Open Temple

Venice Yeshiva

The Venice Yeshiva:

Where ‘The Chosen’ Meets ‘Yentl’.

Remember the scene in “The Chosen” when Danny and Reuven debated the impact of Jewish law on their lives? Or the moment that Barbra Streisand revealed she was a girl to Mandy Patankin? No? Well, you will have the opportunity to revisit or visit for the first time these layered moments in Jewish literature and film. The Venice Yeshiva brings the Oral History of Jewish Rabbinic dialectic to life – from the creation of a yeshiva-type environment where your child will be assigned a chevruta (study partner) for the year, to understanding the continued weaving and expanding choir of opinions on Jewish texts. Students emerge with an understanding of Rabbinic Judaism, Codes, Aggadah (storytelling), Midrash and Halacha (Jewish interpretive and legal commentaries on the written law). Layering upon the fact that cinema, television and Hollywood have expanded Jewish culture and ritual into a visual form, students emerge with a sense of a living, relevant and personal relationship to Jewish texts, rituals, storytelling and legal dilemmas.

The Venice Yeshiva also focuses on character building. The origins of social-emotional learning are in Jewish texts (and there are PhDs who have written about this!). Students focus on specific “Becoming a Mensch/Menschette” Challenges throughout the year. The fulfillment of the program is a Jewish bookshelf filled with books on topics of Torah, Prayer, History, Mussar, Feminist, Gender, and Legal Torah studies.

For students in 6th (and occasionally 5th) grade.

Venice Yeshiva also includes small group Hebrew lessons and access to our online aleph-bet learning platform.

School Fees:

Participation in Creative Torah Academy compliments other Offerings in our community and the outcomes impact the whole family. This requires that families become Open Temple co-creators before beginning CTA. If our suggested co-creator rates aren’t affordable for your family, please contact us and we will work with you to open up access.

Tuition for 2023-2024 is as follows:

Arts 36 (ages 5-9): $1,800

Venice Yeshiva (ages 9-11): $1,800

B Mitzvah (ages 12-13): For those continuing from Venice Yeshiva: $6,500; for those new to Creative Torah Academy: $7,700; for B Mitzvah in Israel (select dates in summer 2024): $10,000

Register by the end of July and we will waive our 5% processing fee!

Enrollment is now open for Fall 2023/5784. For any questions, please reach out to Kirsten Hudson. If you’re ready to sign up or re-enroll:

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“Sing unto God a new song.”
-Psalm 96

If God is already tired, as suggests the Psalm, of hearing the old song, all the more so will ordinary mortals be.
-Alcalay (20th c. Jewish lexicographer)

The Open Temple.
Sing a new Song.

Hebrew school ages 9-11

Yeshiva Venice California