Thinking about 2013-14 religious school already?

The board of directors of Temple Israel in Winter Springs announces that Rabbi Joshua Neely will serve as Rav Beit HaSefer (Principal) of the religious school for the coming year. Neely will continue in his other rabbinical roles as well.

The Temple Israel leadership team sees this as yet another advantage of having a synagogue family that is of a size to allow the rabbi, the students and the students’ family members to get to personally know one another.

What else does it mean to have one’s rabbi as the official director of the religious school? Everyone is able to share his/her passions or raise any concerns. Neely will also continue to teach in each of the Temple Israel religious school classes every week. This helps him be both rav and moreh, the rabbi and the personal teacher, for each student.

All synagogues share a love of Torah, a devotion to God and a commitment to fellow Jews. Temple Israel revolves around two principles that make it distinct: a dedication to learning at all ages and a coordinated effort to put Judaism into practice. The religious school is an extension of these ideals. The curriculum is designed to give students not only a love of Judaism but a lifelong thirst for learning and living their Judaism in the real world.

You are invited to visit the TI website, http://www.tiflorida.org/education.htm, and get to know us better, says a temple official. “Thanks to the dedication of our congregation, tuition is greatly subsidized; tuition is $100 or $200 per student depending on age. We feel so strongly that your family will appreciate what we do that we offer free schooling for kindergarten through fourth grade children for one year. This way, your family can try out our school and congregation before making a long-term commitment.”

Temple Israel is at 50 S. Moss Road. The office telephone number is 407-647-3055. A temple official says, “Feel free to stop by any weekday between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sundays are also available, but it’s best to have an appointment to make certain the appropriate school personnel are available to meet with you.”