Jewish Life at Emanuel School enriches the mind, spirit, and being of our students, embodying values such as pluralism, egalitarianism, joy, literacy, meaning-making, and empowerment.
Emanuel School proudly embraces a diverse student and family body spanning the breadth of the Jewish community, from Progressive to Orthodox, Masorti, and those unaffiliated. Our school is a place where varied opportunities for religious expression and learning reflect the wide diversity within our community. Additionally, we encourage students to engage with religious practices and spaces that may differ from their own, fostering a culture of integrity, unity, and enriching educational experiences.
Celebrating Judaism / Pluralism
At Emanuel, pluralism is more than a concept; it's a lived value. It ensures every student gains a solid foundation in Jewish knowledge, history, culture, and Torah, while also finding and nurturing their unique Jewish voice and path. This approach is built on respecting the varied Jewish expressions of others, underpinned by the essential pillars of integrity, community, and education. These pillars maintain a critical balance:
- Integrity: Encouraging personal expression of Jewish beliefs and practices.
- Community: Prioritizing collective Jewish experiences and fostering a strong sense of belonging.
- Education: Offering experiences that may align with or differ from students' own practices to deepen understanding and appreciation of pluralism.
Joy
At Emanuel, the essence of Jewish Life is deeply intertwined with authentic expression, encapsulating mind, spirit, and being. We foster an environment of playfulness, love, and joy within our Jewish learning and practices. This joyful spirit manifests in various ways, whether through singing along to the guitar and drums during a Tefilah service, embracing the festive energy of cheering for Mordechai and Esther while booing Haman during a Megillah reading, or celebrating together with songs, dance, and traditional foods at a Pesach seder.
Zionism/Israel
Emanuel School proudly identifies as a Zionist institution, deeply valuing our connection with Israel while fostering a strong sense of commitment and engagement with our Australian homeland. Our students delve into the history of Israel, exploring the diverse perspectives of Zionist thinkers. We honor Israel's Independence Day, Yom Ha'atzmaut, and remember Yom Ha'zikaron, Israel's Memorial Day. This bond with Israel reaches its zenith in Year 10 with the Chavayah, a five-week immersive program in Israel.
We encourage our students to embrace a broad and visionary understanding of Zionism, seeing it as a pathway to unlock the cultural, spiritual, ethical, and political aspirations of the Jewish people. Furthermore, we invite them to engage thoughtfully with the Israel-Palestine conflict, considering inclusive and peaceful futures for Israel as a homeland for all its citizens and a place of refuge.
Oseh Shalom Bimrumav, Hu Ya’aseh Shalom Aleinu Ve’al kol Yisrael, ve’imru Amen But God who makes peace on high make peace for us all, for all of Israel and for all the world and let us say
Jewish Life and Learning
Emanuel takes our students on a journey through Jewish text and history, engaging them with the richness of Jewish tradition and relating ancient ideas to modern sensibilities. Our classes empower our students through Jewish literacy, giving them a grounding in Torah and Tanach, cultivating a love for our stories and Jewish practice and ethics. We look at different parts of Jewish history from ancient rabbinic history to the history of Holocaust. We encourage our students to develop a sound knowledge and make their own personal choices in Jewish life. We teach our students to listen, to question, to be curious and to reflect. We instil in them the idea that there is always more than one interpretation and many pathways to find the truth of our tradition.
Jewish Life at Emanuel
PRE-SCHOOL
Kornmehl Pre-school supports and celebrates diversity, honouring our heritage by providing a rich and unique learning experience that values family, history, traditions and cultures.
Through our daily practice, the children’s knowledge and understanding of the traditions and importance of a Jewish heritage are celebrated and cultivated. Children feel valued as they come together for Kabbalat Shabbat and enjoy the warmth, spirituality and sense of community that this creates.
We embrace all Jewish festivals with enthusiasm and teach the values of Miztvot, Tzedakah and Tikkun Olam. In keeping with our ethos, Hebrew is taught by a specialist teacher and is also integrated into the daily life of the Pre-school.
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Jewish Life in the Primary School provides students with knowledge, skills and memorable experiences as they learn about their Jewish heritage and build their own sense of Jewish identity. By creating an inclusive and welcoming Jewish community, we nurture a love of Judaism, Hebrew, the Jewish people and Israel so our students grow as responsible Jewish and global citizens.
MIND לבבך
Hebrew is taught through immersion using the programs TalAm, iTaLAM and Chaverim B’Ivrit. These programs are used around the world and have a holistic approach and a connection to Israel.
Students engage in Hebrew learning through texts, technology, music, drama and games to experience Hebrew as a living culture.
In Jewish Studies students explore Jewish history, texts, ethics, tradition and Jewish living in an open, pluralistic environment that encourages questioning and the creation of personal meaning.
SPIRIT נפשך
Ruach (spirit) fills the School during tefillah (prayer), Shabbat and festival celebrations as students learn, lead, create and celebrate Jewish living through prayers, readings, music and dance.
