A Hebrew School Asks, What Dropouts?

"All it takes is one person… and another… and another… and another… to start a movement"

Abraham Joshua Heschel

A year ago a local synagogue changed its denomination from Conservative to Reform. It's members hired a well respected and charismatic Rabbi who immediately attracted new congregants; consequently, the student population doubled up with in the same year (96 students today) bringing along new economic, logistic and leadership challenges.

Most of the synagogues I know or I have read about are also having the same type of problems these days. However, rarely I have heard of a Religious School doubling up their student population with in one year.

They must be doing something really good.

Tonight, I came across with this very interesting article from "The Jewish Week", on how a Houston Congregation school and other Congregations around the USA thriving while providing creative solutions to the many challenges that Jewish Institutions are facing today.

I invite you click on the following article. I hope that you also get inspired by it.

A Hebrew School Asks, What Dropouts?

by Steve Lipmanso
Staff Writer

Chabad rabbi is teaching a class on Jewish values. Down the hall, a newspaper editor from a Reform family is leading a civics discussion. In another classroom, a Reconstructionist rabbi and her students are talking about basic Jewish principles.
More remarkable than the diversity of the teachers at the largest Reform religious school in Houston is the makeup of the students. All are high school-aged. All are in religious school because they want to be there.
At a time when overall registration in supplementary Jewish schools is declining, when teens drop out of religious education en masse after their bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies, when soccer and gymnastics practice increasingly out-prioritize Hebrew school

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A Hebrew School Asks, What Dropouts?

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