Danforth Jewish Circle
CHILDREN'S JEWISH STUDIES PROGRAM
SK - GRADE 6 | THURSDAYS FROM 4:15 - 6:15 PM | SEPTEMBER - MAY
Nurturing big ideas and questions!
Since 1998, we have offered students and families a meaningful experience in our program by exploring and expanding our traditions, nurturing students’ big ideas and questions, and helping them build a Jewish community they want to be part of.
What does it mean to be Jewish?
Our students learn to question what it means to be a Jew and how being Jewish affects our values, beliefs, and behaviour. Together, students and teachers will ask questions such as “What does it mean to be Jewish?” and explore what a Jewish identity means personally, within the family, the Jewish community, and the global community-at-large. A key component of the program is respect for the broad spectrum of identities within Judaism, as well as those that co-exist and intersect with Judaism. Above all, we aim for our classrooms to feel like microcosms of our DJC community – meaning that each member is welcome, valued, and included.
Rooted and nourished by tradition.
Our program values Judaism as a dynamic living religion, rooted and nourished by tradition while evolving with contemporary questions, sensibilities, and concerns. We offer students many avenues to encounter our rich traditions, while empowering them to conduct their own investigations and consider their own experiences. Certain themes and goals are integrated throughout all levels of our program – especially our commitment to tikkun olam (repairing the world).
Our classes are fun!
We offer a diversity of teaching methods, which ensures that our teaching reaches all types of learners (and that our classes are fun)!
Classes include a combination of discussion and debate, music, drama, Hebrew language, sources and stories, special guests, holiday learning, family activities, and Jewish rituals, as well as an engagement with both Jewish history and current events.
At our school, each year builds on the year before, but we also welcome new students at every level of study. Although each grade engages with themes and topics central to Judaism (including Jewish holidays, Torah, rituals, and the formation of Jewish identity), each grade also has its own specific themes and learning outcomes. In addition to major themes and sub-topics for each grade, the information below also identifies skills and middot (Jewish values) related to the curriculum that we aim to explore and cultivate throughout our program.
CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT OUR VALUES AND CURRICULUM
2026-2027 REGISTRATION:
The Children’s Jewish Studies program follows the DJC’s contribution structures and offers a sliding scale. We invite you to pay the amount that feels comfortable for your family, and we thank you for your support. Our program is subsidized by grants and the generosity of the DJC community. To support our commitment to inclusion, we hope you’ll stretch the amount you contribute, if you are able. Your generosity helps fund and enrich our programming, while continuing to offer subsidies to those who need them.
PER CHILD:
DJC Members: $1300-2050
Non-DJC Members: $1700-2500
Registration is open between July 1 and August 15. After that date, prospective students are placed on a waitlist and invited to register if space becomes available. For more information, please contact Alysse Rich, Director of Education.
All DJC memberships and programming are offered on a sliding scale. Subsidies are available, and we strive to make our subsidy application process as barrier-free as possible. No one is turned away for lack of funds.Special thanks to the Jewish Connection Partnership, Miles Nadal JCC, and the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, whose grants have enabled our program to flourish and grow.
For questions or more information, please contact djc.js.principal@gmail.com