Search results
The phenomenon of the Jewish day school is of relatively common origin. Until the 19th and 20th century, boys attended the cheder (literally "room," since it was in the synagogue, which historically was a building with a bet midrash being the only room) or talmud Torah , where they were taught by a melamed tinokos (children's teacher).
You want to turn out educated Jews, dedicated to the Jewish people and to their values who will never stop learning for their entire lives. What do you teach them? Now that you’ve had time to ponder that, let’s look at the curriculum set for the original Jewish public educational system.
Hebrew school is Jewish education focusing on topics of Jewish history, learning the Hebrew language, and finally learning one's Torah Portion, in preparation for the ceremony in Judaism of entering adulthood, known as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
The first official school under Jewish auspices was established at Shearith Israel (the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue) in 1731 in New York City. Focusing on Hebrew studies, the school (although attached to the synagogue) operated as a separate entity with its own fees.
A yeshiva (/ jəˈʃiːvə /; Hebrew: ישיבה, lit. 'sitting'; pl. ישיבות, yeshivot or yeshivos) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel.
Hebrew schools may emphasize Hebrew, but sometimes simply use the name. Sunday school is a bit of a dated term, from years ago when Sunday was the only day of instruction. Most schools now meet either on Sunday and a weekday or just on weekday afternoons.
Jewish education (חִנּוּךְ, "chinuch," in Hebrew) has sustained the Jewish people even before we became a people. According to tradition, Jacob had his son Judah found an academy of Torah learning even before he and his descendants moved to Egypt.
