What is the
Sholem Community?
Sholem is
a secular and progressive Jewish educational, cultural, and social
institution. Our Sunday
school teaches Jewish history, culture, and ethics. We offer a bar/bas
mitsve program and observances of Jewish
holidays.
What is Secular
Jewishness?
Sholem stresses the historic,
cultural, and ethical aspects of Jewishness. We view a Secular Jewish
identity as one that is relevant to contemporary life and committed to
justice, peace, and community responsibility. We regard belief or disbelief in the supernatural to be a personal, private matter that need not affect the Jewish part of our idealities.
How
does Sholem observe Jewish holidays?
Our
holiday observances are meaningful alternatives to religious
rituals. Our secular humanistic adaptations of
Jewish holidays are based on Jewish history and folk
traditions. They are creative and imbued with a sense of
relevance to the concerns of our modern times.
Do
you teach the Torah?
Bar/bas mitsve candidates study the book of
Genesis critically, verse by verse. Adult seminars often cover aspects of Torah study. As a secular organization, we view the Torah as an
important literary and societal work. We do not see it as sacred
text.
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Where
does the school meet?
The Sholem School meets most Sundays at leased facilities on the campus of
Westside Neighborhood School, in Marina del Rey, CA. Meet our staff.
I
would like to enroll my child in your school. Can we try it first?
Please
be our guests. Come on any Sunday we’re in session. Meet our director, select an appropriate
class, and take a test drive. We have ongoing enrollment throughout the
year.
Do you have a toddler
program?
Bagels
& Blox is a program of songs, stories, and arts & crafts,
all infused with Sholem's secular, progressive, Jewish curriculum, made
toddler-friendly.
How
much does Sholem cost?
We keep our rates reasonable.
We offer scholarships and don’t turn people away because of lack of
funds.
What
do you do for the bar/bas mitsve ceremony?
We ask our bar/bas mitsves to deliver
presentations, around 20 minutes in length — to the Sholem
Community and to their families and friends — about some aspect of
Jewishness that is significant to them.
What
does Sholem mean?
Sholem means
“peace” in Yiddish.
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