About us
Chai Hebrew School opens its doors for the first time this fall, at Young Israel of Kings Bay. It's built from the ground up as a Kindergarten through 5th grade program with fun, interactive, progressive teaching at its core. No dusty workbooks: our goal is a Jewish education that feels like theirs, not something done to them.
Our approach
We're building Chai around progressive teaching methods from day one: hands-on projects instead of worksheets, movement and games instead of sitting still, and small groups where kids talk as much as they listen. Hebrew reading matters because it opens the prayerbook. Holidays matter because they're your family's calendar, not just a unit in a workbook.
Chai is open to families of every background and level of observance. Families who are Reform, Conservative, secular, interfaith, or still figuring it out all sit in the same classrooms. What we ask is curiosity, not certainty.
Hebrew: a living language, not a memorized alphabet.
Holidays: experienced with hands, not just heard about.
Community: a place kids and parents both belong to.
Our congregation
Chai Hebrew School is a project of Young Israel of Kings Bay (YIKB), a warm, family-oriented synagogue serving the heart of Sheepshead Bay since 1937. YIKB welcomes members from every background, and believes there's no better investment in Judaism than education and the strengthening of Jewish identity. That's exactly why Chai exists.
A vibrant, growing synagogue offering Shabbat, holiday, and daily services, educational classes, and community support for every age, from children to seniors.
We welcome visiting families any week of the year. No registration is required to sit in on a class.
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