By Mylena C. Ferman
Congregation Beth Shalom of Brandon is seeking students to attend its Brandon Jewish Youth Academy (BJYA). Set to open in August, the school will provide free tuition for new and current members in good standing.
Currently, the school offers two primary educational tracks. The first teaches Hebrew, while the second prepares students for their bar or bat mitzvah by teaching Jewish history, culture, prayer and Torah studies.
The program is “modern, meaningful and memorable,” according to the school’s advertisement. The director of Jewish Education, Neil Spindel, uses fresh approaches to teach ancient traditions. Some of these approaches include using melodies of ancient texts to teach Torah chanting and color-coded study guides about ancient rituals.
“Our goal is to have our kids fall in love with their heritage,” Spindel said, “we want our kids to enjoy learning about who they are.”
The school’s modernization also includes the use of new technology. Spindel uses ChatGPT, which he has named ‘Shlomo,’ to help create the school’s curriculum and textbooks. According to Jewish tradition, Shlomo — the Hebrew name for Solomon — built the first temple in Jerusalem.
“AI was very much central to the development of the school,” Spindel said.
Congregation Beth Shalom of Brandon is a Reform Jewish congregation with approximately 40 members. Spindel explained that one of the synagogue’s primary motivations behind the BJYA was to attract more members and further serve the community.
Toby Koch, vice president and ritual committee chairperson, describes the congregation as “a warm, welcoming group of people that care about each other.”
She explained that the synagogue’s members often go out of their way to help the congregation. While Spindel became the director of the religious school, another member stepped up to teach. Outside of being a teacher at the BJYA, Ianna Rosenthal is a Hillsborough County high school teacher and mother of the two children who learned under the school’s pilot curriculum.
Her two children currently lead the 7 p.m. service on the last Friday of each month.
“She’s showing me the difference that a real teacher can make,” Spindel said.
The congregation will hold a Q&A and information session for the BJYA on Sunday, July 27, at 1 p.m. To RSVP for the informational session, email rsvp@bjya.org or call 813-438-3914 by Friday, July 25.
To learn more about Congregation Beth Shalom, located in Brandon, visit the website at https://bethshalombrandon.org.
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