Nurture Your Mind and Spirit
Our education programs offer a lifelong journey of learning and growth. From early childhood to adulthood, we provide engaging and meaningful opportunities to explore Jewish traditions, history, and culture. Join us for classes, workshops, and special events that will enrich your understanding of Judaism and connect you to a vibrant community of learners.
SHORASHIM | Grade Pre-k - 7
Shorashim, Hebrew for “roots,” is Temple Israel’s Religious School program for students in Pre-Kindergarten through 7th grade. Did you know that the Torah is often described as a Tree of Life? After all, the Torah, the first five books of the Jewish Bible, tells the story of the Jewish people. From it, we can learn about family relationships, ethical questions, meaningful rituals, and so much more. At Temple Israel, we grow Jewish roots together! Through study, joyful Shabbat and holiday celebrations, social action, and communal activities, we plant Jewish seeds for a lifetime of Jewish learning and living.
Director of Education Kelsey Holder and other teaching staff, work with your children and family. Each year we select an educational theme that helps to make connections between Jewish learning and living. Within the context of our yearly theme, our learning includes Torah, Jewish values and ethics, history and culture, God and spirituality, holidays, life cycle, and Israel. Our education program is grounded in the principles, practices, and values of Reform Judaism. We look forward to welcoming your family to our learning community.
Shorashim meets on Sunday mornings, with Shabbat experiences, holiday celebrations, and social justice opportunities enhancing the experiential nature of our program. All learning experiences are designed with the students in mind and are geared to be interactive, age-appropriate and content driven and project based. Each week students actively engage in a tefillah prayer experience, meaningful and exciting learning based on our yearly educational theme, Hebrew, and communal time to introduce and conclude our mornings. Art, music, library, and cooking all enrich our morning. Additionally, students participate in reading buddies and chavurot – multi-age break out groups that provide more opportunities for community building and strengthening connections across grade levels. Our preschool age children participate in the communal aspects of our program and engage in multi-sensory learning with others in their age group. On Sunday mornings, there are usually optional parallel learning sessions offered for parents, which include sessions with guest speakers and visiting scholars. At times, parents will be asked to join their children for all or part of the morning. We encourage family involvement and participation. Parents and grandparents are an essential part of student learning as guides, role models and partners.
Madrichim | Teacher's Assistants
Teens in 7th through 12th grades are encouraged to become Madrichim, literally meaning, guides, Teachers’ Assistants. Our Madrichim play an integral role in our learning community by serving as role models and leaders in our education programs.
Midrasha | Grades 8 - 12
Students in 8th through 12th grades attend Midrasha on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M, with an optional dinner at 6:30 P.M. Midrasha is a joint educational program of B’nai Emunah (our Conservative sister congregation) and Temple Israel which is jointly administered by the Educators of both congregations.
Each week there is a mix of community engagement and small group learning. High School students select a Limmud chavurah (learning group) to join each quarter, which lasts for about six weeks. Students will learn and celebrate together in Limmudim that are focused on a specific topic. Limmudim allow students to explore a topic that they are most interested in on a deeper and more advanced level, Topics range from Israel to Ethics, storytelling to Philanthropy and environmentalism all through a Jewish lens.
Students in eighth grade have a mix of core and elective classes throughout the year. The focus for eighth graders is the value of B’tzelem Elohim, being created in the image of God. In the final quarter of the year, eighth grade students choose their own limmud chavurah.
Students who have successfully completed through 10th grade are eligible for Confirmation. Confirmands are eligible for the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) summer study trip to Israel. They spend an exciting five weeks with other American high school students traveling the length and breadth of Israel while experiencing Israeli culture first hand. This outstanding program is subsidized by Temple Israel and the Tulsa Jewish Federation to assure that every Confirmand will be able to participate.
Midrasha offers several other opportunities as well. Each year, during spring break there is a Midrasha trip (for 9th-12th grades) to explore Jewish communities around the country. High school students are encouraged to participate in this trip. Our teens also have the chance to participate in the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice with both the Operation Understanding Youth Tour and Teen Trialogue, both options promoting interfaith dialogue among Tulsa’s teens. New this year, we will be offering Senior Seminars to help teens prepare for college or life after high school.
Adult Education
In its role as a House of Study, we offer a variety of educational opportunities for adults, which include: Scholars-in-Residence, Brotherhood sponsored breakfast speakers, Shabbat and holiday centered programs and discussions, Torah study, Sunday morning adult education series, and adult B’nai Mitzvah.
Jay Allan Myers Library
Over 5,500 books, DVDs, videos, magazines and more for learning and entertainment open to the congregation and the only Jewish library in the three-state area for members of the public of all ages.
The library is available for meetings, checking out materials, returns, using wi-fi or simply as a comfortable space anytime the Temple building is open.
The library is an accredited member of the Association of Jewish Libraries which offers a Database of Book Reviews & The Book of Life Podcasts about Jewish books and authors,
Visit the Jewish Book Council website and their list of National Jewish Book Award winners.