Temple Emanuel Pascack Valley

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Temple Programs

Continuing Education

Continuing Education is responsible for providing a provocative and informative series of programs of interest to the adult population of the Synagogue. The first priority of the committee is to work together with the Rabbi and Cantor in planning their yearly classes on Monday nights. It also runs approximately one event every month, often on Sunday mornings, but also occasionally after services on Friday nights or on Saturday or Sunday nights.

These events are usually lectures by specialists on some relevant area of Jewish life or some aspect of Jewish history or culture. We plan several mini-series, which may take the form of a class on a specific topic for a month. We plan at least one musical program a year, often in consultation with the Cantor.

We also cooperate with the Sisterhood and Library committees in picking the Ada Goldberg

Library Lecture and with the worship committee in planning a program to precede the Selichot service immediately before the High Holy Days.

Most of the planning of the committee is done in the late spring and early summer, when we pick our projects, line up our speakers and lay out a flyer, which is distributed to the congregation during the High Holy Days. During the rest of the year, the committee meets occasionally, to help with the publicity for a particular program.

Early Childhood

The Early Childhood program started in 1979 with a group of 16 two-year-old children. It met on the first floor of an old house on the Westwood Temple's property.

From that simple beginning the school has flourished. Today , the nursery school has over 130 children between the ages of 2 and 6, and occupies a wing of six classrooms in our beautiful Temple. The school also has a large multi-purpose room, a kitchen, and a fenced-in outdoor playground.

Temple Emanuel's Nursery School provides a special experience that encompasses all dimensions of a child's development. Each child is encouraged to grow at his or her own rate, to develop a good sense of self and to pursue special interests in a supportive, non-threatening, loving environment.

As the child develops cognitively, socially, emotionally, physically and creatively, he / she needs understanding and guidance. Our staff of 16 teachers provides an environment where each child is respected and encouraged to take risks.

In addition to a total nursery school experience, the children participate in a program of Jewish living. The traditions, customs and symbols of Judaism are presented through arts and crafts, songs, stories,cooking, Hebrew phrases and other experiential activities.