EDUCATION is one sector that has needed to adapt and change through the COVID-19 pandemic faster than most.

The team at BJE (Board of Jewish Education) was innovative and almost overnight were able to commence remote operation, showing immediate concern for the health and safety of their students, teachers and staff.

BJE completed its digital transformations in weeks and launched new initiatives in a matter of days. In the early lockdown period, students were given the opportunity to participate in an intergenerational activity by sending heartfelt and encouraging messages which connected students with Montefiore residents, highlighting the Jewish value of kindness.

BJE continued the Jewish Journey online, hosting over 200 lessons per month through virtual learning, where over 500 students were able to
maintain their connection to Jewish culture, heritage and identity.

“During isolation, BJE was able to connect with our family through the online learning experience. The Hebrew teacher was able to engage and motivate my daughter and it was lovely to see how much she learnt and enjoyed the lessons,” BJE parent Leigh said.

During this period, BJE connected with over 400 families in the community across NSW via phone calls and Zoom meetings. BJE kept primary school students actively engaged in the school holidays through a range of free online activities.

This was also evident for over 100 high school students who engaged with BJE during the term, as students continued their Jewish Journey by moving weekly lunch clubs online and providing regular online quiz game shows with exciting prizes to be won.

Equally important to BJE during these times was the ability to provide a strong focus on fostering the social aspect of the Jewish Journey for students and parents alike during the isolation period, which was achieved by exciting live stream videos such as the Shavuot cheesecake bake-off and more.

As BJE makes its way back into the classroom in term 3, there’s never been a better time to involve your child in the BJE Jewish Journey today, and BJE can’t wait for what’s to come!

A position paper produced by the NSWPPA earlier this month called for Scripture lessons, which are taught by volunteers, to be moved to either before or after school.

The main reasons cited are concerns that teachers face a steep challenge of covering the full school curriculum every week while losing a period of teaching time for special religious education (SRE) and ethics classes, and that students who opt out can only do unstructured, supervised activities.

NSWPPA vice-president Michael Trist insisted that member principals were not “anti-religion” but were chiefly concerned about timetable disruptions.

More than 2000 Jewish students at NSW public schools receive weekly Jewish scripture lessons via BJE, which also provides Hebrew and Jewish studies classes, and a year 6 Project Heritage Holocaust education module.

In a joint statement in response to the NSWPPA’s claims, BJE CEO Hilit Man and NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Vic Alhadeff highlighted a landmark 2018 report about the value of SRE in NSW, co-authored by Professor Emerita Suzanne Rutland from the University of Sydney.

“[That report] found that [SRE] imparts psychological benefits to students in terms of their mental health and well-being, while strengthening the
multicultural fabric of public schools and creating a safe space
for students to explore questions of faith.

“For these reasons, we feel strongly that scripture classes should continue to be part of the school day.

“Relegating them to outside school hours would send an unequivocal negative message that matters of faith and the values of multiculturalism are of minimal importance.”

The above article appeared in
The Australian Jewish News (Sydney edition) on 14 August 2020.

Primary School

Taking the Jewish Journey online

BJE’s Hebrew and Extension classes were adapted to suit interactive online learning which has been very well received.

A free Pesach lesson was offered  to all students who registered in Term 1, to recap  the story of the Exodus from Egypt and the miracle that occurred. Students learnt about the 10 plagues, practised the Mah Nishtanah and recapped the meaning of the items on the Seder plate.

In Term 2 Jewish SRE (Scripture) lessons are delivered online free of charge and are approved by the Department of Education. Students will learn about different Jewish Symbols and their meaning, the history of the Jewish land and the customs of Shavuot. Students will be able to access these lessons in their own time and work at their own pace.

Engaging with Montefiore residents

BJE have been encouraging students to write letters and draw pictures to help brighten the day of Montefiore residents. A series of these were distributed and residents have been engaging with students by writing thank you responses and sharing their own thoughts during these challenging times.

Personal delivery of books

BJE teachers and staff delivered PJ Library and Moriah books to all our Extension and Hebrew students. The books are designed to teach us about the foundations of our Jewish values and the wisdom of our tradition, while learning how to navigate your life as a Jew in today’s world. They are based on the many beautiful stories and each story has a conversation point and a question for the family to discuss.

Live online

Matzah Bake with Chabad Youth

An interactive Facebook live ‘Matzah bake workshop’ was held before Pesach featuring Rabbi Elimelech Levy where students were taught how to make Matzah at home, just in time for Pesach.

Matzah ball cooking demonstration

An interactive Facebook live ‘Matzah ball cooking’ session was held at the home of Shterna Althaus, BJE’s Social Program Coordinator. The activity-filled event attracted over 5,700 viewers and proved to be fun and educational for both adults and children.

Seder essentials

Another successful interactive Facebook live session was held to help families prepare for a ‘lockdown Seder’. Shterna Althaus demonstrated different options for what to use on the Seder plate and went over the steps of the Seder.

Cheesecake Bake For Shavuot

This time our high school madrichim David and Tim got in on the action, creating an entertaining live cheesecake baking show for the more amateur cooks. Cracking eggs and jokes alike, these two were a huge hit for high school students to join in on the action.

For more Facebook live events, follow the ‘NSWBJE’ Facebook page or @nswbje on Instagram.

School Holiday online

BJE offered a variety of free online sessions over the April school holidays. These ranged from Pesach Origami, Make your own Sushi, Sport – Strength and Conditioning, Krav Maga, and Alef Bet Yoga.

High School

Online #bjeisochallenge competitions

BJE have launched weekly #bjeisochallenge competitions based around themes – the first one being ‘best self-isolation setup at home’. The best entries receive a gift voucher.

BJE Virtual Lunch Club

With BJE unable to visit schools during the pandemic, our High School madrichim brought lunch club to students’ homes online! This gave students from a variety of schools opportunities to engage and connect with each other as well as to catch up with their madrichim, all whilst playing interactive games together.

Quiz Mania Live Stream

BJE has extended their online engagement to live gameshows. Students join an online meeting hosted by the Madrichim to compete in an online trivia competition for the chance to win two exciting prizes.

Video Conferences

BJE Madrichim, together with the Israeli team from Alexander Muss High School in Israel (AMHSI) engage our BJE Israel Program students with fun activities.

Parent Engagement

BJE Connect

BJE is checking in on families to see how they are managing, if they require any assistance and ways BJE can be there for them.

BJE’s new initiatives aim to reassure our community that we can be socially connected, while still physically distancing ourselves.          

For further information on these initiatives, please contact BJE on info@bje.nsw.edu.au