2024 Back to School Guide

The Jewish day schools, supplementary schools and early-childhood schools offered by the Jewish community of Cincinnati this year are listed below:

Adath Israel Congregation – Jarson Education Center

3201 E. Galbraith Road

Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236

Contact: Rachel Brown

Director of Education and

Youth and Family Programming

Phone: 513-793-1800, ext. 104

Fax: 513-792-5085

Email: rachel@adath-israel.org

Website: adath-israel.org/school

Grades: Pre-kindergarten (Pre-Gan)-8th Grade

Contact for start dates. 

Affiliation: Conservative

Adath Israel’s focus is to give students rich educational opportunities that make it fun to be Jewish together. We offer an exciting program that incorporates immersion in Jewish culture and the study of Hebrew, prayer, and music, as well as a dedicated Bar and Bat Mitzvah Training Program.

We serve students in Pre-Kindergarten (age 4) through 8th grade. Special seventh & eighth Grade Program on Sunday evenings.

New this year: Elective classes for grades there through six, and optional virtual one-on-one Hebrew enrichment with Adath teachers.

Atara Girls High School

6701 Elbrook Avenue

Cincinnati, Ohio, 45237

513-366-3946

Beth Israel Congregation

Schul School: Ann E. Strauss

Religious School Address: 50 North Sixth Street, Hamilton, Ohio 45011

Director of Education: Michelle Neuman

Office: 513-868-2049 or 

BethIsraelHamiltonOH@gmail.com

Grades: Kindergarten to Bnei Mitzvah

Classes begin September 8

Affiliation: Conservative

Academic Statement: The integrated curriculum stresses the relevance of Judaism in our lives and reinforces methods to live both Jewishly and authentically. We’ll enjoy schul days, community days, and holidays together. Students can connect current events to the weekly Torah portion and understand the impact of daily mitzvot performed and observed. Students can continue their studies post-bnai mitzvah as a madrichot.

Chai Tots Early Childhood Center

7587 Central Parke Boulevard 

Mason, OH 45040

Contact: Rochel Kalmanson, education director

Phone: 513-234-0600

Fax: 513-234-0711

Ages: 6 weeks-6 years

Hours: Flexible hours from 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

Classes are currently ongoing.

Affiliation: Entire Jewish community

The Chai Tots Early Childhood Center is a Jewish community school, serving the entire Jewish community in the Mason/Deerfield/Loveland/West Chester area. Chai Tots students range from ages 6 weeks to 6 years and reflect the diversity of the Jewish community coming from a variety of Jewish affiliations and backgrounds. It is the first Jewish Montessori school in Ohio and offers infant care, toddler and preschool programs, and kindergarten.

Chai Tots provides a blend of Jewish Montessori education offering strong academics stressing life skills, interpersonal relationship skills, and nurturing a love of life-long learning.

They customize a curriculum for each student facilitated in expansive naturally lit rooms, with low student-teacher ratios. Offering year-round child care, a flexible “design-your-own-schedule,” webcams, state-of-the-art computer lab, yoga, music, Hebrew, Spanish, art, Tae Kwon Do, after-school enrichment and a “drop-off” sitting service. Separate Discovery Hebrew School. Now enrolling.

Cincinnati Hebrew Day School

2222 Losantiville Avenue

Cincinnati, OH 45237

513-351-7777

Cincy Journeys

Cincy Journeys is a grant program that enables hundreds of Jewish Cincinnati children, teens, and young adults to attend overnight Jewish camp or travel to Israel each year. These grants are not based on financial need.

Overnight Jewish Camp and Israel travel give our young community members the skills, experience, and desire to become tomorrow’s Jewish leaders.

Funded by The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati and administered by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, Cincy Journeys is the most generous grants program in the country.

Congregation Beth Adam Religious School

10001 Loveland-Madeira Road

Loveland, Ohio, 45140

Contact: Rabbi Lauren Werber

Phone: 513-985-0400

Grades: Preschool to teen program 

Hours: Religious School – Sunday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Classes start September 8. 

Affiliation: Humanistic

Under the direction of Rabbi Lauren Werber, Our Village (the Religious School of Congregation Beth Adam) continues to break new ground in what Jewish education can and should be. You and your children will find this innovative, creative and immersive Jewish experience to be meaningful and relevant. The value-added lessons learned and skills developed will last a lifetime.

