Registration: Timeline and Process
Wednesday, April 15th: Registration open to currently enrolled families, waitlisted families, and families who filled out the kindergarten pre-registration form.
Wednesday, April 29th: Registration open to all interested families (participation in the program is contingent on membership at NSP; please see below)
Tuesday, June 30th: Families who register by June 30 will receive a small, special surprise!
First day of Kollel TBA!
Participation in the program is contingent on membership at NSP. You can learn more about membership and join here or speak with a leader of NSP’s membership team by emailing membership@newsynagogueproject.org.
Kollel is geared toward rising kindergarteners (children 5+) through 7th grade, and will not have capacity this year for pre-k to participate in regular classes. Sometimes, however, younger siblings do participate in special crafts.
If you have any questions about the program or would like to learn more, please email Liora, NSP’s Education Director, at liora@newsynagogueproject.org.
Teach at Kollel
We are hiring educators for the 2026-27 school year. To apply, please email a resume (and optional: brief cover letter) to liora@newsynagogueproject.org with the subject line “Kollel application.”
About the Program
NSP Kollel emphasizes living the rhythms of Jewish life, connecting to the NSP community, and taking action for justice by linking Jewish principles to applied experiences.
At Kollel, we’re teaching our children a lively, meaningful Judaism, rich with art, culture, text, big questions, deep discussion, and taking action for justice. We’ve designed a new curriculum that brings Jewish values to life through art, stories, debates, mini-strike-organizing, and more!
Seder Yom
9:30-9:50am – Song & Tefillah (prayer)
9:50-11:15 – Grade level Judaics classes
11:15-11:45 – Snack/clean-up
11:45-12:30 Hebrew (optional; more info below)
Kindergarten: Jewish Ritual & Jewish Cultures
Kindergarten will focus on ritual practice and the cycles of the Jewish year through ritual, art, story, and play. Students will learn early on in their Jewish journeys that Jews have lived around the world and practiced Jewish ritual in similar and different ways.
First Grade: Middot (Virtues)
First grade will focus on Middot, Jewish “virtues,” through stories from Bereisheet (Genesis) and midrash. Students will consider Jewish practice and the cycles of the Jewish year through ritual, art, and stories. Students will consider how Torah and middot can help us dream up and bring to life the world we hope to live in.
Second Grade: Mitzvot (commandments)
Second grade will focus on mitzvot, “commandments,” and deepen their understanding of Jewish practice, Shabbat, and holidays by performing mitzvot and considering their significance. Through Torah, Midrash, debate, and stories about significant individuals, students will consider how mitzvot can guide us to care for the earth, and to care for one another.
Third Grade Limud Torah (learning Torah)
Third grade will focus on building community, deepening their understanding of the Jewish holiday cycle, and stories from Torah and midrash through ritual, art, discussion, and debate. Students will consider some of the big questions that Torah poses about justice and responsibility, and how Jewish values can be applied to issues in our world today.
Fourth Grade: Tanakh & Talmud
Fourth grade will deepen their understanding of the Jewish textual canon, learning stories from Prophets and Writings and important selections from Mishnah. Students will learn about the creation of the Talmud and important thinkers and commentators, and the importance of inquiry, investigation, and debate.
Sixth & Seventh Grade: History & Shabbat Morning Service
Sixth & seventh grades study gemilut chasadim (acts of loving-kindness), teshuvah (return or repentance), and tzedek (justice) through both personal and systemic lenses. Students will explore specific aspects of Jewish history in-depth and through month-long projects, including: Jewish life in the diaspora, and historically significant moments including the Spanish Inquisition, the Holocaust, and the creation of the modern state of Israel. This class will begin a two-year siddur project in which they study a selection of prayers and create personal meaning through art, poetry, and discussion. This year, we will focus on the beginning prayers of the Shabbat morning service.
Fifth Grade: Justice & Oppression
Fifth grade will explore Jewish history and modern problems in-depth, and learn about Jewish participation in movements for justice. This class will spend much of the year learning about antisemitism: its origins, what it looks like today, its connections to other systems of oppression including racism and Islamophobia, and how we combat it. Students will deepen their understanding of the holiday cycle by considering the ways that Jews have used ritual to resist oppression or stand in solidarity, examining both historical and recent examples.
Caregivers and community members are invited to be involved in Kollel as participants, volunteers, or leaders. Some programs will be geared directly at educating the entire family unit with the aim of supporting home-based practice and learning.
Hebrew at Kollel
Decoding, Reading, and Liturgy for 3rd grade+ (self-paced)
Students in 3rd grade and above are invited to participate in Hebrew reading and liturgy class. Students can begin at any level – whether they have had previous Hebrew reading instruction or are starting from the very beginning, this class is for them!
