The Naomi & Ken Kramer Religious School of Beth Meyer Synagogue inspires learners from pre-kindergarten through high school and their families to draw strength from and connect with their Jewish identities. Through guided exploration of Jewish rituals, values, history, texts, and traditions, students build identities that are relevant and meaningful to them.
Our school is, first and foremost, a community. Jewish values and mitzvot (commandments) teach us how we should engage with our world and treat one another. No matter where you and your child(ren) are on your Jewish journeys, we will welcome you into our “tent” and co-build Jewish life — together!
Jewish education here is grounded in the study of Torah. Our students discover the history of the Jewish people in sacred texts — they study and connect with the stories of our ancestors and the leaders of our past to find contemporary lessons and prepare to become the Jewish leaders of our future.
From an early age, Naomi & Ken Kramer Religious School learners dive into and experience the richness of Jewish ritual. Through classroom activities and weekly, age-appropriate tefilah (prayer), our teaching team imparts the ritual skills that our students will need to participate in Jewish prayer services and celebrations, in any Jewish context.
Our school follows a spiral curricular approach, in which concepts about Judaism and Jewish living are introduced repeatedly and often but with different lenses and deepening layers of complexity as our students get older. We believe that this educational design best prepares children for lifelong Jewish learning. As the rabbinic sages taught, no matter how many times we encounter Torah, there is always something new to be found.
Enroll today! Students can register here to join anytime. Cathy Kaplan directs our Religious School — call her at (919) 848-8111 or e-mail cathyk@bethmeyer.org with any questions.
our k-8 classes
Primary Years (K-2nd Grade)
Sundays, 10 a.m.-noon
This program welcomes our youngest learners to the formal study of Judaism through hands-on arts and crafts projects, stories, and games, and individual, group, and family activities.
Intermediate Years (3rd-5th Grade)
Sundays, 10 a.m.-noon and Tuesdays or Wednesdays, 4:15-6:15 p.m.
Our 3rd-5th graders study the Shabbat morning prayer service, Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), ethics, lifecycle stages, holidays, and the state of Israel. Small group learning, project-based learning, and electives enrich this cohort’s educational experience.
Gesher (Bridge) Years (6th-8th Grade)
6th and 7th: Wednesdays, 4:15-6:15 p.m. and Shabbat, 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
8th: Wednesdays, 4:15-6:15 p.m.
Students begin our middle school program as children and finish, post-B-Mitzvah, as young teens, responsible for the mitzvot (commandments) and counted as members of our Jewish community. Gesher studies are intended to help students cross this ‘bridge.’ Topic areas include ritual life skills, Tanakh, ethics, mitzvot, Jewish history, and Jewish culture. Electives and special learning programs supplement formal study.
Supplemental Programs
Yad B’Yad (Hand-in-Hand)
Yad B’Yad is a parent-and-me program for pre-kindergarteners (4-5 years old) and their grown-ups. One Sunday morning a month, co-explore Jewish holidays and themes through movement, arts and crafts, and storytelling. Come learn together and connect with other families. You do not need to be a Beth Meyer member to participate.
High School
Participation can continue after eighth grade! Teens at Beth Meyer can enroll in our trimester-based high school program, which takes a deep-dive into advanced Jewish topics and current events. Past classes include No Jews = No Superheroes, Ehad/Aham and the Oneness of Judaism and Islam, Jewish Poetry through History, Jews & Sports: There’s More to it Than Sandy Koufax, and Jewitchery — to name a few. Sessions kick off at noon with a free lunch (Morah Cathy’s challah French toast casserole is a crowd favorite) followed by two, fifty-minute-long electives. Special learning opportunities are also available throughout the year with Rabbi Eric and Rabbi Jenny about topics that speak to challenges faced by teens in daily life. Our high school program is open to all Jewish teens, and you do not need to be a member of Beth Meyer to attend.