Our Village will prepare students to be kind, confident, collaborative, critical thinkers. They will learn to be change-makers and social justice advocates through the lens of Jewish history, thought, and practice. Students will learn skills to enable them to be successful in the wider world in which they live.

Discovery Hebrew School

7587 Central Parke Boulevard

Mason, Ohio, 45040

Contact: Goldy Kalmanson, Discovery Hebrew School Director

Phone: 513-234-0777

Ages: 6-13

Hours: Sundays, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Classes start September 8.

Affiliation: Entire Jewish community

Do you want your kids to LOVE being Jewish?

Do you want your child to have a strong sense of pride in their Jewish heritage?

Do you want your child to read Hebrew and learn about Jewish holidays?

DHS is for YOU.

These are the classes that your child will BEG for more! Students play games, engage in experiments, and receive individualized learning. We keep a low teacher:student ratio for a highly personalized and caring program. This is the place to experience real authentic Judaism in a loving and interactive environment.  

Every Jewish child deserves an EXCITING Jewish education. And we’ll bring that to your child. Guaranteed.

Isaac M. Wise Temple Kehillah:  Building Community Through Learning, Friendship, and Discovery (Pre-K through 8th Grade)

8329 Ridge Road

Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236

Contact: Courtney Anthony, Director of Education

Phone: 513-793-2556

Grades: Pre-K–8th grade (Sunday mornings); Hebrew Connect (online midweek Hebrew program for Grades 4-6)

Hours: Sundays 9:15-11:45 a.m. (Pre-K-8th Grade); Weekday afternoons (Hebrew Connect) 

Contact for start dates. 

Affiliation: Reform

We are thrilled to announce the launch of Kehillah, a brand new, comprehensive youth engagement and education experience at Wise Temple designed to promote community, friendship, and energized learning experiences in our Sunday morning program! Kehillah is not the religious school you knew, but a re-envisioned approach to Jewish learning and living for our students in pre-k through eighth grade. Our curriculum, goals, and even our Wise Center classroom furnishings are brand new for the 2022-2023 school year, with rooms now featuring cutting edge modular furniture designed for versatility and collaborative learning. The education which takes place during class time will be enhanced by an array of new enrichment experiences built into the Sunday morning program, including art, nature, and team building.

Wise Temple also features an online Hebrew learning experience for grades 4-6. Hebrew Connect is an interactive, synchronous program that allows families to choose class session times that work for their busy schedules, and students to join their teachers and classmates for interactive Hebrew lessons from the comfort of their own homes.

Special family services, social justice experiences, and holiday celebrations occur throughout the year at Wise Temple.

At Wise Temple you will find engaging, interactive, experiential learning at its best.

Kehal Kodesh School of Rockdale Temple: Our Sacred Community

8501 Ridge Road

Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236

Contact (Rockdale Temple): Rabbi Erin Binder, Associate Rabbi & Educator

Phone: 513-891-9900

Grades: Preschool-Grade 8

Hours: Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-noon; Hebrew School: Weekday afternoons online

Contact for start dates.

Format: In-person at Rockdale Temple unless otherwise noted

Affiliation: Reform

Kehal Kodesh offers learning experiences for students in preschool through eighth grade, and a Hebrew program for students in third through eighth grade. Our curriculum infuses Jewish values, holidays, Bible stories, and Israel into each learner’s experience. With community building as a core value, we hold weekly family t’filah (prayer), an annual family retreat, and several family learning opportunities throughout the year.  

There are youth groups and social programs for all grades: Club 456 welcomes students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades; Rak Noar is designed for students in seventh and eighth grades; and students in ninth to twelfth grade are encouraged to participate in Rockdale’s Senior Youth Group – YGOR, the Youth Group of Rockdale. 

As a Reform congregation we embrace every family, every child, and every learner. Children in interfaith families who are being raised in the Jewish faith are encouraged to actively participate in the life of the congregation. 

