Jewish Education at the Sandi Kupperman Learning Center provides creative learning experiences and innovative programming to help our children discover what it means to be Jewish. The teaching of Jewish values, traditions and sacred texts form the basis of our school curriculum. Our aim is for each student to discover his or her own sense of Jewish identity - to explore and experience who he or she is as a Jew and who he or she might become in the years ahead.  To this end, religious education begins in kindergarten and continues all the way through 12th grade (B'yahad, our Hebrew High School).  Because the family plays a vital role in the formation of a child's Jewish identity, family education is an integral part of our religious school program.  We use home-based activities, holiday programs and parent-child study sessions to involve parents in support of their role as teachers and role models for their own children.

Sandi Kupperman

Sandi exhibited a lifelong dedication to her Jewish heritage serving as a board member, Sisterhood President and Hebrew School teacher at Temple Beth El, as well as a teacher and counselor at the Jewish Community Center. Sandi believed learning should be a fun, rewarding process that builds self esteem. Professionally, Sandi was the Executive Director and founder of The Family Support Center, supporting families with spirited children and adolescents, advocating wellness in the family unit.  She was the chapter coordinator of CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder).  Her career also included work as a family counselor and teacher at the Twain School and counselor for the Hampden County Association for Retarded Citizens. Sandi, the daughter of Charles and Jan Nirenberg, grew up in Springfield.  Her life was dedicated to helping others around her, beginning with her own family; her husband, Mitch, and her children, Joshua and Jilliann.  Sandi lived live as a gentle but powerful soul, focusing on what she could do for others, believing that giving was the path to fulfillment.  Those she touched along the way will always cherish her memory.

Mission of the Sandi Kupperman Learning Center of Temple Beth El

·         To provide a positive and supportive environment that nurtures the uniqueness of each student; ·         To provide students with a positive sense of Jewish identity and a commitment to the community; ·         To transmit Jewish values and ethics; ·         To enable students to acquire necessary tools to participate in a meaningful Conservative Jewish life and to acquire the skills necessary to participate in home rituals and synagogue life; ·         To offer opportunities for parents and children to experience Jewish life together and encourage parents to be partners in the education process; ·         To enable each student to find his or her own way to meaningful adult participation in Jewish life and acquire a desire for lifelong learning.

Learning Objectives Helping Our Children Become Literate Jews

Derekh Eretz – the Right Path ·       develop mutual respect for peers ·       develop concern for both the immediate community and the world-at-large via the Jewish values of tzedakah (charity), gemulit hasadim (acts of loving kindness) and tikun olam (repairing the world)   Talmud Torah – Study ·       develop an appreciation of Jewish texts ·       study Torah in it’s ancient context ·       discover Torah’s relevance to our own lives   T'fillah – Prayer ·       Become familiar with standard Jewish liturgy ·       Learn basic davening skills ·       Encourage personal religious expression   Ivrit – Hebrew ·       Develop fluency in the Hebrew reading of prayers ·       Learn basic principles of grammar and syntax to enhance understanding of prayer text ·       Introduce Hebrew as a spoken language through words and phrases   Lu'ah – Calendar ·       Develop an awareness of the Jewish yearly cycle ·       Study themes, rituals, concepts and history of Jewish festivals and holy days   Am-Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael - the People of Israel, the Land of Israel ·       Develop student’s sense of being connected to Jewish people in Israel and throughout the world   Doogmah – Example ·       Develop a sense of responsibility for one’s actions ·       Learn the importance of setting the right example for others