Teen Education Programs
Ohr Kodesh offers three teen education programs: Tzohar, Tovanot and Teen Beit Midrash for grades 8-12.
These dynamic programs include study of original texts, exploration of Jewish traditions, contemporary responses to current issues, and relationship building across the Jewish community.
Enrollment is now live!
Tzohar is an innovative program that combines classical Jewish education with an introduction to college-level Jewish Studies coursework. Participants in this Sunday evening program experience two distinctive approaches to Jewish Studies, an hour of traditional text study with community rabbis and teachers, and another hour of coursework with faculty members from the Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Studies at University of Maryland. Popular sessions over the past year included presentations on modern Israeli politics, the history of the Hebrew language, and Jewish comedy in America. Tzohar students in grades 9-12 are also eligible to participate in the Hadar Institute’s Moot Beit Din competition.
Eighth to twelfth graders from Montgomery County and Washington DC are welcome to participate in this program, a partnership between Ohr Kodesh Congregation, Ohev Sholom Congregation, and Tifereth Israel Congregation, and meets at Ohr Kodesh on Sunday evenings (5:30-7:45 p.m.) during the school year. Enrollment for the 2024-25 school year is limited to 30 students.
Teen Beit Midrash (TBM) is OKC's Thursday night teen education program for students in 8th-12th grades. Teens have the opportunity to connect meaningfully with the Jewish traditions’ texts and concepts, and to develop relationships with Rabbi Corey Helfand and to one another.
Each week, students begin with a provided dinner and check-ins with Rabbi Helfand. Then participants engage in a year-long exploration into the Jewish tradition’s perspective on fundamental personal and ethical issues in society. This year, the students will be discussing “The God that I Do and Don’t Believe In: What does it mean to believe in God? Does God ever change? Who is the God of creation, revelation, suffering/evil, justice/injustice? Do I have free will or is everything predetermined?”.
Tovanot: Generating Insight and Understanding, Building Community Resilience is a program that utilizes a dual-narrative approach to help students understand the historical and political environment in Israel and build empathy. Tovanot encourages a rigorous exploration of Zionist history and Israel's significance to Jews and Israelis alongside a concern and appreciation for Palestinian lives and narratives.
This program is open for students in grades 8-12 and will run through the first 4 sessions of Tzohar. There is no extra cost for Tzohar students. Students who are not registered for Tzohar but would like to participate in the Tovanot program are invited to join for a cost of $150 per student. Register for Tovanot only HERE.