Early Childhood School at the Mayerson JCC

After Crew (after school)

8485 Ridge Road,

Cincinnati, OH 45236

Phone: 513-793-2122 (Early Childhood School); 513-722-7245 (After Crew)

New Community Hebrew High School

Shelanu is Cincinnati’s Hebrew High School. We bring together teens from six synagogues in Cincinnati: Adath Israel Congregation, Northern Hills Synagogue, Rockdale Temple, Temple Sholom, Valley Temple and Wise Temple. Rabbis from all of these Synagogues teach at Shelanu in addition to a talented teaching staff. Together we stimulate and challenge teens as they begin their independent Jewish lives. Shelanu is created from the former Mercaz and Kulanu schools.

Northern Hills Synagogue Religious School

5714 Fields Ertel Road

Cincinnati, Ohio, 45249

Contact: Idit Moss at Educator@nhs-cba.org

Grades: 2 years old – 8th Grade

Hours: Preschool-Kindergarten (Kef Katan), Sunday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. NHS School, Sunday, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Once a month, the students will join the Shabbat services. In addition to Sunday/Saturday, there are optional mid-week Zoom classes. In addition to regular classes, once a month, family programs such as field trips and mitzvah projects.

The start date is August 25th. 

Affiliation: Conservative

Northern Hills Synagogue Religious School offers classes from age 2 through grade 8. During their time at NHSRS, students will learn about the Torah, holidays, Israel, life-cycle events, the portion of the week, prayers, and Hebrew. We proudly offer a Hebrew class for native Hebrew speakers and a Hebrew class for non-speakers. 

We welcome Preschool and Kindergarten students to our Kef Katan class. During Kef Katan’s class, the students will learn Hebrew through fun songs, games, and dance. They will also hear stories and practice selected blessings. NHS Religious School registration is open for members and non-members.

Ohr Torah, Cincinnati

4131 Matson Avenue

Deer Park, OH 45236

513-351-1482

Rockwern Academy and Rockwern Academy Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) 

Address: 8401 Montgomery Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45236 

Contact: Sarah Shmoel (Director of Admissions and Outreach), admissions@rockwernacademy.org 

Phone: 513-984-3770 

Grades/Ages Served: 12 months through eighth grade 

K-8 Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. with flexible options for before and after school care for all students from 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. 

ECEC Hours: Half-day and full-day options, including early care at 7:00 a.m. and extended care program to 6:00 p.m. 

Admission Dates/Deadlines: 25-26 Admission Opens in January 2025 

Affiliation: Jewish community day school 

About: Founded in 1952, Rockwern Academy (formerly Yavneh Day School) is an independent, Jewish community day school located in the Kenwood area serving 250 students ages 12 months through eighth grade. For students in our K-8 program, the excellent student-to-teacher ratio allows our talented faculty to tailor learning to each child’s individual needs. Here, students are encouraged to ask questions and be creative in their problem solving. Our Early Childhood Education Center lays the foundation for the upper grades by providing a developmentally appropriate curriculum that emphasizes academic, social, and personal growth, as well as Jewish culture and the Hebrew language. Financial aid is available for those who qualify, including support from EdChoice. Rockwern provides a wide array of After School Activities, summer camps, and electives to help students broaden their horizons and grow outside of the classroom. Our new makerspace, The Curiosity Center, gives students the opportunity to create in a hands-on environment filled with 3-D printers, LEGOS, audio-visual equipment, and more. 

Temple Sholom Religious School

10828 Kenwood Road

Cincinnati Ohio, 45242

Phone: 513-791-1330

Valley Temple Religious School

145 Springfield Pike

Wyoming, Ohio, 45215

Contact: Rabbi Austin Zoot, Rabbi/Educator

Phone: 513-761-3555

Grades: Birth-Grade 12

Hours: Gan Emek: babies/toddlers with a parent/grandparent; Religious School: PreK-Grade 6 on Sundays, 9:45 a.m.-noon; Grades 7-8, a unique hybrid model that combines in-person meetings and field trips with virtual sessions; Grades 9-12 Sunday 5:30-7:10 p.m., students participate in Shelanu, Cincinnati’s Jewish supplemental high school; Grades 4-6 Hebrew Tuesday 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Contact for start dates. 

Affiliation: Reform

Valley Temple’s classes have a strong emphasis on Torah, Israel, holidays, traditions and values. Highly skilled and experienced faculty nurture the students and help them develop their Jewish identities. Valley Temple also offers family education for all grades and a Hebrew program for grades 4, 5, 6. Families must be temple members to enroll students.