This summer, ShalomLearning began a new partnership with Beth Hillel Rome, Rome’s first and only Progressive Jewish community and the first non-Orthodox community founded in the city. Led by Rachel Rosen, a board member and the interim Director of Italy’s only Reform Hebrew school, Beth Hillel is proving what’s possible when a “young and mighty” congregation pairs bold vision with strong educational structure.
Founded in 2014 by ten courageous Roman Jews, Beth Hillel is now a community that has grown into a vibrant center of Jewish life in Rome. Today, Beth Hillel includes more than 300 members, a Hebrew school of 40 children (and counting!), Shabbat services three times per month, and a growing Tot Shabbat program, offering an inclusive Jewish home for families with diverse backgrounds (Ashkenazi, Sephardi, mixed-faith families, and more) and international roots (Italy, France, the U.S., Argentina, Brasil, Israel, and beyond). Importantly, Beth Hillel operates as a self-funded nonprofit, sustained by membership and voluntary support rather than public subsidy, making sustainable tools and smart systems especially essential.
What it takes to bring ShalomLearning to Italy
Because ShalomLearning’s core curriculum and support systems are written in English, implementing the program in Rome requires more than simply adopting a new set of lessons. It requires building a bridge. Beth Hillel’s team is translating curriculum materials from English into Italian, so students and families can access learning in a way that feels natural and culturally aligned. The partnership is evolving in a highly collaborative direction: creating a translation-friendly workflow and exploring customized professional development options.
A Clear Shift in Learning Within Months
After only four months using ShalomLearning, Rachel reported that students have made “leaps and bounds” of progress academically and emotionally. Parents are seeing the difference. Students are more engaged and “really happy” with their learning experience. Teachers are reporting something equally meaningful: prep is easier, lessons feel more consistent, and the program is finally structured in a way that supports momentum week to week.
One practical breakthrough has been continuity. When a child misses class, teachers can easily share the same digital slide decks and worksheets used in the in-class lesson, helping students catch up without losing the thread, and helping families feel supported rather than behind.
Translation as Cultural Adaptation (not just word replacement)
The partnership has also surfaced the depth of what “translation” actually means, especially in Hebrew learning. For elements such as mnemonics, “Hebrew tricks,” and song-based learning, translation requires cultural adaptation, not just vocabulary swaps. Rachel and several staff members are actively volunteering to translating materials, and they’ve named both the opportunity and the challenge: this is meaningful work that takes time, iteration, and creativity.
Connecting Rome to Zurich: a Shared Path, a Stronger Network
One of the most exciting developments from the partnership has been connecting Beth Hillel Rome with our partners in Zurich, Switzerland, who have already undertaken a similar initiative: translating ShalomLearning’s Jewish Values curriculum into German. This peer connection means Beth Hillel’s educators aren’t building in isolation, they’re joining a practical community of practice, learning from colleagues who have faced similar decisions about translation workflow, adaptation choices, and sustainable implementation.
Growth Signals: the “Bar/Bat Mitzvah Boom”
Beth Hillel is also experiencing something Rachel described as a “Bnei mitzvah boom.” Historically, the community saw about five b’nei mitzvot per year. Now, because learning is more structured and consistent, 15 new students have entered the current bar/bat mitzvah cycle, with an anticipated 10 students each year for the next five years.
For a congregation as young as Beth Hillel, this is huge, not only as a milestone pipeline, but as a signal of long-term stability and identity-building for families.
Learning that Strengthens the Whole Community
This is not just a Hebrew school success story. Rachel shared how the structure and clarity ShalomLearning provides are influencing the broader community:
- Leadership evolution: the role is shifting from youth programming (Tot Shabbat, School, B Mitzvah Programming, Netzer) toward a wider scope as the hunt begins for an Education Director for the whole community.
- Conversion learning revitalization: inspired by ShalomLearning’s approach, Beth Hillel is planning to rebuild (conversion) materials with clearer learning objectives and a more formal sequence.
- Deeper board partnership: working with extended Board members to develop the B Mitzvah program has also inspired shared cultural events that include Talmud sessions on Maimonides, visits to relevant Roman cultural monuments, speakers on and survivors of the Shoah as well as lighthearted events like Tu B’shevat seders, Pesach seders, challah baking and Israeli dancing workshops.
The next phase of this partnership is full of possibilities and Beth Hillel is already planning for growth.
Why Beth Hillel Rome’s Story Matters
Beth Hillel is the kind of community that reminds us why this work exists. In a city with one of the world’s oldest Jewish histories, a new Progressive congregation founded by 10 leaders just over a decade ago is creating a modern, inclusive Jewish home and bringing children into deeper learning and belonging.
We’re proud to be learning alongside Rachel Rosen and the Beth Hillel team and grateful for the chance to help shape what Jewish education can look like in Italy for the next generation.
