Chai School Grades 6 - 12
Chai School meets the challenge of providing a meaningful Jewish education for adolescent-age students (Grades 6 – 12) by allowing them to design their program of study! Chai School meets on Tuesday nights from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM during the school year.
CLICK HERE for the 2025-2026 School Calendar
CLICK HERE for Family Handbook
Links to JEC Forms
CLICK HERE For Worship Service Recording Form W
CLICK HERE For Community Service Recording Form C
CLICK HERE For Summer Camp or Israel Experience Recording Form S
CLICK HERE For Independent Study Recording Form I
Seminars and Special Events!
These special programs and seminars give our teens the chance to bond with one another, with our clergy and faculty, and to form their own close community within our B’nai Shalom congregation. We believe these experiences are essential and allow our students to grow and stay connected to Judaism long after high school. The grade-level weekend seminars are an integral part of our curriculum, and we anticipate that each registered student in grades 6-12 will attend! Costs for the seminars are included as part of school tuition for each grade listed. This is in alignment with the integral role that the seminar plays in the educational program. It also enables us to better plan for the involvement of every student in our community through our adjustment process when needed.
Thursday, October 2 - Yom Kippur Youth Group (8 - 12) Reads Jonah
Tuesday, October 14 - Simchat Torah Dinner and Celebration!
Sunday, October 19 - Grades 6 - 8 Newport Adventure
November 21-23 - 9th Grade New York City Seminar
December 4 - 7 - 11th and 12th Grade Southern Civil Rights Experience
Sunday, March 8 - Yallah! Leads Purim Carnival
March 13 - 16 - RAC L'Taken 10th Grade Social Justice Seminar
Gesher - 6th & 7th Grade
The word Gesher means “bridge,” and our sixth—and seventh-graders will begin taking steps to cross the bridge from childhood to Jewish adulthood. We believe the family bond helps ease the transition and builds bridges leading children to Bet Mitzvah, Confirmation, Graduation, and beyond. We want our 6th—and 7th-graders and their families to have engaging, relevant, and memorable learning experiences. We also provide social and educational experiences beyond the classroom for our Gesher cohort! Our seminar in Newport at the Touro Synagogue and our Gesher overnight retreat to Camp Ramah are some of the highlights of the Gesher Program. Monthly youth group activities and events round out our Gesher Experience!
Grade 6: I am Becoming a Bet Mitzvah Soon! 6th-grade students focus on Bet Mitzvah, studying the meanings behind the writings in the Torah and Haftarah with the Rabbis, and learning the prayers they will need for their service. They will also engage with topics relevant to them as middle schoolers, such as how to deal with stress, and they will explore how the values of Kindness, Courage, and Creativity can be incorporated into their own lives.
Grade 7: Hineini—Here I Am as an Emerging Jewish Adult—7th-grade students discover four curricular areas: antisemitism, the Prophets, Jewish symbols, and leadership. These lessons are relevant, fun, and thought-provoking. We hope to inspire our 7th graders to continue learning and growing with us Jewishly beyond their Bet Mitzvah.
Yallah! - 8th - 12th Grade
"Yallah" means “Let's Go!” and our eighth - twelfth-graders will move through adolescence and Jewish adulthood with their rabbis and educators as their guides. Students experience a wide range of topics in class sessions by age group, through mini modules that individualize their learning and travel seminars around the country to help them bond with their classmates and become sensitive to local and world issues. Students describe our program as both thought-provoking and fun!
8th Grade
Grade 8: Israel – It is Complicated! – The 8th graders study the land and people of Israel using a curriculum developed by our faculty and our Shelichah from Israel. Students’ discussion and learning about the land and people of Israel is an integral part of our program. Students will be able to gain knowledge and understanding of our Jewish homeland to talk about the issues and prepare for an eventual visit during High School or College. Our students also spend part of the year learning about the Jewish History of Boston and travel together to explore our people's roots in this city. In addition, the
9th Grade
Grade 9: Coming to America - Our ninth graders explore the political, social, economic, and religious history of the American Jewish community during the Eastern European migration to America. Students travel to New York City as a group and experience their curriculum "firsthand" during our Jewish New York Tour. 9th graders also explore antisemitism and learn to apply Jewish principles and concepts to their everyday lives. Text study, group debate, and discussion comprise our ninth-grade program's core.
Confirmation
Grade 10: Confirmation – God, Torah, and the People of Israel - What is God? Is there more than one way to perceive God? How can we know God? What does God want from us? How does God fit into my life? If there is a God, why do bad things happen? This is a course about God. More specifically, it is a course about how Jews have spoken about and to God through four thousand years of Jewish history. Students will also gain an understanding of current events and how these events affect the Jewish community. Finally, our 10th graders also participate in a social action program presented by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. They join students from all over the country to experience social justice through a Jewish lens. The tenth-grade year culminates in a Confirmation ceremony on Erev Shavuot. Under the guidance of the Rabbis, the students create and lead the service, offering their own insights and teachings to the congregation. 
Post Confirmation
Grades 11 & 12: Soon, I will graduate #OMG? Post-confirmation students consider and discuss Jewish connection after high school graduation and learn lifelong Jewish skills to take with them when they leave our embrace. They meet twice monthly for dinner and classes, attend a social justice seminar in Los Angeles, or learn about our Jewish connection to civil rights in the South.
Mini Modules and Special Events
Congregation B'nai Shalom's Chai School offers a dynamic and engaging educational experience for students in grades 6-12, extending beyond traditional religious school classroom learning to foster a deeper connection with Judaism in their adolescent lives. The program incorporates "mini-modules" that allow for in-depth study of various topics, adapting to student needs and interests. Past modules have included current events, antisemitism, LGBTQ+, Jewish theater, art, cooking, and other fun topics that our students love! These modules aim to empower students to explore their Jewish identity and apply Jewish ethical principles to their lives. Complementing the academic focus, Chai School also includes "Chai School Night Out" programs and other special holiday events and celebrations, which are social and community-building experiences designed to create a vibrant and fun environment. These programs are part of the broader effort to build relationships within the Jewish community and provide engaging, relevant, and memorable learning experiences beyond the classroom, fostering a sense of belonging and a lifelong love for Jewish learning.
Madrichol
These teens are transformed into r
ole models, and young students look up to them. Confidence, pride, and a renewed passion for learning – that’s what this program creates for our teens. Madrichol prepare lessons, lead small group discussions, tutor children in Hebrew, and introduce exciting games to review classroom material. They provide a safe and loving environment for every student, make it “cool” to be Jewish, and bring a sense of Ruach (spirit) to the classroom and youth events.