The Sadie and Herman Spiegel Religious School

The Sadie and Herman Spiegel Religious School provides our students with a solid foundation in Jewish studies. The curriculum spans such topics as: Hebrew, History, Israel, Bible, Jewish Social Studies, Holidays, Ethics and Synagogue Skills. Jewish learning is a lifelong pursuit. The Spiegel Religious School provides programming for family education as it relates to the holidays.

The schedule of classes is as follows:

GRADES K-2: meet on Sunday mornings for 2 1/4 hours. On Shabbat mornings Saturday Morning Live (SML), an optional Shabbat experience for children in these grades, is offered each week. Students in these grades concentrate on Hebrew reading readiness, holidays, Israel and Bible stories. Tot Shabbat (a pre-school Shabbat experience is offered twice per month.)

GRADES 3-5: meet on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and on Sunday mornings. An optional Junior Congregation program is offered for these grades each Shabbat morning. The curriculum for grades 3-5 centers on Hebrew reading skills, prayer, Bible, Israel, holidays and the Jewish life cycle.

GRADES 6-­7: meet on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and on Shabbat mornings. The Shabbat class concentrates on prayer and on prayer leadership skills in preparation for the students' Bar and Bat Mitzvah experiences. A junior congregation service is part of the Shabbat morning. The curriculum for these grades additionally includes Hebrew reading comprehension, Holocaust study and Jewish ethics. For students who will become B'nai Mitzvah during any given year, a monthly Minyan with the Rabbi takes place on Sunday mornings. Students begin individual Bar or Bat Mitzvah tutoring approximately 8-9 months prior to their simcha. Students are encouraged to participate in conducting the services to the fullest extent of their ability.

POST BAR/BAT MITZVAH EDUCATION: At the completion of the seventh grade of religious school, students are eligible to continue their education through the community-wide Agency for Jewish Learning teen program J-SITE. J-SITE is offered in Squirrel Hill with a South Hills option only for 8th Graders.