Students learn, lead and experience various opportunities involving the siddur, Torah readings, personal reflections and Jewish meditation.
BEING מאדך
Hebrew is visible and experienced on our school campus and through music, Israeli dancing, plays, reading clubs and student presentations at assemblies.
Pathways ceremonies bring students and families together to celebrate significant moments and milestones in Jewish learning and living.
Students live the Jewish values of Gemilut Hasadim (acts of kindness) and Tzedakah (working for justice) by engaging with the community and joining with various organisations as partners in the process of Tikkun Olam (bettering the world).
HIGH SCHOOL
In accordance with our school motto, we are committed to educating the whole child, in Mind, Spirit and Being.
MIND לבבך
Within our Jewish Studies classes, which are compulsory from Years 7-11, we challenge our students to explore and discover Judaism as a living dialogue in which each individual has a voice.
Through project-based learning, electives and thematic units, our students are encouraged to develop both an appreciation of the wisdom of our tradition and a critical and authentic understanding of how it may help them forge a mindful and meaningful Jewish life.
Our students encounter their Hebrew studies as a means to engage more fully with their Jewish heritage and present-day Israel. They experience Hebrew as the shared language of our people and as a core component of their Jewish identity.
SPIRIT נפשך
Every Friday, we enjoy a student-led welcoming of Shabbat that highlights the joy of communal celebration. Our students sing Shabbat and Hebrew songs, dance together, share in a variety of theme-centred Shabbat experiences, join in the kiddush and motsi (prayers over the wine and bread) and, in a spirited expression of simchah (joy) and ruach, honour the best of Shabbat.
On Monday mornings we communally experience moments of prayer, reflection and study. Student members of each House lead their peers in prayer and share their thoughts and perspectives on the weekly parashah (Torah reading), through their own D’Var Torah. In addition, a variety of tefillah (prayer) groups, such as Jewish meditation, encountering prayer as a personal journey, or exploring challenging and personal theological and ethical issues through the lens of Jewish thinking and living, are provided to our students.
BEING מאדך
Coming together in chaggim and moadim, celebration and commemorations, we give living expression to our Jewish being. Our Jewish Life madrichim and their peers develop programs and activities that highlight the essence of holiday and commemorative events, while generating new rituals and observances that speak to them. Our students become empowering agents in creating a living Judaism in which being Jewish is an ever-renewing enterprise.
Our students engage in many diverse Tikkun Olam projects and programs. Being Jewish, they learn that we are called upon to live as God’s partners in bettering our world through caring for the wellbeing of others (gemilut hasadim) and working for equity and justice (tzedakah) for all people. Students initiate and participate in Tikkun Olam endeavours within our local, national and world-wide communities.
Chavayah – The Jewish Experience
Being Jewish comes alive for our students, in mind, spirit and being, when they join their peers on our residential Israel program, Chavayah, at the end of Year 10. Living Jewishly in Israel, through learning, celebrating and praying, inspires our students to aspire to a lifelong commitment to our people and our heritage.
Leadership/Hadracha
At Emanuel, we are committed to cultivating leadership within Jewish Life. As students enhance their knowledge and participate in learning, prayer, and the spirited elements of our traditions, they also develop the art of Hadracha—leadership. In high school, students are encouraged to step into leadership roles, contributing to various aspects of school life including Shabbat, Tikkun Olam, Chagim, and Tefilah, fostering a community led by its own members.
Tikkun Olam
In Judaism, the ethical imperative to mend the fractures of our world underpins our actions and beliefs. Emanuel School integrates this principle with our Jewish education, embodying Tikkun Olam - Repair of the World - through social justice and activism. Our students actively participate in meaningful experiences, from visiting the elderly and engaging with First Nations peoples to exploring environmental initiatives across New South Wales and participating in tzedakah projects. These endeavours are integral to cultivating a deep-seated ethos of Tikkun Olam, preparing our students to emerge as global Jewish citizens dedicated to making a positive impact in the world.
Community and Tefilah
At Emanuel, our approach to prayer encompasses morning services, Birkat Hamazon (Grace after Meals), and Kabbalat Shabbat, infusing our Tefilah with music, education, spirituality, and a humanist perspective. This inclusive environment enables students to connect with the divine and their spirituality in a manner that resonates personally with them. A distinctive feature of our prayers is the 'ru'ach' or 'spirit' segment, where students come together to dance with joy and enthusiasm to Israeli music, embodying the communal spirit and energy of Emanuel.
Chagim
At Emanuel, the Jewish calendar guides our communal life, with each holiday offering a unique opportunity for the school to unite and immerse in the holiday's essence. During Purim, we engage in the reading of the Megilah and exchange mishloach manot. Pesach preparations include seder rehearsals, enriching our celebrations at home. For Shavuot, we gather to commemorate the revelation at Mount Sinai. These Chagim serve as vibrant moments where we, as a community, come together to learn, celebrate, feast, and derive meaningful experiences to share with our families.