11th Grade Classes

Junior First Bell

DIY Judaism
Madeline Budman
Jewish ritual is powerful, transformative, and most importantly, experiential. Together, we won’t simply learn about Jewish ritual practice and objects, but we will do and create them together. We will take hold of ritual objects like Torah and tefillin, make our own ritual objects for holidays and the everyday, and craft our own unique ritual practices.

Is Rock Climbing Jewish? (CLASS FULL)
Dr. Caroline Winstel, Ed.D
Climbing (Metapsim) and Jewishness is a course that will cultivate space and community for learners to experientially explore the world of rock climb and its connections to their Jewish lives. Each week we'll use a Jewish lens to explore the world of climbing and connect to things like Mussar, yirah (fear and awe), connection and responsibility to the natural world, kehillah (community), and more. Previous experience in climbing is not required to be a part of this course. It will be accessible for all abilities and is taught by an international adaptive climber and Jewish educator. his will be a hybrid course, splitting time between our classroom meetings and four field trips to a local climbing gym. This class will include 2 field trips so that students can climb as part of their experience.

Cultural Cooking with the Chavarim (Mika and Shachar) (CLASS FULL)
Visit with the different cultures within in Israel in this hands-on vegetarian cooking course. Students will make popular Israeli dishes while learning about the diverse history of Israeli cuisine. Students should be prepared to participate each week and will gain practical culinary skills in the process. Yalla! Space is limited.

Junior Second Bell

Semester 2- Maimonides Moot Court Competition (Formerly Moot Beit Din)
Teacher: Lowell Lustig
Embark on a rich and engaging learning journey with local our local teacher, Lowell Lustig, through the premiere program for students to grapple with contemporary ethics through a prism of Jewish legal tradition. Powered by the Hadar Institute and supported by Maimonides Fund, the Maimonides Moot Court Competition builds upon the international competitions for high school and college students previously known as Moot Beit Din, in which participants defend ethical arguments grounded in Jewish wisdom in response to a modern ethical issue. In recent years, competitions have addressed timely issues including tainted money, whisper networks, and artificial intelligence through the intensive study of traditional and modern Jewish sources. This is a yearlong course that includes travel opportunity in the Spring to the competition.

Jewish Wisdom of Taylor Swift
Madeline Budman
The connections between Taylor Swift and Torah: are you ready for it? They both never go out of style. They both can still make the whole place shimmer. It’s just so pretty to think that there’s some invisible string, tying Taylor to our Jewish wisdom. Can’t you see that they’re the ones who understand you? They’ve been here all along, relating to our lives. If you have doubts, shake it off, because this class will be beyond your wildest dreams. It’s me, hi, I’m going to teach you the Torah of Taylor, it’s me. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling ready for Shelanu!

Holocaust & Humanity Center
Rabbi Shena Jaffee
In conjunction with local clergy, Holocaust educators and local survivors, this Holocaust course examines history while expanding students’ exploration of their Jewish identity. This Holocaust course will go beyond historical facts to help connect you to local Cincinnati survivors and to better understand contemporary antisemitism.

Create Our Own Seder
Rabbi Karen Thomashow
This is a project-based learning class in which we will first and foremost study the history, laws, and customs of Passover.
Throughout the semester, we will devote a portion of each class to the creation of our own modern and relevant Passover rituals and materials.
At the conclusion, we will either conduct our own Seder as a concluding lesson OR create something that we can share with our families, friends, and circles of community—that part will be up to US!