Rabovsky Relidious School - Upper School
Welcome to Upper School at Congregation B’nai Tzedek!
The Upper School at CBT is much more than sitting in a classroom and having class - it’s an entire experience designed specifically to create community between the students and connect them to the larger congregation and Jewish population of both the United States and around the world.
Each evening starts with T’filah together which sets the tone as we engage in prayers to connect us with Jews past, present, and future. This is wonderful practice for our students in their B’nai Mitzvah year, and after it as well.
The experience continues with dinner which differs each week and is served by our teachers. Students sit with others and socialize freely until the meal is concluded with Birkat HaMazon (the blessing after the meal), and then on to class.
Our unique class structure brings the entire population of each grade together for specific topics which last the whole year. Students have time to form deep connections with each other and their teachers through active discussion, debate, activities, and more. This class design allows students to create a mini-congregation which is extremely tight by the time they reach Confirmation in 10th grade.
Classes at CBT Upper School
7th grade: “Through the Jewish Looking Glass: A Deep Dive into Jewish Ethics for Middle School Students” is taught lounge-style to encourage conversations about topics students are facing and ways to navigate them with the help of Jewish guidelines. This class is taught by Rachel Levine-Hyman and Rani Schlenoff, both of whom have been teaching in the Upper School since the 1990s.
8th/9th grades: (combined for the first semester) The 8th/9th grades focus on Jewish culture and Jewish communities throughout the world. Students will take a trip around the Jewish globe and learn about art, cuisine, music, and much more. In this class, taught by Rabbi Fabian Werbin and our new Shaliach, Ido Naaman, the students will experience how Jews around the world incorporated the culture of the countries they lived in into the Jewish traditions. This is a hands-on experiential program.
10th grade Confirmation: Rabbi Weinblatt, who will be assisted during the year by Cantor Kapell and others, teaches the 10th Grade Confirmation program, “Great Books and Ideas of the Jewish People.” The Confirmation program is designed to have the students reach a high level of comfort with Jewish text and thought, with selections of biblical, rabbinic and modern thought. One of the highlights is the annual overnight trip to explore “Jewish New York.” The studies culminate with the Shabbat Confirmation ceremony service, on Saturday, May 27th, led by the students.
Fri, March 31 2023 9 Nisan 5783
