Our Programs

Our Children

Our children are the future of Judaism. In turn, each child’s future as a Jew is strengthened and enhanced by a sound Jewish education. Temple Har Zion has developed and implemented a program that helps students to develop strong skills, allowing them to become participating and contributing members of the Jewish community.   

Our Teachers

We are proud of our teachers, who are led by Director Susan Sermer. Many are also members of our congregation, and some are graduates of our own Teacher Training Program. Our teachers are committed to providing their students with a program that is both challenging and stimulating. They are dedicated to passing on their love of Judaism and their knowledge to the next generation.

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Religious School

Our Religious School has three components: Beit Midrash, Beir No'ar and Beit Ivrit.

  • Beit Midrash
    Junior Kindergarten through grade 6
    Meets at Leo Baeck Day School on Sunday mornings 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

    JK meets once a month
    SK – gr. 2 students study holidays, Shabbat, Torah Arts, music, beginning Hebrew, Jewish life cycle, Israel, participate in services, optional Primary Choir
    Gr. 3 – 6 students follow the CHAI curriculum published by the Union for Reform Judaism. Their studies follow the three strands of Torah, Avodah, G’milut Chasadim; in addition, they participate in Torah Arts, services, as well as optional Junior Choir

  • Beit No'ar
    Senior school, grades 7 – 10
    Meets at Temple Har Zion on Monday evenings 6:00 - 8:00 p.m..

    Students in these grades study the history, traditions, and practices of Reform Judaism; in grade 7 they combine social action with text study by regularly visiting a retirement home; they learn about midrash and ethical literature; they have the option of participating in our Senior Band or choosing from a variety of other electives such as Holocaust, Teen Issues, Current Events, etc.

    Parents of Leo Baeck Day School and other day school students, please note: All students must attend Beit No'ar during grade 7 in order to be called to the Torah as a Bar/Bat Mitzvah at Temple Har Zion.

  • Beit Ivrit
    Afternoon Hebrew, and prayer skills program, grades 3 – 7
    Meets at Temple Har Zion on Tuesday afternoons, 4;45 - 6:45 P.M.

    Our program uses a self - paced Hebrew     curriculum which is siddur based and allows students to develop literacy skills in prayer content so that they may participate in a meaningful way in worship services with their Temple community.

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Bar/Bat Mitzvah

At age thirteen, children who meet the educational requirements of a minimum of five years of attendance at our school may be called to the Torah as a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Our Cantorial Soloist (or other tutors, when required) works with the students to prepare them to chant their Torah and Haftarah portions and the prayers they will lead during the service. Rabbi Weiss helps them to prepare their Divrei Torah.

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Reaffirmation

Approximately a year after Bar/ Bat Mitzvah, we encourage students to chant from the Torah again. This is a way for the young person to reaffirm his/her commitment to Judaism and once again use the skills they acquired to prepare for Bar/Bat Mitzvah. 

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Confirmation

The final year of Senior Academy, grade 10, is a special year – the year of Confirmation. Because of their increased maturity, students have the opportunity to study issues at a deeper level. They are taught by rabbis and educators both from Temple Har Zion and other institutions. In addition to their studies, these students show a commitment to their community by fulfilling a community service requirement of 3 hours each week. Many choose to volunteer in our Religious School, and some eventually become members of our school staff.

The year begins with a weekend Retreat and ends with a Confirmation Service. The entire year’s experience is a memorable culmination of the students’ Religious School education, and frequently lifelong friendships are cemented.    

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Youth Groups

We, at Temple Har Zion, are justifiably proud of both our youth groups and our youth. The level of involvement, the strong leadership provided by our youth advisor, Jacqueline Canton and the outstanding participation and enthusiasm make this a strong and positive part of Temple life.

MHARZY the senior group (grades nine through twelve), is a member of NFTY - Northeast Lakes Council. With a combination of study and social activities, participants are actively involved in the Jewish world. There are trips, special weekends and opportunities to meet other temple groups from Toronto, from other parts of Canada and from the United States. For more information, please visit their website.

JHAZY, (grades seven and eight) is the transition to MHARZY and has its own activities and interests to develop and encourage active participation in the Jewish community.  

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Torah Study

Judaism believes and Temple Har Zion supports the goal of lifetime learning for all. Year round Torah study is offered every Shabbat morning at 9 AM. Sessions are led by Rabbi Weiss, or occasionally by special guests.

Adult Education

Each year, the Adult Education committee presents a variety of programs including one night and multiple-night sessions, a scholar-in-residence weekend and a Shabbaton. These thought-provoking and stimulating programs are open to all members. The wide and interesting range of topics has included Jewish history, theology, philosophy, significant or historical controversies, analysis of rituals from prayer to life cycle and landmark decisions or events.

For upcoming programs, please see our events page.

Camp George

The URJ Camp George located in the Muskoka region of Ontario near Parry Sound, is one of twelve summer camp institutes owned by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ). It offers campers the best in both recreational summer camping and Reform Jewish camping.

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