Baltimore Education Initiative for Teens of Reform Judiasm
Curriculum

BEIT RJ Curriculum 2010-2011

Each BEIT-RJ student will take elective classes and core classes during the school year. 11th and 12th grade students will have the option to take a 3 credit-bearing course during the year instead of elective and core classes.

A BEIT RJ student will:
  1. Have a general knowledge of the great books of Judaism
  2. Know how to find answers to their questions and have the enthusiasm and interest to do so
  3. Feel empowered to continue Jewish studies and participate in Jewish life post high school
  4. Have a general knowledge of Comparative Judaism and Comparative Religion
  5. Have an understanding of, an appreciation for, and a commitment to the State of Israel
  6. Recognize the importance of a communal Jewish experience
  7. Want Judaism to inform their decision-making and their life
  8. Recognize that Judaism is relevant, timeless, and dynamic
  9. Have a respect for tradition and an openness to change
8th Grade Core Curriculum- Ethics & The Great Books
1st Semester: Choice of 3 classes, Ethics through the Great Books
  1. Bio-ethics: Stem Cell to Euthanasia
  2. Blood & Lust in the Bible
  3. Environmental Ethics
2nd Semester: URJ Sacred Choices Curriculum- Examines how Judaism can help our students make informed healthy decisions regarding relationships, peer pressure, and school related issues.
9th Grade Core Curriculum- Reform Judaism, Comparative Judaism, Comparative Religion

3 Trimesters- Students will rotate through the classes throughout the year
  1. Reform Judaism
  2. Comparative Judaism
  3. Comparative Religion

10th Grade Core Curriculum- Confirmation

11th-12th Core Curriculum- Junior/Senior Track

2 Choices of Year Long Core Classes
  1. Sacred Choices High School Curriculum
  2. Building Bridges
11th-12th Core Curriculum- 3 Credit Class through Towson University

Introduction to Cultural Studies: Jewish Representation and Identity
Cultural Studies examines the way our everyday experience is shaped by larger culture – through the media, consumerism, social relationships, and the way our society is organized. Cultural Studies also examines larger cultural patterns of social hierarchy and power. In this course we will explore these ideas with a focus on understanding Jewish identity and its multiple cultural meanings. Changing conceptions of Jewish identity across cultural space and community will be explored from an interdisciplinary perspective (cultural studies, media studies, social sciences, literature). Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding Jewish experience in relation to cultural expressions of race, ethnicity, class, gender and sexuality.

11th-12th Grade Service Learning Track

Praying With Your Feet
When Abraham Joshua Heschel marched in Selma Alabama, he said that his: “feet were praying.” How do we pray through performing acts of social action? Judaism teaches that we must take action to sustain and improve our world. Through a Jewish lens, students will spend the year going to Baltimore organizations to learn, interact, and volunteer with the community. They will delve into issues including Bikkur Cholim, Gemilut Hasadim, LeDor vaDor, and Hiddur Mitzvah.

NEW 11th-12th Holocaust Studies Track

2010-2011 8-10 Electives
  • Youth Group
  • Jewish Art
  • Israeli Self Defense
  • Jews in Sports and Culture
  • Jews Around The World
  • Jews in Rock n' Roll
  • Madrichim Training Course
  • Jewish Cooking
  • Family Guy and Family Values
  • Current Issues Related to "Jew"
  • Judaism and the Law
  • Jewish Cooking
  • UB The Judge
  • American Jewish History
  • The Holocaust
  • Israel: Face to Face with the 2010 Shinshinim
  • Life After Death
  • Conversational Hebrew
  • CSI: Murder in the Text
  • Jews in the News Around the World
  • Christianity
  • BEIT-RJ Choir
  • Songleading
  • Jewish Musicals
  • Jewish Mysticism
  • The 10 Commandments
  • Book Club
  • Jewish Holidays
  • Experiential Initiatives for Solving Jewish Problems
  • SongQuest
  • 2011 BEIT-RJ Israel Trip Elective

8th-10th Grade Torah Core Elective Track

The Torah Core Track is an elective track for 8-10 grade students interested in a more intense learning experience. The classes being offered for the 2010-2011 school year will be taught by Rabbis from the Reform congregations.

11th-12th Grade Electives
  • Packing For College
  • Israeli Encounter with the 2010-2011 Shinshinim
  • Jewish History
  • Jewish Literature
Participating Congregations

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