THE COLUMBIA JEWISH COMMUNITY SCHOOL

About CJCS And Its Philosophy
The Columbia Jewish Community School (CJCS) is the oldest religious school in Howard County, Maryland. Founded in 1971 in the tradition of Ahad Ha'am, a great Zionist thinker who once claimed that "nothing Jewish is alien to me." CJCS has strived, through its curriculum, its faculty, and its activities, to expose its students to many diverse Jewish religious perspectivies and to do so in a positive manner. We believe that this approach best equips our students to make informed decisions of their own when faced with the many monumental choices of life in general and of Jewish life in particular.

Standard Curriculum Features

Emphasis on Hebrew Reading and Prayer

Weekly classes are devoted to the study of Hebrew prayers and reading. In the Primary grades (Pre-K thru 3rd Grade) the focus is on gradual letter recognition and decoding. Upper grades (4th thru 7th) learn progressively more Hebrew and develop an increased Hebrew vocabulary. View more details on the Hebrew curriculum.

Judaica Curriculum - Sundays

CJCS utilizes a dynamic Judaica curriculm which features emphasis on Learning Through Action! We encourage meaningful and creative observance of Jewish holidays and year-round practice of mitzvot. Numerous field trips, family education, and other special programs are incorporated in to the curriculum for each class, including a Family book discussion. View more details on the Judaica curriculum.

Post B'nai Mitzvah Classes - 8th thru 12th Graders

CJCS offers a weekly class (Thursday evenings) that integrates the teaching of Torah with modern Jewish life and allows the teens to explore the variety of Jewish perspectives on modern day issues. There is time built in for socialization and the class is extremely popular among our older students.

Independent Study/Project

If your teen has time commitments that conflict with existing CJCS classes, making regular attendance difficult... or perhaps "classes" just aren't their style, CJCS offers an alternative: an "Independent Study/Project." This provides teens with an opportunity to receive personalized guidance for a study topic or project of their choice. Teens may explore a new topic of interest, develop a creative new project, or examine the "Jewish angle" of an activity they are already engaged in!