Sharon Serbin recently joined Congregation Beth El as its new director of the Patricia Sarah Ashkenazi Religious School (PSARS).
Serbin arrives in Tidewater from Pittsburgh, Pa., where she has worked in Jewish education for the past 30-plus years. An esteemed recipient of the North American Grinspoon Award for Excellence in Jewish Education, she has led workshops for the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE), and has presented Yom Limmud trainings in Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Columbus.
In addition to a new director, PSARS has a new enrollment policy. The school will be open to any student in the community regardless of synagogue affiliation with one price for members and another for non-members.
All students will meet on Sunday mornings (three-years-old–seventh grade), 9 am–12 pm at Congregation Beth El. In addition, students in Grades 3–6 will meet at the Simon Family JCC on the Sandler Family Campus on Wednesday afternoons at 5:30 pm for a “transition period” that will include activities and snacks, followed by Hebrew study, dinner and dismissal at 7:30 pm. The collective Hebrew program on Wednesdays will replace the individual tutoring of the past few years.
PSARS will also have the involvement of Tidewater’s visiting Shinshinim, Aya Sever and Alma Ben Chorin. These young Israeli ambassadors will share their love of Israel, Hebrew, and Judaism with the students. Rabbi Ron Koas will also take an active part in the school as he has a long history in Jewish education, most notably as the education director at Park Avenue Synagogue for nine years.
For additional information, contact Rabbi Koas at rabbikoas@bethelnorfolk.com or 732-998-1029.