Temple Sinai (Oakland) Hebrew School?
Could anyone share their experience with the Temple Sinai (Oakland)’s Hebrew School? We’re considering it for our child who is currently in early elementary and went to a different (secular) preschool. We’d hope to continue until at least bar/bat mitzvah age for all of our kids. Our family has been to a couple of events at Sinai but I wouldn’t say we’re a part of the community, yet. We’re hoping to find a Jewish community we enjoy being a part of and helps give our kids regular and meaningful exposure to Jewish culture and concepts. We have negative memories of Hebrew School from growing up — is Hebrew School, particularly at Sinai, still onerous for kids? Is the Sinai community welcoming particularly of families who did not attend the preschool? My partner and I would describe ourselves as culturally Jewish but not religious, though we grew up in conservative+ homes. Thank you!
Parent Replies
Hello! I'm a current Sinai preschool parent, so I can't speak from firsthand experience about the religious school, but can rave about the Sinai community! We are planning on sending our son to religious school next year, when he starts elementary school, primarily because we want to continue being a part of the great synagogue community. Sinai is generally a very welcoming community-we are an interfaith family and have always felt warmly welcomed at all Shabbat services and events. From what I've heard from parents with older children, the religious school is a great mix of children who did preschool and did not. It looks like classes for K-6 will be on Sunday mornings starting in the fall. I've never heard anything about it being particularly onerous, instead, it is very focused on helping cultivating critical thinking and discussions about Jewish identity building and fostering community.