Jewish School In Essex County Gets Grant To Offer Free Tuition

Press release from Oheb Shalom Congregation:

April 18, 2023

Inspired by a desire to expand on its vibrant Jewish community, Oheb Shalom has decided to take an active role in removing barriers that can prevent people from engaging in Jewish life and education. The synagogue is proud to announce that Zeman Religious School will be tuition free, funded by a generous donation from the Arthur Schechner Charitable Foundation. In its acceptance of this unprecedented offering, Oheb Shalom is the only synagogue in South Orange, Maplewood (its sister town) and the surrounding area to offer complimentary enrollment to its religious school.

“One of the greatest challenges of our times is loneliness, and one of the greatest obstacles to joining a community is the cost. People crave connection and want their children to feel a sense of belonging and love. Oheb Shalom offers just that - a diverse, vibrant and thriving congregation that is small enough that people can make genuine connections and friendships. Thanks to Arthur Schechner’s generous donation, we now have the resources to reach families who never considered raising their kids with a Jewish education or community,” shared Rabbi Abigail Treu, Oheb Shalom Congregation.

Education Director Gavin Hirsch said, “I am thrilled that we are able to offer Zeman Religious School completely free of charge to all students. We have been building relationships with families at Oheb Shalom and facilitating connections between members, so that no one is lost in the crowd. While children are having fun and learning in a close knit environment, we are fostering Jewish pride, Jewish joy and a lifelong commitment to Jewish engagement.”

“I am convinced that the education of the Jewish family and particularly the children is the stem cell to the survival of the Jewish people. Proverbs teaches us: ‘Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ I further believe that cost should not be a barrier to cultivating a synagogue community or receiving a Jewish education. That is why I created The Arthur Schechner Charitable Foundation. It will enable students and their parents to attend the Zeman religious school absolutely tuition free.

I was told that my great grandfather Isaac Schwarz, who was the founding Rabbi of Oheb Shalom, in about 1875, also established the first Hebrew Free Day School in New Jersey. In some measure then, establishing my Foundation almost 150 years later brings my family’s gift of a free Jewish education full circle,” said Arthur Schechner.

Greater MetroWest Federation conducted a study of local Jewish families in 2020 and discovered that of the 29,700 children living here, only 20% in grades K-12 are enrolled in a part-time supplemental school. With only 7% enrolled in Jewish day school or yeshiva, nearly 75% of Jewish children in our own neighborhoods are not receiving a Jewish education (source). The trend continues nationwide. Per the Pew Research Center, approximately 21% of Jewish children in the United States attend some type of Jewish supplementary school.

Oheb Shalom is always evolving to meet the growing, unique needs of its congregation, from launching a Multiracial Jewish Families Havurah (friendship circle) to reshaping the b-mitzvah experience to suit the needs of the individual child. The donation from the Arthur Schechner Charitable Foundation is the most generous gift in the history of the Zeman Religious School since the naming and it will positively impact Jewish generations to come.

Registration for the Zeman Religious School is ongoing. To learn more, go to ohebshalom.org/zeman-school or email gavinhirsch@ohebshalom.org.

This press release was produced by Oheb Shalom Congregation. The views expressed here are the author's own.