Curriculum
The CHAI curriculum used by UJS is based on a quotation from Mishnah, “On three things does the world stand; Torah, Avodah (worship, work), and G’milut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness).” (Avot 1:2)
In each grade (Gan Katan – 6th grade) there are three units, each of which corresponds to one of the things from our Mishnah quotation. In the Torah unit, students learn about stories from our Torah and how they apply to our lives. In the Avodah unit, students learn about prayer and how it can enrich our lives. Finally, in the G’milut Chasadim unit, students take what they’ve learned in previous units and see how they can do good in our world.
The overarching ideas the curriculum emphasizes in each unit are as follows:
Torah
- Torah is an ongoing dialogue between the text and its students
- Torah is real in our daily lives: it goes with us wherever we are.
- Developing the skills to study Torah is essential to integrating Torah into our lives.
- I am part of the ongoing story of Torah and the Jewish people.
- The laws and rules found in the Torah can help us to live lives filled with holy moments.
- With the promise of a holy land (Eretz Yisrael), we as a holy people (Am Yisrael) have a responsibility to strive toward holiness by observing the covenant (brit).
- The prophets were focused on reminding the Jewish people how God wants us to live.
Avodah
- Avodah is the work we do to find sacred connections to God, community and self.
- Engaging in the work of avodah can bring order, beauty, meaning and insight to our lives and our community.
- My Jewish acts help me discover the beauty and order of sacred time and my place in the Jewish story.
- Jewish stories, celebrations and rituals help me understand and express my relationship with God.
- Through avodah we can make our lives and the world more kadosh/holy
- Keva and kavanah, the fixed order of worship and the personal intention we bring to prayer, are complementary aspects of Jewish worship, combining to help us make sacred connections.
- The practice of prayer can help me grow through personal reflection, can increase my connection to the Jewish people, and can strengthen my relationship with God.
G’milut Chasadim
- We have a responsibility to perform personal acts of g’milut chasadim in order to make the world a better and holier place.
- I am a part of the ongoing story of the Jewish people when I perform acts of g’milut chassdim.
- Each individual act of gimilut chasadim can make the world more kadosh/holy
- We have a responsibility to perform acts of g’milut chasadim for the people we encounter in our daily lives.
- We are all part of K’lal Yisrael, and have a responsibility to actively support and sustain the Jewish community through acts of g’milut chasadim.
If you wish to learn more about how this applies to your child(ren), please reach out to your teacher(s) and they’ll be happy to give you more details.
SEVENTH – NINTH GRADES
Enduring Understanding: Our development as emerging Jewish adults is closely linked to our understanding of ourselves, our past and our links to our future.
Objectives:
- Jewish Life and Practice. We’ll look in depth at how prayer services are organized, explore rituals from all different denominations.
- Jewish history from biblical times to the modern world. We’ll explore our roots starting from the kingdom of Judea, learn how Jews thrived in the Islamic Empire, and dive into the parts of our history through World War II that other classes don’t talk about.
- State of Israel. We’ll look at what led up to the creation of the modern state of Israel, significant historical events since its founding, and how all this history has influenced current events.
TENTH – TWELTH GRADE: “MITZVAH CORE”
“Mitzvah Core” reimagines how we engage our teens at UJS through a highly interactive learning model. “Mitzvah Core” emphasizes Jewish values through community service, leadership, group discussions, and community building. “Mitzvah Core” meets Sundays from 12:30–2:30 pm; lunch is provided.