Students will work their way through a series of 12 units to learn decoding (sounding out Hebrew) and basic translation skills through liturgical vocabulary and excerpted stories from the Torah, Tanakh, and liturgy. Students who have finished the 12 unit decoding curriculum will begin working on an extended liturgical curriculum that draws on the same skills and vocabulary, and on learning trope (Hebrew cantillation) in preparation for B Mitzvah.
This curriculum is designed to be in line with the values of NSP’s community: it honors the diversity of our community’s practice, offers gender-expansive language for liturgy and Nonbinary Hebrew adaptations, and emphasizes Hebrew as a rich and holy language: the language of the Torah, and of most of our blessings and prayers. Read more about the curriculum here.
Introduction to Hebrew Reading – 2nd grade+ (group instruction)
Students in 2nd grade + are invited to participate in Introduction to Hebrew Reading. We learn the letters of the Alef Bet, and key Hebrew vocabulary from prayers, blessings, and holidays. We will learn and practice decoding (sounding out) simple Hebrew words, and play Hebrew decoding games. Unlike Hebrew Reading & Liturgy, which is self-paced, this class will move through a curriculum together.
This introduction is not necessary for students in 3rd grade + to begin Hebrew Reading & Liturgy Class. Some students in 3rd grade + might prefer this more casual, group-oriented Hebrew learning class as an introduction.
Hebrew Play and Exploration for Kindergarten – 1st grade
Students in kindergarten and 1st grade are invited to participate in Hebrew Play and Exploration. We learn the letters of the Alef Bet, and key Hebrew vocabulary from prayers, blessings, and holidays. We sing and practice blessings, and make art using our Hebrew learning.
Hebrew with a 1:1 Tutor
For students in 3rd grade + who need 1:1 attention, either because of learning needs or because they are close to their B’Mitzvah date, NSP will match students with tutors according to special interests, needs, and availability. All tutors will undergo a background check. Families will be responsible for coordinating meetings with and paying their tutor. Please email Liora liora@newsynagogueproject.org to be matched with a tutor.
Please note that we have fewer in-person tutors than virtual, so tutoring may only be available online.
Goals and Understandings
Jewish Art/Culture/Song
Humor and joy are integral to our culture and traditions.
Jewish culture is alive: we draw from the past to create contemporary culture.
Hiddur Mitzvah, “beautifying the mitzvah,” is a Jewish value.
Social Justice
Values are integral to Judaism. We express our values through the choices we make, justice work and learning, and mitzvot. We choose ways to take action for justice.
Ritual
Judaism is dynamic: we activate our traditions, and express our Jewish identities in unique ways.
Jewish prayer and ritual helps us to practice gratitude and wonder, identify hopes and purpose, and connect with Divinity.
Text Study
We are active readers: text study allows us to learn and interact with our ancestors, narratives, values, and traditions. We respond, interpret, and ask questions that enable us to make personal and communal meaning, ground ourselves in tradition, and enrich our lives.
The Jewish Year
The Jewish year is full of moments and cycles that connect us to nature, Jewish history, and the larger Jewish community.
It is a mitzvah to observe Shabbat. Shabbat is holy and “set apart.” On Shabbat we focus on rest, renewal, and community.
Jewish History and World Culture
Judaism changes throughout time and space. There are many ways to “be Jewish.”
History informs Jewish life today.
Tuition
Base tuition for Kollel is $1,100 per child, and $825 per additional child in a family, for those who can afford to pay that amount. Those who cannot afford full tuition are asked to pay an amount that is affordable and meaningful to you – $0, $200, $400, or $600. Those who can afford to pay more are encouraged to make an additional contribution to help keep the program accessible to all regardless of means.
Additional tuition for Hebrew Decoding, Reading, and Liturgy at Kollel from is $400 per child.
Addition tuition for either “Introduction to Hebrew Reading” or “Hebrew Play and Exploration” is $200 per child, for those who can afford to pay that amount.
We are committed to a set of shared values that are embedded in the everyday practices and structures of our community, including justice, equity and liberation. Access to the community and its programs regardless of financial means is core to our mission and values.
We expect tuition to cover roughly 50% of the total cost of this program. If you are able to make a gift in addition to tuition, or have family members who might be, please contact Lauren Spokane, Synagogue Director, at lauren@newsynagogueproject.org.
FAQ
Q: Can we register for Kollel before formalizing our membership at NSP?
A: Yes!
Q: We have a non-traditional family structure. Should we apply the sibling discount?
A: Yes!
Q: Can we register for Kollel now, and make a payment at a later date?
A: Yes. You can make a payment at any time by going to NSP’s donation page and selecting “Give to Kollel (kids education) tuition.”
You can read more FAQs about Kollel here.
Suggested Tuition Summary:
$1,100 per first child
+ $825 per subsequent child
+ $400 per child for Hebrew Decoding, Reading, and Liturgy (3rd grade +)
+ $200 per child for “Introduction to Hebrew Reading” (2nd grade +) or “Hebrew Play and Exploration” (K-1st grade)