Learning
Jewish learning at every age, from kindergarten to retirement
Sunday mornings for our children, weekday evenings and Saturday mornings for the adults, and a weekly word from the rabbi for everyone. You do not need a background in any of it to begin.
Religious school, 2026 to 2027
Sundays, 9:30 am to 12:00 pm
Kindergarten through twelfth grade. Registration for the coming school year is open now.
Learning
Three ways to learn here
Kindergarten to grade 12
Religious schoolSunday mornings with Betti Buck. Hebrew, holidays, Torah, music, and the friendships that outlast confirmation.
About the schoolAdults
Adult educationTorah study, Hebrew from scratch, an introduction to Judaism, and evenings built around a single good question.
See what is runningEvery week
Weekly reflectionsA short piece from Rabbi Gross on the week’s Torah portion and what it is asking of us right now.
Read the latestReligious school
Sunday mornings, kindergarten through twelfth grade
Betti Buck has led our religious school since 2021. Originally from Israel, she has built a classroom where Jewish learning is something students do with their hands and their voices rather than something they sit through: Hebrew, holidays, Torah, Israel, music, and the ethics of how to treat other people.
Younger grades focus on holidays, stories and Hebrew letters. Middle grades move into reading Hebrew and preparing for b’nai mitzvah. Our teens continue through confirmation, and many of them come back to teach.
The school meets once a week, on Sunday mornings, which is a deliberate choice: one morning a family can actually protect, done well, beats three that everyone resents.
Registration
How to enrol a child
Three steps, and the first one is the only one that surprises people.
Become a member
Religious school enrollment is one of the benefits of HCRJ membership, so families join the congregation first. Mike Kahn will walk you through it, and the conversation about cost is a private and flexible one.
Complete the registration form
Registration for the coming year opens in the spring and runs through the summer. It lives in ShulCloud, our member portal, alongside your account and payments.
Come to the first Sunday
Meet the teachers, find the classroom, and let your child find their people. Betti is there all morning and is happy to answer anything.
Not a member yet?
That is the usual place to start, and it is a short conversation rather than a hurdle. Membership is what makes religious school, High Holy Day services and the rabbi’s presence at your family’s life cycle moments part of your year.
Adult education
Learning for grown ups who are starting anywhere
Nothing here assumes a Jewish education, or any education. Come to one and see.
Torah study
Saturday mornings, open to everyone
An unhurried conversation about the week’s portion, with texts in translation. No Hebrew, no preparation, and no one is asked to read aloud.
Introduction to Judaism
For anyone exploring, converting, or married in
A guided course through belief, practice, holidays and history, taught for people starting at the beginning. Partners of members are especially welcome.
Hebrew for adults
Reading Hebrew from scratch
Learn to follow the service in the original, at the pace of adults who have jobs. Begins with the letters and expects nothing before that.
Lunch and Learn
A talk, a discussion and a sandwich
A midday session on a single topic, from Jewish texts to current events in Israel and Houston, with time for argument.
Weekly reflections
A word from the rabbi, every week
Rabbi Gross produces a short video each week on the Torah portion and what it is asking of us right now. You can view all of the video archives by viewing the playlist on YouTube. The reflection arrives in your inbox each week along with what is happening at HCRJ.
Prayer library and student resources
Recordings of the prayers and blessings, to practise at home. Written for religious school students preparing for b’nai mitzvah, and useful to anyone learning the service.
Learning here starts with a conversation.
Whether it is a five year old starting kindergarten or an adult who has wondered about this for thirty years, the next step is the same. Tell us where you are starting from.