We at ShalomLearning are absolutely thrilled to share a shining example of how our program is not just a curriculum, but a vibrant part of a school’s culture. The Israelitische Cultusgemeinde (ICZ) in Zürich, a valued international ShalomLearning partner school, has truly embraced our values-based approach, and their recent “Teshuvah Tree” project is a beautiful testament to this!
A Vision for Experiential Jewish Education
Our partnership with ICZ began three years ago, deeply rooted in the vision of Elli Cohn, ICZ’s Head of Jewish Studies. Inspired by her own Jewish education, Elli, a rabbi with a Master’s degree in Talmud, dedicated her career to Jewish education. When she relocated to Zürich and joined the ICZ—the largest Jewish community in Switzerland—she saw a unique opportunity to improve the Jewish studies program, particularly in the Hebrew school.
Elli was eager to move beyond outdated, non-interactive materials, especially since good German-language resources were scarce. “There are so many amazing resources in English,” Elli explained, but the German-adapted program they used was “outdated with no interactive or experiential components.”
With students attending Hebrew school for only two hours a week, Elli saw a clear opportunity to maximize that limited time through experiential education, helping kids connect their Jewish values to their everyday lives. She found ShalomLearning through a Google search and immediately gravitated to our values-based curriculum. As she says, “The ShalomLearning curriculum provided what was missing—showing kids how you can see the secular world through Jewish values and how their Jewish lives are relevant to their lives every other day of the week.”
Translating Values, Transforming Learning
Since then, ICZ has been diligently working on a remarkable endeavor: translating our curriculum into German, introducing it two grades at a time. This thoughtful, gradual approach has allowed the program to slowly become part of their school’s identity. Elli has even used AI to assist in the translation process and adapted the content to their specific community’s needs.
ICZ plans to implement ShalomLearning with a “menu approach,” giving teachers the flexibility to choose activities that best suit their classes. This will bring consistency across classrooms while allowing for experiential learning. The use of ShalomLearning’s age-adapted materials is also key, as it ensures that “kids can come back to the same topic and look at it differently as they get older.” Furthermore, they plan to use our “car talk” prompts and class notes to encourage family participation, prompting valuable conversations at home about how Jewish values can be integrated into their daily lives.
The “Teshuvah Tree”: A Communal Expression of Values
Elli Cohn shared with us their very first ShalomLearning-inspired initiative: the communal “Teshuvah Tree” bulletin board.
The board, adorned with colorful leaves, each carrying a heartfelt message from a student, truly embodies the spirit of Teshuvah – returning, reflecting, and expressing gratitude. What makes this project so special, and so aligned with ShalomLearning’s mission, is its ability to unite the entire school. “It was a way to unite all the classes, and have everyone contribute to a communal project,” Elli noted. This communal aspect, bringing people together around shared Jewish values, is exactly what we strive for. It’s about building a strong, interconnected community where Jewish learning is not just in the classroom, but a lived experience.
The excitement doesn’t stop there! Elli also revealed their plans to continue this beautiful tradition, integrating ShalomLearning’s core values, or middot, into their school environment. “We will have a new bulletin board for each middah, following the order of the ShalomLearning curriculum. B’tzelem Elohim is next.”
We can’t wait to see how the students at ICZ in Zürich continue to explore and express each middah through these creative and communal projects. This partnership is a testament to the power of Jewish education when it becomes part of the fabric of a school, fostering connection, gratitude, and a deeper understanding of Jewish values.
Kol Hakavod to Elli Cohn and the entire Israelitische Cultusgemeinde for bringing ShalomLearning to life in such a meaningful way! We’re so proud to be a part of your journey.
