Change your own Jewish life  Help others discover themselves Jewishly In just two summers, all the tools you need as a... Knowledgeable Layman in all Synagogue Skills    Jewish Communal Worker wanting to contextualize your skills     Synagogue Choir Member    Lay Religious Leader for a Small Community    Master Teacher in Tefillah or Bar/Bat Mitzvah Training     Professional Shamash, Ritual Director, or Hazzan Sheini in a large congregation

A ritual director in a culminating moment with a bat mitzvah student

The School for Shamashim—as far as we know, the only one in the world, and the only one in 4000 years of Jewish history—is the place to learn or upgrade skills

• Open to men and women from all movements

• Emphasis on traditional nusah, trop, meaning and values, including text study
  
• All synagogue skills for the entire year in every circumstance 

• Consists of one month in residence each of two summers, with a supervised internship between

Pedagogy and Inservice Credit: Everything that is taught constantly emphasizes teaching strategies and methodology. To date, Mercaz (BJE Toronto) grants, for each summer, two full-year credits in the Midrasha L'Morim and for credential upgrade. The Jewish Agency will grant 36 NY Board of Regents recognized university credits (32 upper level) after successfully completing an oral exam that can be sent on a CD (a fee is charged). After the first year, all Jewish Agency students also automatically earn a temporary Hebrew teacher's license from the national board of license. After successfully completing the supervised inservice and second year, Jewish Agency students qualify for a permanent teaching license.  Gratz College grants 7 course credits per summer. As well, certain individual schools and synagogues grant professional development credit and salary enhancement for study at the School for Shamashim. Finally, some schools and synagogues will provide subvention scholarships for their teachers. We will assist you in arranging credit in your locale.