beth Emet is strengthened by the diversity of experiences, Jewish backgrounds, practices, and perspectives within our community. We do not all think the same way, and we see that as a source of learning and growth—at all ages. Even when our viewpoints differ, we remain grounded in a shared commitment to dialogue, welcoming each other, and building the warm relationships that connect us as a community.
Jewish learning is strongest when it becomes part of a learner’s regular rhythm and community life. Meeting twice weekly helps learners build deeper relationships with peers and teachers, strengthen Hebrew and prayer skills through consistency, and engage more meaningfully with Jewish learning over time. The additional time also creates space for creativity, discussion, and reflection.
Hebrew exposure and pre-literacy skills begin with our youngest learners (Gan Yom Rishon–1st grade) through music, movement, prayer, and meaningful classroom vocabulary. Formal Hebrew learning begins in 2nd grade when they begin to learn the Hebrew alphabet. 3rd-6th graders learn the Hebrew letters and vowel sounds, gradually blending those sounds into words and then building confidence in reading Hebrew and participating in prayer through their Beit Sefer years.
At Beth Emet, our term for b’nei mitzvah is Kabbalat Mitzvah. Read more about that term!
Beit Sefer helps learners build the Hebrew, prayer, and Jewish literacy skills needed for a meaningful Kabbalat Mitzvah experience. At the same time, our program is about much more than preparing for one day. Our goal is to help learners develop a lifelong connection to Jewish community, values, spirituality, and learning. Kabbalat Mitzvah is an important milestone within an ongoing Jewish journey.
The early years are an especially powerful time for building relationships, identity, and a sense of belonging—for your learner and for your family! Starting as a younger child allows a learner to grow alongside their peers, develop comfort and familiarity within Jewish communal life, and experience Judaism as joyful, relational, and woven into their lives from an early age. Families can certainly join later as well, and we work to help every learner feel welcomed and connected wherever they begin.
Beit Sefer is a program of Beth Emet, and synagogue membership is an important part of building our learning community. Membership supports not only religious school, but the broader relationships, worship experiences, family programming, and communal life that enrich a child’s Jewish experience.
Gan Yom Rishon families do not need to be formal Beth Emet members.
We believe every child deserves access to meaningful Jewish learning and community. If you want to be part of Beit Sefer, let’s figure out how to make that happen!
Beth Emet is committed to working with families to make participation possible, and financial arrangements or scholarship support are available. We encourage you to reach out to our Director of Lifelong Learning, Lauren Reeves, for a confidential conversation about your situation.
Please complete registration as early as possible so our team can focus our energy on preparing for another meaningful year of learning at Beit Sefer! Early registration helps us thoughtfully plan staffing and learning experiences. Contact Melinda Valverde, our Education Programs Administrator, to get started with registration if you’re new to Beit Sefer.
Program fees vary by grade level to reflect the needs of each stage of learning. Beth Emet also invests congregational resources in Beit Sefer as part of our commitment to meaningful Jewish education and community, helping make a rich learning experience more accessible for families.
This year, there is not a separate snack fee. For overnight experiences, including the Gesher retreat, 9th-11th grade teen trip, Kabbalat Torah trip with Rabbi Immerman, and youth group overnights, we will communicate directly with families as relevant about fees and registrations.
