It’s never too early! Of course, it is our hope is that all of our students start in Kindergarten and make Religious School something they love coming to all the way up through high school (and then they return to teach!)

We understand that every family’s needs are different and we will work with all of our students to make sure they can participate in the learning whenever they start. Preparation for bar or bat mitzvah formally begins in grade three.

We hope so--the sooner you complete your registration, the more likely we can help!

Students feel more comfortable and look forward to coming to Religious School when there is a familiar face in the room, especially when the class meets much less frequently than their day school. We do our best to accommodate friend requests, but we must also take into consideration class size, and the ratio of boys and girls in the room.

As a team of experienced, Jewish educators, the Religious School leadership has a lot of experience with children who learn differently and have very special needs - both professionally and personally.  Our goal for Religious School students?  To inspire a love of Judaism through celebration, tradition, customs, community, and fun. What each family and student want out of our school is very different.  We provide the framework: a supportive, passionate, dedicated and hopefully rock star staff/team, and then work incredibly hard to meet the individual needs of our students.  

We have had many students with learning differences who have loved our program over the years. This has been the case when parents work with us each year, telling us what they do and do not want for their children, setting realistic goals and having supports in place. Even then, with both our school and the family trying their best, it sometimes doesn't work out. But it has never been because of teasing or a student feeling alienated, or unsupported. Several of our students skip Hebrew in the first hour because that is just not something they aspire to or can learn at this time in their lives due to many other challenges (although many still have Bar/Bat Mitzvah) and accommodations are of course made for this.  

Great question!  During this pandemic? Unfortunately not! However, we are still eager to meet you and share our programs so please do reach out to us and we will contact you to schedule a time to meet. 

Yes, becoming a member of Wilshire Boulevard Temple is part of the Religious School registration process.

We warmly welcome everyone to attend a worship service or special program, and to experience what our congregation has to offer. To learn more, please contact Esther Cohen, Membership Director, at (213) 835-2132 or ecohen@wbtla.org.

There is! Hebrew and prayer learning ramps up in grades 3-6, as part of cumulative curriculum leading up to their bar or bat mitzvah. In order to stay on track, we require 70% attendance, or approximately 18 class meetings. Many of our students have sports, enrichments and other commitments, so we will do the best we can to help your kids not fall behind. This may take the form of at-home practice with some of our recommended Hebrew apps and games, make-up classes on another day during the week, or we might make arrangements for the students to come by the office after school for 30 minutes of drop-in Hebrew help.

We welcome interfaith families, and what an amazing opportunity for your child to teach your spouse about being Jewish!

Yes, of course! Our families come in all shapes, sizes and quantities, and we’re happy to help accommodate the best that we can.

It depends on the day and grade level. Learn more about our curriculum at our Program Offerings page.

Yes! Bar and Bat Mitzvah tutoring is separate from the learning that takes place in Religious School. Head over to our B'nei Mitzvah page to learn more about our programs.

We always welcome anyone who is interested in learning more about Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Religious School. Students may bring the same guest twice each year.  If you plan to bring a guest, please be sure to alert the Religious School office in advance so that teachers may be prepared. This information/release form must be completed and brought to the office.

Excellent, you can fill out this short form, email us at rsinfo@wbtla.org or call at 424-208-8906.